Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/paypay-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:35269:1" rel="noopener">PayPay (PAYP US)</a> (PP), a payments and financial services platform, is now looking to raise up to US$1.1bn in its upcoming US IPO.</li>
<li>PP operates a digital finance platform that serves as a payment solution for users and merchants, along with offering additional services.</li>
<li>We have looked at its past performance and undertaken a peer comparison in our earlier notes. In this note, we provide our thoughts on valuations.</li>
</ul>



PayPay (PAYP US) (PP), a payments and financial services platform, is now looking to raise up to US$1.1bn in its upcoming US IPO.
PP operates a digital finance platform that serves as a payment solution for users and merchants, along with offering additional services.
We have looked at its past performance and undertaken a peer comparison in our earlier notes. In this note, we provide our thoughts on valuations.


Aequitas: PayPay IPO - Thoughts on Valuations

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>40% of Banks outside the Top 7 (none of which offered H1 guidance) in the TOPIX Banks Index have now changed H1 guidance or reported H1. 2 reported both up.</li>
<li>92% of the others have revised up H1 net income guidance a weighted average of 47%. Net Interest Income, Corporate fees/comms are up, expenses and credit costs are down.</li>
<li>Big tables with data, reasons for guidance changes, and buyback history of each presented below.</li>
</ul>


40% of Banks outside the Top 7 (none of which offered H1 guidance) in the TOPIX Banks Index have now changed H1 guidance or reported H1. 2 reported both up.
92% of the others have revised up H1 net income guidance a weighted average of 47%. Net Interest Income, Corporate fees/comms are up, expenses and credit costs are down.
Big tables with data, reasons for guidance changes, and buyback history of each presented below.


Japan H1 Bank Earnings: Interest/Fees Up, Expenses/Credit Costs Down - Opportunity Abounds, Still

Senior Bank Analyst - Japanese Banks, Windamee Research

J. Brian Waterhouse

Senior Bank Analyst - Japanese Banks

Windamee Research

Japanese Banks

Equity Bottom-Up

Most of Japan’s 77 TSE-listed regional banking entities are expected to announce their interim results from 10-12 November this year, but <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hachijuni-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20244:1" rel="noopener">Hachijuni Bank (8359 JP)</a> has once again announced its interim results well ahead of the rest.  While results comfortably beat initial guidance, there were no surprises thanks to an upward revision to guidance a week ago. Moreover, an examination of those ‘much improved’ numbers shows that the bank was once again heavily reliant on loan-loss reserve write-backs and ‘selling the family silver’ to keep profits up.The stock is currently just +3.0% higher than it was six months ago; most peers are up around +9% over the same period.  Indeed, Hachijuni Bank has been a conspicuous underperformer against the Topix Banks Index for much of CY2021.  Currently trading on a FY3/2022  PER of 8.3x and PBR of 0.21x, the stock is not especially compelling.  The bank’s woefully low RoE and RoA remain serial disincentives for investors, although some 17% of total shares outstanding continue to be held by die-hard foreigners.There are other regional bank stocks (such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/chiba-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1048:1" rel="noopener">Chiba Bank (8331 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/shizuoka-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:4437:1" rel="noopener">Shizuoka Bank (8355 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fukuoka-financial-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3712:1" rel="noopener">Fukuoka Financial Group (8354 JP)</a> more deserving of investor interest than this one.  For those who are not yet holders of Hachijuni Bank stock, our position is clear: Caveat emptor!  (May the buyer beware!)<section class="figure"><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/238/644/original/8359-Hachijuni-2021-1029+8359RelvsTPNBNK.jpg?1635648829" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="238644"></figure></section>

Most of Japan’s 77 TSE-listed regional banking entities are expected to announce their interim results from 10-12 November this year, but Hachijuni Bank (8359 JP) has once again announced its interim results well ahead of the rest.  While results comfortably beat initial guidance, there were no surprises thanks to an upward revision to guidance a week ago. Moreover, an examination of those ‘much improved’ numbers shows that the bank was once again heavily reliant on loan-loss reserve write-backs and ‘selling the family silver’ to keep profits up.The stock is currently just +3.0% higher than it was six months ago; most peers are up around +9% over the same period.  Indeed, Hachijuni Bank has been a conspicuous underperformer against the Topix Banks Index for much of CY2021.  Currently trading on a FY3/2022  PER of 8.3x and PBR of 0.21x, the stock is not especially compelling.  The bank’s woefully low RoE and RoA remain serial disincentives for investors, although some 17% of total shares outstanding continue to be held by die-hard foreigners.There are other regional bank stocks (such as Chiba Bank (8331 JP), Shizuoka Bank (8355 JP) and Fukuoka Financial Group (8354 JP) more deserving of investor interest than this one.  For those who are not yet holders of Hachijuni Bank stock, our position is clear: Caveat emptor!  (May the buyer beware!)

