Senior Credit Analyst, Lucror Analytics

Leonard Law, CFA

Senior Credit Analyst

High Yield Experts

Lucror Analytics

Lucror Analytics is a leading credit and ESG research specialist and a provider of technology solutions for differentiated fixed income strategies. Our roots are in bottom-up fundamental credit analysis with a specialization in high yield corporate credits from Europe, Asia and Latin America. We are one of few research specialists integrating ESG considerations with fundamental credit research through a dedicated ESG platform. Our ESG assessment covers five key criteria: Disclosure, E,S, & G Pillars, Controversies, ESG Impact on Credit and ESG Momentum.

Recognizing the importance and value-add of Factor Investing in fixed income, Lucror developed the Smart Quant Navigator (SQN), an intuitive platform that helps clients devise and implement factor-based strategies ranging from pure quant to active fundamental, with integrated ESG.

Our company has been at the forefront of developments in the fixed income markets, identifying opportunities and consistently delivering new products and value-adding solutions to clients. Lucror has close relationships with the largest and most reputable asset managers, family offices, hedge funds, investment and wealth managers globally.

Credit

Lucror Analytics Weekly Wraps provide an overview of all Morning Views comments and reports published by our analyst team in the past week, and also showcase a list of the most-read reports.In this Insight:<ol><li><a href='/entities/nameson-holdings-ltd' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Nameson Holdings</a></li><li><a href='/entities/sunny-optical-technology-group' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Sunny Optical Technology Group</a></li><li><a href='/entities/genting-bhd' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Genting Bhd</a></li><li><a href='/entities/shui-on-land-ltd' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Shui On Land</a></li><li><a href='/entities/health-and-happiness-h-h-int' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Health And Happiness (H&H)</a></li></ol>and more...

Lucror Analytics Weekly Wraps provide an overview of all Morning Views comments and reports published by our analyst team in the past week, and also showcase a list of the most-read reports.In this Insight:Nameson HoldingsSunny Optical Technology GroupGenting BhdShui On LandHealth And Happiness (H&H)and more...

Lucror Analytics Weekly Wraps provide an overview of all Morning Views comments and reports published by our analyst team in the past week, and also showcase a list of the most-read reports.In this Insight:<ol><li><a href='/entities/tata-motors-ltd' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Tata Motors Ltd</a></li><li><a href='/entities/anton-oilfield-services-gp' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Anton Oilfield</a></li><li><a href='/entities/china-south-city-holdings' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>China South City</a></li><li><a href='/entities/panda-green-energy-group-ltd' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Panda Green</a></li><li><a href='/entities/gcl-new-energy-holdings-ltd' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Gcl New Energy Holdings</a></li></ol>and more...

Lucror Analytics Weekly Wraps provide an overview of all Morning Views comments and reports published by our analyst team in the past week, and also showcase a list of the most-read reports.In this Insight:Tata Motors LtdAnton OilfieldChina South CityPanda GreenGcl New Energy Holdingsand more...

