Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>The review period for the December review ended on 19 November. The announcement of changes will take place on 3 December with implementation at the close on 17 December.</li>
<li>There could be two changes to the ASX100 and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a> prior to the regular rebalance if Spark Infrastructure and Oil Search are delisted.</li>
<li>Then there could be another change to the S&amp;P/ASX100 and up to five changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a> at the regular review. Some impacts are large.</li>
</ul>


The review period for the December review ended on 19 November. The announcement of changes will take place on 3 December with implementation at the close on 17 December.
There could be two changes to the ASX100 and S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) prior to the regular rebalance if Spark Infrastructure and Oil Search are delisted.
Then there could be another change to the S&amp;P/ASX100 and up to five changes to the S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) at the regular review. Some impacts are large.


ASX100/200 Index Rebalance Preview: Permutations and Combinations as M&A Activity Booms

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>The National Court of PNG and the independent expert have given the go ahead for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/oil-search-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:773:1" rel="noopener">Oil Search Ltd (OSH AU)</a> shareholders to vote on the proposed merger with Santos.</li>
<li>If the Oil Search shareholders approve, the stock could be deleted at the close on 10 December. Spark Infrastructure could be deleted at the end of November following its acquisition.</li>
<li>There will be inclusions to the S&amp;P/ASX100 and S&amp;P/ASX 200 ahead of the regular rebalance. Then there will be more changes a couple of weeks later at the regular rebalance.</li>
</ul>


The National Court of PNG and the independent expert have given the go ahead for Oil Search Ltd (OSH AU) shareholders to vote on the proposed merger with Santos.
If the Oil Search shareholders approve, the stock could be deleted at the close on 10 December. Spark Infrastructure could be deleted at the end of November following its acquisition.
There will be inclusions to the S&amp;P/ASX100 and S&amp;P/ASX 200 ahead of the regular rebalance. Then there will be more changes a couple of weeks later at the regular rebalance.


Santos/Oil Search: Expert and Court Thumbs Up; Potential S&P/ASX Changes

IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/link-administration-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:970:1" rel="noopener">Link Administration Holdings (LNK AU)</a> announced that it received a non-binding indicative proposal from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/carlyle-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33402:1" rel="noopener">Carlyle Group Inc (CG US)</a>. Carlyle will offer A$3.00 cash per share plus a pro-rata distribution of Link’s 42.8% shareholding in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pexa-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:34716:1" rel="noopener">PEXA Group (PXA AU)</a> (worth A$2.38 per Link share at PEXA’s share price of A$16.23 on 4 November). The total consideration of A$5.38 per share is a 24.2% premium to the unaffected price of A$4.33 (on 4 November). Carlyle’s core Link (excluding PEXA stake) value of A$3.00 per share is a 53.8% premium to the implied core Link share price of A$1.95 per share (on 4 November). Link is no stranger to bids and received several bids in the recent past, including from Carlyle. Carlyle and Pacific Equity Partners made an indicative A$5.20 per share offer on 12 October 2020, which was later raised to A$5.40 on 26 October but withdrawn on 28 April 2021. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ss-c-technologies-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3464:1" rel="noopener">SS&amp;C Technologies (SSNC US)</a> lobbed an A$5.65 per share offer on 7 December 2020 but withdrew the offer on 3 January 2021. Also, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kkr-co-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27333:1" rel="noopener">KKR &amp; Co Inc (KKR US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/domain-holdings-australia-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26033:1" rel="noopener">Domain Holdings Australia (DHG AU)</a> proposed to acquire PEXA for A$3.1 billion on 27 May 2021 which was declined in favour of a separate listing for PEXA.  Link’s Board has argued that the previous bids did not represent compelling value and sought to generate shareholder returns through the PEXA IPO and outlining ambitious FY26 targets in a November investor day. However, PEXA’s market cap of A$2.8 billion at last close is below KKR’s bid of A$3.1 billion. The lukewarm share price response (shares down -2% on the following day) to the investor day points to low confidence that the targets can be reached. Carlyle’s latest offer is subject to due diligence, execution of transaction documents and securing debt financing. Due diligence should be short due to Carlyle’s access to the due diligence materials through its previous bid.  <div class="content-highlight">The Board’s previous track record of knocking back bids has resulted in Link’s last close price of A$4.70 trading at a wide 14.5% gross spread to the indicative offer of A$5.38 per share. However, due to the Board’s failure to generate shareholder value and there no longer being a debate on PEXA valuation (as PEXA is now listed), the Board will face pressure to engage with Carlyle. We also think that Carlyle has room to sweeten its bid as its latest bid values core Link at A$3.00 per share, which is 21% below its previous offer which valued core Link at A$3.80 per share. </div>

