KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed almost flat on Tuesday as buying interest rotated away from index heavyweights towards smaller-cap construction stocks, with sentiment affected by geopolitical uncertainty, said an analyst. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) eased 0.39 of a point to 1,714.40 from Monday’s close of 1,714.79. The benchmark index opened 1.65 points lower at 1,713.14 and moved between 1,710.44 and 1,714.50 throughout the trading session. The broader market was almost evenly balanced, with decliners leading gainers 548 to 546, while 598 counters were unchanged, 1,107 were untraded and 25 were suspended. Turnover expanded to 4.13 billion units valued at RM3.14 billion from 3.60 billion units valued at RM2.45 billion on Monday.
Key Takeaway: Hextar Global's 3QFY2024 net profit surged 28% , driven by growth in its specialty-chemicals segment and expectations of rising herbicide prices . Hextar Global Bhd posted a net profit of RM19.7 million for 3QFY2024, up from RM15.39 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue climbed 38.27% to RM252.96 million , boosted by the specialty-chemicals and newly acquired fruits segments. Highlights: Segment Performance: Specialty-Chemicals: Key driver of growth, offsetting weaker margins in agriculture. Agriculture Segment: Anticipates stabilization and positive upward price movement in herbicides soon. Fruits Segment: Contributed RM154.1 million during the durian season. Dividend Declaration: Hextar proposed a second interim single-tier dividend of 0.8 sen per share . Year-to-Date Growth: Net profit for the first nine months surged 46.97% to RM51.01 million . Revenue jumped 53.39% to RM698.19 million compared to the previous year. Expansion Plans: Strengthenin...