Sao Ta Food JSC raises and processes prawn and shrimp to sell in Japan, the United States and Canada. — Photo tinnhanhchungkhoan

Sao Ta Food, (FMC), a subsidiary of Pan Group, plans to buy back two million treasury shares through order matching and negotiation.

As of March 16, FMC shares closed at VND19,800 (US$0.86) on the HCM Stock Exchange, so the firm was expected to pay VND39.6 billion for the shares.

According to the firm, the transaction time would be within 30 days after the day the State Securities Commission approved the share buyback.

At the beginning of February, before the pandemic was announced, the firm mentioned: “The Chinese market only plays a small proportion, so the impact is not too large.”

As the pandemic has spread and affected many countries, the worst-case scenario for seafood exporters including Sao Ta was visible.

Recently, FMC stock has plummeted to the bottom of more than one year. Compared to the beginning of 2020, FMC shares have decreased by 28 per cent.

Last year, Sao Ta Food's revenue decreased by VND100 billion compared to 2018, to close at VND3.7 trillion. Thanks to the sharp cut in cost, its profit before tax still reached VND236 billion, exceeding 31 per cent of the annual plan, profit after tax reached nearly VND230 billion, an increase of 27 per cent compared to the profit achieved in 2018.

Based in the southern province of Soc Trang, Sao Ta engaged in farming and processing prawn and shrimp. Its products are mostly sold in Japan, the United States and Canada.

In 2018, Vietnamese agriculture and food company PAN Group JSC registered to buy nearly 4.8 million shares of Sao Ta at VND30,000 each to raise its holding in the firm to 45 per cent.

As per the latest data, PAN Group JSC and its members held 68.5 per cent of the stake in Sao Ta. — VNS