Good morning moomooers! Here are things you need to know about today's Singapore:

• Singapore stocks slipped slightly on Thursday morning
  

• Singapore's Esco Lifesciences raises US$200m in oversubscribed Series A round

• Singtel to unlock value of infrastructure assets, posts 12% H2 earnings drop

• Stocks to watch: Singtel, CapitaLand, Sembcorp, Bukit Sembawang

-Moomoo News SG

Market Trend

Singapore stocks slipped slightly on Thursday morning after public holiday's rest.

$FTSE Singapore Straits Time Index(.STI.SG)$ decreased 0.06 per cent or 1.86 points to 3144.23 as at 9.05 am. Losers/gainers is 130/ 78, after 247.76 million securities worth S$257.75 million changed hands.

Breaking News

Singapore's Esco Lifesciences raises US$200m in oversubscribed Series A round

Singapore-based Esco Lifesciences, which supplies life sciences tools for the healthcare industry, has raised US$200 million in an oversubscribed Series A round, as it seeks to expedite expansion in China, and hunt down acquisitions worldwide. The round will value the company at over US$800 million.

Singtel to unlock value of infrastructure assets, posts 12% H2 earnings drop

Upon commencing a strategic review of its two key business units, mainboard-listed Singtel on Thursday announced a strategic reset that includes unlocking the value of its infrastructure asset portfolio which includes towers, satellites, subsea cables and data centres.

Stocks to watch

$CapitaLand(C31.SG)$: The property giant said on Thursday it acquired the remaining 50 per cent stake in DLSP-Ascendas Co, which owns Dalian Ascendas IT Park in China. CapitaLand acquired the stake from its joint venture partner for 501 million yuan (S$103.9 million). CapitaLand's shares closed at S$3.66, up S$0.05 or 1.4 per cent on Tuesday.

$Sembcorp Ind(U96.SG)$: The group on Thursday announced plans to grow profit contribution from its sustainable solutions portfolio from 40 per cent to 70 per cent by 2025. It also plans to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and deliver net zero emissions by 2050. Sembcorp shares closed 4.9 per cent or S$0.10 higher at S$2.13 on Tuesday.

$Bukit Sembawang(B61.SG)$: The property developer saw its earnings more than doublefor the financial year 2021 to March, on higher profit booked from development projects, absence of impairment loss as well as lower borrowing costs. Shares of mainboard-listed Bukit Sembawang shares closed at S$4.61, up 0.9 per cent or S$0.04 on Tuesday, before the announcement.

$Aztech Gbl(8AZ.SG)$: The mainboard-listed technology company said on Thursday it estimates the impact of the latest movement control order to be manageable on its Malaysia operations. It expects production output in Malaysia to reduce by about 30 per cent during the period of tighter restrictions. Its Malaysia production accounts for only 20 per cent of total output, while its China plant handles the remaining 80 per cent. Shares of Aztech Global closed at S$1.32 on Tuesday, down S$0.01 or 0.8 per cent.

$OUE Com Reit(TS0U.SG)$: It has priced an offering of S$150 million of 3.95 per cent notes due 2026, to be guaranteed by Reit trustee DBS Trustee. Net proceeds from the issuance will be used to refinance existing borrowings and working capital requirements, the manager said on Tuesday. OUE C-Reit units closed flat S$0.39 on Tuesday, before the announcement.

$Boustead Proj(AVM.SG)$: The property firm on Tuesday said it generated S$133.9 million in net profit for the second half of the financial year ended March, more than 10 times the S$12.6 million it recorded for the corresponding period a year ago. This came after the divestment of its interests in 14 properties to an industrial fund. The counter ended 1.8 per cent or S$0.02 higher at S$1.11 on Tuesday, before the announcement.