European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Event-Driven

On 30 July, Xavier Niel, co-founder and controlling shareholder of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/iliad-sa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21486:1" rel="noopener">Iliad SA (ILD FP)</a> (70.63% of the share capital and 78.67% of the voting rights) launched a simplified public tender offer for the remaining iliad stake he does not own.
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The offer price will be €182/share, a premium of 61.0% on the closing share price on the prior trading session, c. 50% premium to the 1-month VWAP and 52.7% to the 3-month VWAP.
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This offer for the remaining 29.37% signals Niel's belief that iliad is undervalued, as per the typical “From now on, a new phase of development for Iliad will require quicker transformations and significant investments that will be easier to carry out as a private company,” Niel said in a statement. “Our ambition for Iliad is to accelerate to become a leader in telecommunications in Europe.”
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Niel had previously boosted its stake in 2019 by buying at €120/share as the stock stagnated at nearly half its all-time highs.
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It is a similar move to that carried out by Patrick Drahi, when he took private Altice Europe (see <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/altice-next-private-takeover-announcement" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:43240" rel="noopener">Altice - Next Private Takeover Announcement</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/altice-next-private-trading-above-terms" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:45873" rel="noopener">Altice - Next Private: Trading Above Terms</a>), because of low valuations of European telecoms. Private equity has been circling <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/koninklijke-kpn-nv" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21122:1" rel="noopener">Koninklijke KPN (KPN NA)</a> and KKR (in a consortium) has taken over <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/masmovil-ibercom-sa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29013:1" rel="noopener">Masmovil Ibercom SA (MAS SM)</a> and indirectly it is acquiring <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/euskaltel-sa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21263:1" rel="noopener">Euskaltel SA (EKT SM)</a>.
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<li>Niel has bridge financing which should be comfortably refinanced with high-yield debt. He will be receiving c. €178 mn in dividends from FY2021e.</li>
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Since November 2020, iliad's shares have lost nearly a third of their value, both on investor concerns about investments in Italy and price wars in France. European telecoms will also need to carry out significant capex for the 5G deployment and upgrade networks to high-speed fibre.
This is essentially an opportunistic bid, as Xavier Niel thinks the market is undervaluing his company, coupled with the planned Capex investments. This is not too disimilar to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kaz-minerals-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21999:1" rel="noopener">KAZ Minerals (KAZ LN)</a> takeout offer.
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iliad has growth ambitions in Poland  to become a convergent player and on 30 July submitted an indicative bid to fully acquire <span title="" data-toggle="tooltip" data-offset="10%" data-trigger="manual" data-html="true" data-container="body" data-template='&lt;div class="tooltip" role="tooltip"&gt;&lt;div class="news-article-tooltip-arrow tooltip-arrow"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="tooltip-inner"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;' data-original-title="">Liberty-Global-owned <span title="" data-toggle="tooltip" data-offset="10%" data-trigger="manual" data-html="true" data-container="body" data-template='&lt;div class="tooltip" role="tooltip"&gt;&lt;div class="news-article-tooltip-arrow tooltip-arrow"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="tooltip-inner"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;' data-original-title="">UPC Poland. The indicative bid values the Polish operator at 7.3 billion Polish zlotys. iliad said the valuation is based on EBITDA of 782 million zlotys this year for UPC Poland. iliad is debating whether to acquire a broadband operator in the Polish market, or establishing its own broadband company to deploy optic fiber technology in Poland. This follows on the September 2020 acquisition of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/play-communications-sa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29661:1" rel="noopener">Play Communications SA (1P1 GR)</a> for €3.5 billion (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/play-communications-iliad-offer-announcement" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:43457" rel="noopener">Play Communications - Iliad: Offer Announcement</a>).
The takeout and delisting of iliad represents an opportunity for Xavier Niel. The 5G capex schedule   and fiber broadband upgrades will require heavy investments that are discouraging investors from increasing positions in reportedly cheap European telcos. At the same time, it has been the large American tech companies that have reaped the benefits of the higher internet traffic.
The offer represents c. 4.9% CF yield and the shares are trading at c. 6.5x on 2021E EV/EBITDAaL. Although the offer is interesting, and will likely receive majority of acceptances, my estimate of fair value (DCF based) is €190.7/share, which represents a 4.7% upside to the offer price. Market seems to await a sweetened bid. On this basis, and considering the risk/reward, my recommendation is Long ILD FP.
iliad's shares closed, on 30 July, 61% higher at €182.05, just above the offer price, giving it a market cap of c. €10.85b n.
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On 30 July, Xavier Niel, co-founder and controlling shareholder of Iliad SA (ILD FP) (70.63% of the share capital and 78.67% of the voting rights) launched a simplified public tender offer for the remaining iliad stake he does not own.



The offer price will be €182/share, a premium of 61.0% on the closing share price on the prior trading session, c. 50% premium to the 1-month VWAP and 52.7% to the 3-month VWAP.


This offer for the remaining 29.37% signals Niel's belief that iliad is undervalued, as per the typical “From now on, a new phase of development for Iliad will require quicker transformations and significant investments that will be easier to carry out as a private company,” Niel said in a statement. “Our ambition for Iliad is to accelerate to become a leader in telecommunications in Europe.”


Niel had previously boosted its stake in 2019 by buying at €120/share as the stock stagnated at nearly half its all-time highs.


It is a similar move to that carried out by Patrick Drahi, when he took private Altice Europe (see Altice - Next Private Takeover Announcement and Altice - Next Private: Trading Above Terms), because of low valuations of European telecoms. Private equity has been circling Koninklijke KPN (KPN NA) and KKR (in a consortium) has taken over Masmovil Ibercom SA (MAS SM) and indirectly it is acquiring Euskaltel SA (EKT SM).