Link Administration Holdings (LNK AU) announced that it received a non-binding indicative proposal from Carlyle Group Inc (CG US). Carlyle will offer A$3.00 cash per share plus a pro-rata distribution of Link’s 42.8% shareholding in PEXA Group (PXA AU) (worth A$2.38 per Link share at PEXA’s share price of A$16.23 on 4 November). The total consideration of A$5.38 per share is a 24.2% premium to the unaffected price of A$4.33 (on 4 November). Carlyle’s core Link (excluding PEXA stake) value of A$3.00 per share is a 53.8% premium to the implied core Link share price of A$1.95 per share (on 4 November). Link is no stranger to bids and received several bids in the recent past, including from Carlyle. Carlyle and Pacific Equity Partners made an indicative A$5.20 per share offer on 12 October 2020, which was later raised to A$5.40 on 26 October but withdrawn on 28 April 2021. SS&amp;C Technologies (SSNC US) lobbed an A$5.65 per share offer on 7 December 2020 but withdrew the offer on 3 January 2021. Also, KKR &amp; Co Inc (KKR US) and Domain Holdings Australia (DHG AU) proposed to acquire PEXA for A$3.1 billion on 27 May 2021 which was declined in favour of a separate listing for PEXA.  Link’s Board has argued that the previous bids did not represent compelling value and sought to generate shareholder returns through the PEXA IPO and outlining ambitious FY26 targets in a November investor day. However, PEXA’s market cap of A$2.8 billion at last close is below KKR’s bid of A$3.1 billion. The lukewarm share price response (shares down -2% on the following day) to the investor day points to low confidence that the targets can be reached. Carlyle’s latest offer is subject to due diligence, execution of transaction documents and securing debt financing. Due diligence should be short due to Carlyle’s access to the due diligence materials through its previous bid.  The Board’s previous track record of knocking back bids has resulted in Link’s last close price of A$4.70 trading at a wide 14.5% gross spread to the indicative offer of A$5.38 per share. However, due to the Board’s failure to generate shareholder value and there no longer being a debate on PEXA valuation (as PEXA is now listed), the Board will face pressure to engage with Carlyle. We also think that Carlyle has room to sweeten its bid as its latest bid values core Link at A$3.00 per share, which is 21% below its previous offer which valued core Link at A$3.80 per share. 

Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

Whether we call this a SPAC bubble that has burst or a SPAC bull-run "correcting" itself, one thing is clear – the global SPAC market is cooling off. Cooling off... but not dead. SPACs are likely to play a much larger role in global equity markets than they have historically, and Asia is poised to play a larger role within that larger global equity markets role. We are already seeing evidence of this.Specifically, the recent increase in SPAC-related interest and activity in Asia by: 1) SPAC sponsors (growing number of Asia-based sponsors and foreign SPACs seeking Asia-based targets), 2) Asia's unicorns (several have announced huge SPAC deals), and 3) Asia's financial exchanges (which are increasingly enabling local SPAC listings, such as Singapore Exchange's new framework).It is still too soon to call anything an Asia SPAC "boom," but the growth is tangible and immediate enough for optimism. It motivated me to finally write about a topic I have been meaning to cover – i.e., ESG issues related to the SPAC vehicle itself, as well as to how SPACs are applied in supporting sustainability-related tech startups (e.g., electric vehicles, batteries/storage, clean energy).

Whether we call this a SPAC bubble that has burst or a SPAC bull-run "correcting" itself, one thing is clear – the global SPAC market is cooling off. Cooling off... but not dead. SPACs are likely to play a much larger role in global equity markets than they have historically, and Asia is poised to play a larger role within that larger global equity markets role. We are already seeing evidence of this.Specifically, the recent increase in SPAC-related interest and activity in Asia by: 1) SPAC sponsors (growing number of Asia-based sponsors and foreign SPACs seeking Asia-based targets), 2) Asia's unicorns (several have announced huge SPAC deals), and 3) Asia's financial exchanges (which are increasingly enabling local SPAC listings, such as Singapore Exchange's new framework).It is still too soon to call anything an Asia SPAC "boom," but the growth is tangible and immediate enough for optimism. It motivated me to finally write about a topic I have been meaning to cover – i.e., ESG issues related to the SPAC vehicle itself, as well as to how SPACs are applied in supporting sustainability-related tech startups (e.g., electric vehicles, batteries/storage, clean energy).

