Despite his company’s market value doubling, Trendlines CEO Haim Brosh believes his mission now is to bridge further the gap between what investors value his company and what he considers Trendlines’ investments are worth.
For many shareholder-pleasing companies listed here, their priority is on recurring income and dividends. Trendlines Group sticks out in more ways than one. The Israel-based investment firm in agrifood and medical technologies was listed here around a decade ago, when the Singapore Exchange (SGX) was actively wooing overseas listings. Trendlines has to sink its funds into the portfolio companies and wait for the jackpot, either through an initial public offering (IPO) or a trade sale. As most of these companies are in early-stage investments, paydays can be elusive, not only because of varying gestation periods but also because of the eventual commercial viability of these portfolio companies. Occasionally, investments have to be written off as well for one reason or another.
As listed on its website, Trendlines has invested in around 60 companies and has exited from 10. Trendlines’ income statements can vary widely from year to year, as it adjusts its fair value of these investments. However, for about five years, its share price has been stuck around 10 cents — only to decline significantly since August 2023, after fighting in the Middle East escalated. Yet, from a recent low of just three cents, Trendlines’ share price has since doubled, from early October to close at 6 cents on Oct 28, valuing the company at about $84 million.