Hachijuni Bank (8359 JP):  Ahead of the Peloton

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fidea-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17012:1" rel="noopener">Fidea Holdings (8713 JP) </a>from Miyagi Prefecture in Japan’s northern Tohoku Region has announced that Iwate-based <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tohoku-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8169:1" rel="noopener">Tohoku Bank (8349 JP)</a> will become a wholly-owned subsidiary in October 2022, in an all-share deal.   The announcement, which was reported during market trading hours, sent both stock prices up almost 10% on Friday 2 July.  However, rather than presaging a new paradigm for these banks, the spike in the stock prices was simply a reminder of how essentially illiquid these stocks are. The shares retreated to their pre-announcement levels in the following week.Fidea Holdings is the holding company for the smallest of three banks from Yamagata Prefecture, Shonai Bank, and the smallest of two banks from Akita Prefecture, Hokuto Bank.  Tohoku Bank, from Iwate Prefecture, is the smallest of three banks based there, and roughly one-third the size of Fidea Holdings.  Far from being a ‘Band of Brothers’, the enlarged Fidea Holdings will, in effect, be little more than a school of minnows whose combined branch network of 149 branches, while nominally  covering the whole of the Tohoku Region, has little overlap; thus little opportunity to cut costs through closing competing branches or reducing the headcount significantly.  Significant inherent weaknesses in all three banks remain largely unaddressed.  It is difficult to see how simply integrating operations under a holding company structure will resolve them.While the announcement no doubt comes with the advance approval of the financial authorities, who are keen for regional banks to merge to strengthen their operations, it creates something of a dilemma for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in that both institutions still owe taxpayers a combined total of ¥20 billion (US$181.8 million) in public funds.  Neither seems in a position to repay that capital any time soon, as we explain in this Insight.The Bank of Japan’s own ‘bad bank’, the Resolution &amp; Collection Corporation (RCC), is effectively the largest shareholder in both Fidea Holdings and Tohoku Bank through convertible preferred stock.  Will their debts be forgiven as part of the integration, or will the due date for the public funds repayment simply be extended for a further decade or so?  Will the RCC force conversion of its preferred stock into ordinary shares because of the merger, becoming overtly by far the largest shareholder?  What will be the impact of such a decision on investor sentiment for existing shareholders?  These are all important (and, for the time being, unanswerable) questions for investors.Foreign institutional investors own 12% of Fidea Holdings, and 4% of Tohoku Bank.  We fail to understand the attraction, given all the underlying weaknesses, as we detail in this Insight.  We view Friday’s ‘bounce’ in the stock prices of both Fidea Holdings and Tohoku Bank, on an unusual surge in trading volume, as a narrow ‘opportunity window’ for frustrated shareholders to exit both stocks and stay away thereafter.  That surge is over.  To those who were tempted to pile in we say:   Caveat Emptor! (May the Buyer Beware!).

Fidea Holdings (8713 JP) from Miyagi Prefecture in Japan’s northern Tohoku Region has announced that Iwate-based Tohoku Bank (8349 JP) will become a wholly-owned subsidiary in October 2022, in an all-share deal.   The announcement, which was reported during market trading hours, sent both stock prices up almost 10% on Friday 2 July.  However, rather than presaging a new paradigm for these banks, the spike in the stock prices was simply a reminder of how essentially illiquid these stocks are. The shares retreated to their pre-announcement levels in the following week.Fidea Holdings is the holding company for the smallest of three banks from Yamagata Prefecture, Shonai Bank, and the smallest of two banks from Akita Prefecture, Hokuto Bank.  Tohoku Bank, from Iwate Prefecture, is the smallest of three banks based there, and roughly one-third the size of Fidea Holdings.  Far from being a ‘Band of Brothers’, the enlarged Fidea Holdings will, in effect, be little more than a school of minnows whose combined branch network of 149 branches, while nominally  covering the whole of the Tohoku Region, has little overlap; thus little opportunity to cut costs through closing competing branches or reducing the headcount significantly.  Significant inherent weaknesses in all three banks remain largely unaddressed.  It is difficult to see how simply integrating operations under a holding company structure will resolve them.While the announcement no doubt comes with the advance approval of the financial authorities, who are keen for regional banks to merge to strengthen their operations, it creates something of a dilemma for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in that both institutions still owe taxpayers a combined total of ¥20 billion (US$181.8 million) in public funds.  Neither seems in a position to repay that capital any time soon, as we explain in this Insight.The Bank of Japan’s own ‘bad bank’, the Resolution &amp; Collection Corporation (RCC), is effectively the largest shareholder in both Fidea Holdings and Tohoku Bank through convertible preferred stock.  Will their debts be forgiven as part of the integration, or will the due date for the public funds repayment simply be extended for a further decade or so?  Will the RCC force conversion of its preferred stock into ordinary shares because of the merger, becoming overtly by far the largest shareholder?  What will be the impact of such a decision on investor sentiment for existing shareholders?  These are all important (and, for the time being, unanswerable) questions for investors.Foreign institutional investors own 12% of Fidea Holdings, and 4% of Tohoku Bank.  We fail to understand the attraction, given all the underlying weaknesses, as we detail in this Insight.  We view Friday’s ‘bounce’ in the stock prices of both Fidea Holdings and Tohoku Bank, on an unusual surge in trading volume, as a narrow ‘opportunity window’ for frustrated shareholders to exit both stocks and stay away thereafter.  That surge is over.  To those who were tempted to pile in we say:   Caveat Emptor! (May the Buyer Beware!).

