For analysts, Vista Land is top choice

ANALYSTS AT Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia (CLSA) see the share price of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. rising by as much as 72 percent as the company undertakes aggressive expansion plans over the next three years.

In a disclosure Friday, top CLSA analysts also recommended the company as their top investment choice in the property sector for 2011.

Vista Land’s projects range from the low-cost to high-end segments of the real estate market.

“[CLSA] sees very strong growth prospects for Vista Land in the coming years given its large, diversified land bank, strong brand equity, and numerous residential developments around the country,” Vista Land said in a statement.

CLSA research analysts Leo Venezuela and Alfred Dy made the recommendation in a recent report.

Strong recovery

The company said Venezuela had accurately predicted Vista Land’s share price would see a strong recovery after the May 2010 elections.

“During the presidential campaign, VLL’s share price performance was closely correlated with results of the opinion polls,” Venezuela was quoted as saying.

Vista Land’s share prices tracked the performance of its founder, Senator Manny Villar, in opinion polls during the campaign period last year.

Villar was, at one point, the front runner in the presidential race.

From a post-election low of P1.54 a share, Vista Land’s share price surged to P3.68 last year. It has since weakened, tracking the market’s performance.

In its March 9 report entitled “A Unique Buying Window,” CLSA said this temporary weakness would be a good opportunity to invest. Paolo G. Montecillo