KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 19): The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has emerged as a substantial shareholder of Johor-based bakery company SDS Group Bhd (KL:SDS) for the first time, holding a 5.11% stake.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia on Friday, SDS said the EPF raised its direct stake to 27.84 million shares after acquiring 1.89 million shares last Friday (Sept 12).

According to SDS’s latest annual report, the EPF previously held a 3% stake, comprising 16.39 million shares as at June 30.

SDS has recorded five consecutive years of profit growth, with net profit rising from RM4.06 million in the financial year ended March 31, 2020 (FY2020) to RM33.28 million in FY2025. Revenue over the same period grew steadily from RM191.52 million to RM345.67 million.

For the first quarter ended June 30, 2025 (1QFY2026), net profit fell 19.2% to RM7.18 million from RM8.89 million a year earlier, while revenue edged up 2.2% to RM84.84 million from RM83.01 million.

In its financial filings, the group said it will continue expanding its presence across both wholesale and retail segments, while remaining cautious on operational costs.

At Friday’s closing, SDS shares settled 1.5 sen or 2% higher at 75.5 sen, valuing the group at RM412.36 million. Year to date, the stock has declined 16.9%.