Fidea Holdings (9713 JP):  A School of Minnows

Concordia Financial Group, Ltd / Equity Bottom-Up

Interim results for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/concordia-financial-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22704:1" rel="noopener">Concordia Financial Group, Ltd (7186 JP)</a>, or CFG, were coloured by significantly lower net interest and fee income from domestic business reported by Bank of Yokohama, and a reduced consolidated net loss of just ¥125 million reported by Higashi-Nippon Bank (HNPB) as a result of much lower credit costs than 1H FY3/2020. HNPB remains the drag on group profitability.Aggregate foreign ownership in CFG remains high at around 31.5% as investors view CFG as a liquid alternative to the ‘crowded trade’ of simply buying megabanks for exposure to the Japanese financial sector.  Moreover, CFG offers a cash dividend payment policy of 33% of net profits, a total shareholder return policy target of 50%, conducts frequent share buybacks, and regularly cancels part of its Treasury Stock to boost overall shareholder returns.  However, lingering investor memories of past management scandals have caused CFG to significantly underperform the Topix Banks Index since 2018, with its share price still down 16% YoY even after a 21% recovery in the last six months.The Topix Banks Index has notably underperformed Topix all year, but may be in for its perennial ‘run’ between now and mid-February next year, buoyed by the outcome of the US election and with global market hopes high for a successful COVID-19 vaccine. Even so, within the regional banking sector, we much prefer <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/chiba-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1048:1" rel="noopener">Chiba Bank (8331 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/iyo-bank-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6869:1" rel="noopener">Iyo Bank (8385 JP)</a> on fundamentals, or <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bank-of-kyoto-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5248:1" rel="noopener">Bank Of Kyoto (8369 JP)</a> as a strong thematic play on the rising fortunes of its largest stock investment, namely <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nintendo-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5415:1" rel="noopener">Nintendo Co Ltd (7974 JP)</a>.

Interim results for Concordia Financial Group, Ltd (7186 JP), or CFG, were coloured by significantly lower net interest and fee income from domestic business reported by Bank of Yokohama, and a reduced consolidated net loss of just ¥125 million reported by Higashi-Nippon Bank (HNPB) as a result of much lower credit costs than 1H FY3/2020. HNPB remains the drag on group profitability.Aggregate foreign ownership in CFG remains high at around 31.5% as investors view CFG as a liquid alternative to the ‘crowded trade’ of simply buying megabanks for exposure to the Japanese financial sector.  Moreover, CFG offers a cash dividend payment policy of 33% of net profits, a total shareholder return policy target of 50%, conducts frequent share buybacks, and regularly cancels part of its Treasury Stock to boost overall shareholder returns.  However, lingering investor memories of past management scandals have caused CFG to significantly underperform the Topix Banks Index since 2018, with its share price still down 16% YoY even after a 21% recovery in the last six months.The Topix Banks Index has notably underperformed Topix all year, but may be in for its perennial ‘run’ between now and mid-February next year, buoyed by the outcome of the US election and with global market hopes high for a successful COVID-19 vaccine. Even so, within the regional banking sector, we much prefer Chiba Bank (8331 JP) and Iyo Bank (8385 JP) on fundamentals, or Bank Of Kyoto (8369 JP) as a strong thematic play on the rising fortunes of its largest stock investment, namely Nintendo Co Ltd (7974 JP).

Concordia Financial Group (7186 JP):  Unequal Partners

Japan

Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc. is a holding company established through the merger of the Bank of Fukuoka and Kumamoto Family Bank. As a financial group, the Company provides banking services including deposits, loans, foreign currency transactions. The Company also provides other financial services such as credit card, letter of credit, and leasing services.

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Fukuoka Financial Group (8354 JP)

Aequitas: PayPay IPO - Thoughts on Valuations

PayPay (PAYP US) (PP), a payments and financial services platform, is now looking to raise up to US$1.1bn in its upcoming US IPO. In this note, we...

Sumeet Singh

Japan H1 Bank Earnings: Interest/Fees Up, Expenses/Credit Costs Down - Opportunity Abounds, Still

The macro backdrop for Japanese banks is pretty good. Business restructuring efforts are bearing fruit. Global macro is adding fees. Stocks are up,...

Travis Lundy

Hachijuni Bank (8359 JP): Ahead of the Peloton

Hachijuni Bank's interim results comfortably beat initial guidance, but there were no surprises thanks to an upward revision to earnings guidance a...

J. Brian Waterhouse

Fidea Holdings (9713 JP): A School of Minnows

Fidea Holdings (8713 JP) has announced that Iwate-based Tohoku Bank (8349 JP) will become a wholly-owned subsidiary in October 2022, in an all...

J. Brian Waterhouse

Concordia Financial Group (7186 JP): Unequal Partners

Interim results for Concordia Financial Group (7186 JP) show that partner bank HNPB remains the drag on group profitability. The stock is down 16%...

J. Brian Waterhouse

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