If Sultan Johor becomes the YDPA, Which Stocks Would be on the Highlight?

The Malay Rulers are expected to select the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on October 27th under a unique selection system, but they are likely to retain the rotational system to choose the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong from among the nine Rulers. The five-year reign of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah of Pahang, is scheduled to end at the end of January next year.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, the current Sultan of Johor and the next in line for the role of Yang di-Pertuan Agong, has expressed his readiness to fulfill his national duties for the country and its citizens. As we are aware, Sultan Johor is known as the wealthiest Sultan in Malaysia, owing to his active and successful involvement in various business ventures. The Johor Royal Family has a long history of owning businesses and properties, dating back to their ancestors. If Sultan Johor assumes the role of the next YDPA, which publicly traded companies should you keep an eye on?

Berjaya-affiliated companies should be among your top considerations. As we are aware, the Johor Royal Family shares a close relationship with Tan Sri Vincent Tan. A recent example of this is Berjaya Rail, a newly established company where Tan Sri Vincent Tan appointed Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim Ismail, the daughter of the Sultan of Johor, as the chairperson. She also holds a 30% stake in this newly formed company, which is actively bidding for the KL-SG High-Speed Rail (HSR) project. Given that Berjaya Rail is the rail arm of $BJLAND / 4219 (BERJAYA LAND BERHAD), it's a company worth monitoring.

Another company to keep an eye on is $BJASSET / 3239 (BERJAYA ASSETS BERHAD). Tunku Tun Aminah plays a significant role in this company, serving as its chairperson and non-executive director. Berjaya Times Square is the company's flagship asset, and it also owns Berjaya Waterfront in Johor Bahru, Menara MSC Cyberport in Johor Bahru, and a lottery business in Sarawak. As per the 2022 annual report, Sultan Johor is one of the largest shareholders, holding 315.9 million units of shares, equivalent to 12.35% of the company's shares.

$SEM / 5250 (7-ELEVEN MALAYSIA HOLDINGS BERHAD), the largest shareholder of Caring Pharmacy, is another company associated with Sultan Johor. Aside from operating 7-Eleven stores across Malaysia, the company holds a significant stake in Caring Pharmacy through its ownership of 75% of shares. Did you know that there are currently more than 2,400 7-Eleven stores nationwide in Malaysia? Sultan Johor was once the second-largest shareholder in the company, holding 15.52% of its shares in 2017, although he has since divested his shares.

The telecommunications business of BJCORP, represented by $REDTONE / 0032 (REDTONE INTERNATIONAL BERHAD), is the fourth company of interest. Tunku Tun Aminah serves as the chairperson of REDtone. According to the 2022 annual report, Sultan Johor is the second-largest shareholder, owning 134 million units of shares, equivalent to 17.34% of the company's shares.

Lastly, we have $BJFOOD / 5196 (BERJAYA FOOD BERHAD), the well-known operator of Starbucks in Malaysia. Although Sultan Johor owns only 22.5 million units of shares, equivalent to 1.28% of the company's shares, REDtone also holds 34.5 million units of shares, which is 1.97% of the company's shares.

Please note that the analysis above focuses on publicly listed companies associated with Sultan Johor, and there is no guarantee that their performance will be influenced by Sultan Johor's assumption of the role of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.