By Sharen Kaur - August 15, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has been steadily raising its stake in YTL Power International Bhd, besides major shareholder YTL Corp Bhd.
The move is seen by market observers as a clear vote of confidence in the utility and infrastructure company's earnings resilience and long-term value creation.
Bursa Malaysia filings reveal active accumulation of YTL Power shares in recent months. More recently on Aug 6, the EPF bought 45 million shares, lifting its stake to 9.24 per cent.
This was followed by another 2.67 million shares on Aug 7 and 6.49 million shares on Aug 8, bringing its total holding to 9.31 per cent.
In the case of YTL Corp, the EPF resumed its position as a substantial shareholder on Jan 8 this year with a 5.03 per cent interest after acquiring six million shares when the counter traded at RM2.65.
EPF had exited the substantial shareholder list in April 2023.
As at Aug 12, the EPF's interest in YTL Corp stood at 8.09 per cent, equivalent to 924.96 million shares.
YTL Corp started the year at RM2.65. At market close today, its share price was flat at RM2.57.
Analysts said the EPF's buying spree in YTL Power shares particularly underscores institutional appetite to capitalise on price consolidations while strengthening a strategic position in the counter.
They noted that the EPF's sustained interest aligns with its preference for companies with stable cash flows, defensive earnings profiles and consistent dividend potential.
YTL Power ticks these boxes with a diversified portfolio spanning power generation, water and sewerage services, and rapidly expanding data centre ventures in Malaysia and abroad.
The company's growth outlook is further buoyed by macro tailwinds such as the global energy transition, rising regional infrastructure demand, and new opportunities in digital infrastructure.
These factors, market watchers said, could see YTL Power deliver sustained earnings momentum while enhancing shareholder returns.
YTL Power's substantial shareholder is YTL Corp Bhd with a 49.1 per cent stake, followed by Yeoh Tiong Lay & Sons Family Holdings Sdn Bhd with 9.9 per cent and Cornerstone Crest Sdn Bhd with 6.5 per cent.
Year-to-date, YTL Power has gained 17.76 per cent, climbing from RM3.66 on Jan 2, to close 1.63 per cent or seven sen higher at RM4.22 on Thursday.
From a technical standpoint, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd believes YTL Power is poised to break above its rectangular consolidation pattern.
The firm cites strong buying momentum and upward-sloping EMA lines as indicators of a bullish setup.
It sees an initial resistance at RM4.47 (R1), followed by RM4.74 (R2), with stop-loss pegged at RM4.04.
Adding a high-tech dimension to the investment case, YTL AI Labs – a unit of YTL Power – this week launched ILMU, Malaysia's first fully homegrown large language model trained on local languages, datasets and culture.
Recognised as the top Malay LLM, ILMU rivals global peers in performance.
Part of YTL Group's RM20 billion AI investment programme, the initiative aims to build sovereign AI capabilities, accelerate inclusive digitalisation, and modernise public service delivery.
For investors, the EPF's growing presence in YTL Power reinforces market sentiment that the counter offers a rare blend of dependable yields, defensive earnings, and exposure to high-growth future-facing sectors.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/business/corporate/2025/08/1260374/epf-ups-ytl-power-stake-backs-long-term-growth
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