Niel has bridge financing which should be comfortably refinanced with high-yield debt. He will be receiving c. €178 mn in dividends from FY2021e.


Since November 2020, iliad's shares have lost nearly a third of their value, both on investor concerns about investments in Italy and price wars in France. European telecoms will also need to carry out significant capex for the 5G deployment and upgrade networks to high-speed fibre.
This is essentially an opportunistic bid, as Xavier Niel thinks the market is undervaluing his company, coupled with the planned Capex investments. This is not too disimilar to the KAZ Minerals (KAZ LN) takeout offer.


iliad has growth ambitions in Poland  to become a convergent player and on 30 July submitted an indicative bid to fully acquire Liberty-Global-owned UPC Poland. The indicative bid values the Polish operator at 7.3 billion Polish zlotys. iliad said the valuation is based on EBITDA of 782 million zlotys this year for UPC Poland. iliad is debating whether to acquire a broadband operator in the Polish market, or establishing its own broadband company to deploy optic fiber technology in Poland. This follows on the September 2020 acquisition of Play Communications SA (1P1 GR) for €3.5 billion (Play Communications - Iliad: Offer Announcement).
The takeout and delisting of iliad represents an opportunity for Xavier Niel. The 5G capex schedule   and fiber broadband upgrades will require heavy investments that are discouraging investors from increasing positions in reportedly cheap European telcos. At the same time, it has been the large American tech companies that have reaped the benefits of the higher internet traffic.
The offer represents c. 4.9% CF yield and the shares are trading at c. 6.5x on 2021E EV/EBITDAaL. Although the offer is interesting, and will likely receive majority of acceptances, my estimate of fair value (DCF based) is €190.7/share, which represents a 4.7% upside to the offer price. Market seems to await a sweetened bid. On this basis, and considering the risk/reward, my recommendation is Long ILD FP.
iliad's shares closed, on 30 July, 61% higher at €182.05, just above the offer price, giving it a market cap of c. €10.85b n.




Xavier Niel/Iliad: An Offer Shareholders Can't Refuse?

The COVID-19 crisis was the dominant issue in 2020, with certain industries (e.g. travel & leisure, gaming and selected retail players) remaining greatly affected. Going forward, the ability to contain the virus, the potential long-term impact on selected industries, and the speed at which economies are re-opened will continue to be major market drivers. On the policy front, the focus should shift to the Biden administration's plans and especially US-China relations, while central banks are expected to remain supportive for now. We cover these topics in our HY Investment Outlook: (1) our high-conviction trade recommendations; (2) ESG developments, with this area rapidly evolving and increasingly being integrated in the investment process; (3) the COVID-19 crisis, along with other key macroeconomic, geopolitical and monetary developments in 2020; (4) developments in European HY markets; as well as (5) how credit stats and liquidity have evolved for the companies and industries under our coverage.

  The COVID-19 crisis was the dominant issue in 2020, with certain industries (e.g. travel & leisure, gaming and selected retail players) remaining greatly affected. Going forward, the ability to contain the virus, the potential long-term impact on selected industries, and the speed at which economies are re-opened will continue to be major market drivers. On the policy front, the focus should shift to the Biden administration's plans and especially US-China relations, while central banks are expected to remain supportive for now.   We cover these topics in our HY Investment Outlook: (1) our high-conviction trade recommendations; (2) ESG developments, with this area rapidly evolving and increasingly being integrated in the investment process; (3) the COVID-19 crisis, along with other key macroeconomic, geopolitical and monetary developments in 2020; (4) developments in European HY markets; as well as (5) how credit stats and liquidity have evolved for the companies and industries under our coverage. 

European High Yield Outlook 2021 & Trade Book For February - Lucror Analytics

Netherlands

Altice Europe N.V. operates as a cable, telecommunications, and media company. The Company offers television, broadband Internet, content, broadcasting, digital advertising, telephony, and entertainment services. Altice Europe serves customers worldwide.

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Altice NV A (ATC NA)

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Xavier Niel/Iliad: An Offer Shareholders Can't Refuse?

Although the offer will likely receive majority of acceptances, my TP is €190.7, a 4.7% upside to the offer. Market awaits a sweetened bid....

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

European High Yield Outlook 2021 & Trade Book For February - Lucror Analytics

The COVID-19 crisis was the dominant issue in 2020, with certain industries (e.g. travel & leisure, gaming and selected retail players)...

Lucror Analytics

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