Dubai's Damac Sees Profit Sink 94% Amid a Property Slowdown

(Bloomberg) -- Profit at Dubai-based Damac Properties plummeted in the first quarter as the company grapples with a slowdown in demand for real estate in its home market.

The developer net income for the first quarter was 31 million dirhams ($8.5 million), 94% lower than the same period last year. Its profit missed the lowest analyst estimate compiled by Bloomberg.

In Depth

• Revenue of 896.4 million dirhams was more than 50% lower than the same period last year
  • Link to company’s presentation
• Dubai real-estate companies and developers are facing declining property prices as demand falters
• Damac last year posted the lowest annual profit since 2013

Market Insights

• Stock has lost about 38% in 2019, versus a drop of 5.1% for an index tracking real-estate companies in Dubai. The stock rose 1.6% on Wednesday as of 10:16 a.m. local time, snapping an eight-day losing streak
• MSCI announced earlier this week that it will exclude Damac from its main emerging-market benchmark, which may trigger outflows of about $45m
• The company said in April that it received a GBP175m loan to develop a tower in London

More

• On March 13: U.A.E. Bank Chief Warns of Need to Extend Property Loans (2)
• On Feb. 19: Dubai’s ‘Long Decline’ in Property Prices Isn’t Over Yet for S&P
• On Feb. 14: Damac Properties Full-Year Net Income Misses Lowest Estimate

To contact the reporter on this story: Filipe Pacheco in Dubai at fpacheco4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Celeste Perri at cperri@bloomberg.net, Dana El Baltaji, Abbas Al Lawati

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.