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SCMP Reporter

WITH the greatest percentage rise over the year, Henderson Land is the Hang Seng Index constituent stock which set the hottest pace last year.

  Shares in Henderson started the year at $14.50, and by yesterday they had hit $57, a one-year return of 293 per cent.

  Henderson really started to perform soon after announcing in September far higher than expected profits and dividends for the year to June 30.

  Turning in a profit of $4 billion, Henderson had made 64 per cent more profits than in 1992 when it turned in a net figure of $2.44 billion. Most analysts had predicted between $3.2 and $3.6 billion.

   Dividends were 87 cents a share compared with 32 cents a year before. A $1 special bonus completed the corporate feast.

  On September 27 when the results were announced Henderson's share price rose $1.50 to $22.70, a rise of 7.08 per cent.

   By mid-October, the stock was trading above $30 and, helped along by a property portfolio revaluation, was still reaching upwards when the market closed yesterday.

  Next in line was Wheelock and Co, or World International as it started the year. It gained 225 per cent during the year, starting out in January at $6.70 a share.

   Wheelock changed its name but did not stop gaining. Last night it closed at $21.80, slightly down on its highest price of the year, $22.10, achieved the day before.

  Wheelock unveiled interim profits up by 61 per cent at the beginning of last month with a net figure of $940.3 million, but there was more going on at the company than merely a strong performance.

  Peter Woo Kwong-ching, chairman of Wheelock, stepped down as chairman of Wharf (Holdings) in order to devote more time to Wheelock.

   And a major marketing campaign among the global investment community is bearing the same kind of fruit which a similar exercise at Wharf already has: international investors buying the shares they are most familiar with.

  TVB was a strong performer during the year but it received a particular boost in the summer when Rupert Murdoch's News Corp attempted to buy a 22.24 per cent stake in the local broadcaster.

   Hong Kong's rules on cross-media ownership were brought into play and the move was vetoed.

  TVB's shares started the year at $11.80 but were peaking at $32 yesterday, a rise of 171 per cent.

   In fourth place was Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels which saw its share price lifted by 170 per cent during the year, closing yesterday at $14.90 from $5.50 at the start of the year. The company has put on 12.03 per cent in the past two days.

  In fifth place came Hutchison Whampoa, part of Li Ka-shing's empire.

   Hutchison saw a year of turmoil as it pulled out of the money hole of Rabbit, its UK-based CT2 business, and lost long-serving managing director Simon Murray.

  Hutchison started the year at $15.10 and ended it at $38.50, an increase of 154 per cent.

   In a spectacular year even the worst, Winsor Industrial, managed to gain 32.41 per cent.

  Winsor had a rocky year, slumping to a low of $10.20 in September despite opening the year at $11.90. It closed at $14.70 yesterday, up 23.5 per cent on the year.

   Hong Kong's largest listed textile and garment company reported net profits down by 30.5 per cent for the half of the financial year ending on September 30.

   Net profits were $105.5 million compared with $151.8 million a year earlier.

       Another laggard was Cathay Pacific, which gained 58.7 per cent to $15 from $9.45 in the year despite a disastrous 17-day strike last Chinese New Year.



Pacesetter Henderson in record 293pc rise