SPACs and ESG: Issues Related to the SPAC Vehicle Itself and Sustainability Use Cases

Sandfire Resources Limited / Event-Driven

On 23 September pre-market open, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sandfire-resources-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1259:1" rel="noopener">Sandfire Resources Limited (SFR AU)</a> requested for a trading halt. A short time later, the company announced the acquisition of the MATSA mining complex from Mubadala and Trafigura for US$1.865bn (A$2.572bn).The acquisition is expected to be completed in the March 2022 quarter and is subject to Spanish Foreign Direct Investment Approval and anti-trust merger control approval.The acquisition will be funded by an A$120m strategic placement to AustralianSuper, a A$165m institutional placement, a A$963m fully underwritten 1 for 1 accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer (ANREO), debt and cash on hand.Just over 231m shares will be issued at A$5.40/share, a 13.2% discount to the last close of A$6.22/share, and a 6.2% discount to TERP.The increase in market cap as a result of the placement and entitlement offer will result in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sandfire-resources-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1259:1" rel="noopener">Sandfire Resources Limited (SFR AU)</a> becoming a high probability inclusion to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a> at the December rebalance.With a number of M&amp;A deals targeting <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX)</a> constituents, there will be more changes to the index over the next couple of regular rebalances (and in the interim as well).

On 23 September pre-market open, Sandfire Resources Limited (SFR AU) requested for a trading halt. A short time later, the company announced the acquisition of the MATSA mining complex from Mubadala and Trafigura for US$1.865bn (A$2.572bn).The acquisition is expected to be completed in the March 2022 quarter and is subject to Spanish Foreign Direct Investment Approval and anti-trust merger control approval.The acquisition will be funded by an A$120m strategic placement to AustralianSuper, a A$165m institutional placement, a A$963m fully underwritten 1 for 1 accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer (ANREO), debt and cash on hand.Just over 231m shares will be issued at A$5.40/share, a 13.2% discount to the last close of A$6.22/share, and a 6.2% discount to TERP.The increase in market cap as a result of the placement and entitlement offer will result in Sandfire Resources Limited (SFR AU) becoming a high probability inclusion to the S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) at the December rebalance.With a number of M&amp;A deals targeting S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) constituents, there will be more changes to the index over the next couple of regular rebalances (and in the interim as well).

Sandfire Resources (SFR AU): Acquisition, ANREO and ASX200 Inclusion

Australia

ASX Ltd is a demutualized company which operates Australia's primary national stock exchange and equity derivatives market. The ASX operates markets for equities, derivatives, fixed-interest securities and capital-raising for unlisted companies using advanced computer systems for both trading and settlement.

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ASX Ltd (ASX AU)

ASX100/200 Index Rebalance Preview: Permutations and Combinations as M&A Activity Booms

This is going to be a busy rebalance for the ASX100 & ASX200 indices with M&A driven changes followed by changes at the regular review. There is a...

Brian Freitas

Santos/Oil Search: Expert and Court Thumbs Up; Potential S&P/ASX Changes

Spark Infra and Oil Search could be deleted from the ASX100 & ASX200 indices ahead of the regular rebalance. Then there will be more changes at the...

Brian Freitas

Link Gets Another Offer from Carlyle

Link received another offer from Carlyle worth A$5.38 per share. Carlyle has room to sweeten its bid as its latest bid values core Link at A$3.00...

Arun George

Sandfire Resources (SFR AU): Acquisition, ANREO and ASX200 Inclusion

Sandfire Resources is buying the MATSA mine in Spain and conducting a placement and entitlement offer to raise funds. This will lead to a big jump...

Brian Freitas

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

ASX100/200 Index Rebalance Preview: Permutations and Combinations as M&A Activity Booms

This is going to be a busy rebalance for the ASX100 & ASX200 indices with M&A driven changes followed by changes at the regular review. There is a...

Brian Freitas

Santos/Oil Search: Expert and Court Thumbs Up; Potential S&P/ASX Changes

Spark Infra and Oil Search could be deleted from the ASX100 & ASX200 indices ahead of the regular rebalance. Then there will be more changes at the...

Brian Freitas

Link Gets Another Offer from Carlyle

Link received another offer from Carlyle worth A$5.38 per share. Carlyle has room to sweeten its bid as its latest bid values core Link at A$3.00...

Arun George

SPACs and ESG: Issues Related to the SPAC Vehicle Itself and Sustainability Use Cases

In Asia there is an undeniable upswell in SPAC activity – by SPAC sponsors, crown-jewel unicorns, and bourses like SGX. This covers ESG issues...

Kyle Rudden

Sandfire Resources (SFR AU): Acquisition, ANREO and ASX200 Inclusion

Sandfire Resources is buying the MATSA mine in Spain and conducting a placement and entitlement offer to raise funds. This will lead to a big jump...

Brian Freitas