Photo: BlueFocus
BLUEFOCUS COMMUNICATION Group Co Ltd (SZA: 300058), which in February 2010 became China’s first PR firm to go public, saw its third quarter top line surge 188% year-on-year to 388 mln yuan.
This pioneering firm's clientele include blue chips such as PC giant Lenovo, Toyota and Royal Dutch Shell.
As China’s largest PR firm and the first to open its books and dealings to public scrutiny via an A-share IPO nearly two years ago, BlueFocus may be just the tip of the iceberg for a largely untapped market in Mainland China for professional, top-rate public relations and investor relations firms hoping to elevate the country’s listed enterprises to a new level of excellence in communications.
The Beijing-based firm’s July-September net profit jumped 77% year-on-year to 41 mln yuan.
BlueFocus’ operating revenue rose nearly 125% year-on-year in the January-September period to 727 mln yuan, contributing to an over 71% jump in the bottom line to nearly 95 mln yuan.
This led to a basic earnings per share of 0.53 yuan for the first nine months.
As of market close on Thursday, the company’s shares were trading just under 28 yuan, or very near the top of its 52-week range of 18.00-29.68.
BlueFocus primarily offers public relations (PR) services and brand management services.
The Shenzhen-listed firm’s services include brand/image enhancement, product promotion, risk management, activity management, new media sales and corporate social responsibility (CSR) consulting.
The firm counts among its clients 25 of the Global Fortune 500 giants, including Royal Dutch Shell, Toyota and China’s own PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd (HK: 0992). The latter has been the biggest single contributor to BlueFocus’ top line over the past several years.
BlueFocus, which was founded in 1996, has a current market capitalization of 5.03 bln yuan.
And if recent accolades are any indication of where this ambitious PR firm is headed, then investors would do well to give BlueFocus a good look.
In the Holmes Report Asia Consultancy Report Card 2008, BlueFocus PR won “Greater China Consultancy of the Year.”
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