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.

Equity Capital Markets

<div><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/trip-com-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:180:1" rel="noopener">Trip.com (TCOM US)</a> has launched a $1.4 billion secondary listing in Hong Kong by offering 31.6 million ordinary shares. Bookbuilding is scheduled to run until the pricing on 13 April. The net proceeds will be used to fund the expansion of its travel offerings, improve user experience and invest in technology. </p></div><div><p>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/trip-com-secondary-listing-no-heads-in-the-clouds" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:49965" rel="noopener">Trip.com Secondary Listing: No Heads in the Clouds</a>, we outlined our views on Trip.com’s fundamentals and valuation. Trip.com is a play on the expected reopening and recovery of travel in 2021 due to the global rollout of vaccines. In combination with the potential valuation upside to the last close price (based on SoTP), we concluded that the equity story is attractive. </p></div><div><div>
<p>In this note, we will look at Trip.com’s potential HK-ADS premium/(discount). As per the norm, Trip.com will price its H-shares at a discount to its ADSs to entice investors to participate in the secondary listing. However, market conditions remain volatile and Chinese tech names are losing their shine due to the US delisting threat and the trend of investors rotating out of tech stocks. The NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index is down -18% since March 2021. Trip.com shares are up 15% YTD but down -2% since March 2021.  </p>
<div class="content-highlight"><p>Due to the weakening market sentiment on Chinese tech names, Trip.com will likely price its H-shares at a wider discount than the median of past secondary listings. Trip.com pricing its H-shares at a discount of 3-4% to its ADSs will be reasonable, in our view.</p></div>
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Trip.com (TCOM US) has launched a $1.4 billion secondary listing in Hong Kong by offering 31.6 million ordinary shares. Bookbuilding is scheduled to run until the pricing on 13 April. The net proceeds will be used to fund the expansion of its travel offerings, improve user experience and invest in technology. In Trip.com Secondary Listing: No Heads in the Clouds, we outlined our views on Trip.com’s fundamentals and valuation. Trip.com is a play on the expected reopening and recovery of travel in 2021 due to the global rollout of vaccines. In combination with the potential valuation upside to the last close price (based on SoTP), we concluded that the equity story is attractive. 
In this note, we will look at Trip.com’s potential HK-ADS premium/(discount). As per the norm, Trip.com will price its H-shares at a discount to its ADSs to entice investors to participate in the secondary listing. However, market conditions remain volatile and Chinese tech names are losing their shine due to the US delisting threat and the trend of investors rotating out of tech stocks. The NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index is down -18% since March 2021. Trip.com shares are up 15% YTD but down -2% since March 2021.  
Due to the weakening market sentiment on Chinese tech names, Trip.com will likely price its H-shares at a wider discount than the median of past secondary listings. Trip.com pricing its H-shares at a discount of 3-4% to its ADSs will be reasonable, in our view.


Trip.com Secondary Listing: HK-ADS Premium/​​(Discount) Views

Equity Analyst, LightStream Research

Shifara Samsudeen, FCMA, CGMA

Equity Analyst

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

<p>Hong Kong Stock Exchange has become the beneficiary of tightening listing requirements and accounting rules for foreign companies by the US regulatory authorities. Chinese companies that are listed in the US are forced to comply with US accounting standards and as a result, a large number of US-listed Chinese companies have sought secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last two years.</p><p>Autohome, Baidu and Bilibili conducted secondary listings earlier this year and several other companies including <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/trip-com-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:180:1" rel="noopener">Trip.com (TCOM US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-music-entertainment" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27255:1" rel="noopener">Tencent Music (TME US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/vipshop-holdings-ltd-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1088:1" rel="noopener">Vipshop Holdings (VIPS US)</a>  are said to be in the process of securing secondary listings in Hong Kong due to the fear of being delisted from the US Exchange.</p><p>As these companies rush for secondary listings in Hong Kong, in a series of reports, we analyse 10 of the secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last 2-years. These 10 companies include <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/autohome-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20234:1" rel="noopener">Autohome Inc (Adr) (ATHM US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gds-holdings-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23649:1" rel="noopener">GDS Holdings (ADR) (GDS US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zai-lab-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25877:1" rel="noopener">Zai Lab Ltd (ZLAB US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/baozun-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24184:1" rel="noopener">Baozun Inc. (BZUN US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zto-express" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23628:1" rel="noopener">ZTO Express (ZTO US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/huazhu-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17527:1" rel="noopener">Huazhu Group (HTHT US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-com-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:446:1" rel="noopener">JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/netease-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17203:1" rel="noopener">NetEase Inc (NTES US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/beigene" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23712:1" rel="noopener">BeiGene (BGNE US)</a> .</p>

Hong Kong Stock Exchange has become the beneficiary of tightening listing requirements and accounting rules for foreign companies by the US regulatory authorities. Chinese companies that are listed in the US are forced to comply with US accounting standards and as a result, a large number of US-listed Chinese companies have sought secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last two years.Autohome, Baidu and Bilibili conducted secondary listings earlier this year and several other companies including Trip.com (TCOM US) , Tencent Music (TME US) and Vipshop Holdings (VIPS US)  are said to be in the process of securing secondary listings in Hong Kong due to the fear of being delisted from the US Exchange.As these companies rush for secondary listings in Hong Kong, in a series of reports, we analyse 10 of the secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last 2-years. These 10 companies include Autohome Inc (Adr) (ATHM US) , GDS Holdings (ADR) (GDS US) , Zai Lab Ltd (ZLAB US) , Baozun Inc. (BZUN US) , ZTO Express (ZTO US) , Huazhu Group (HTHT US) , JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US) , NetEase Inc (NTES US) , Alibaba Group (BABA US) and BeiGene (BGNE US) .

ADR/HKEX Analysis: Lower Trading Volumes on HKEX Show Limited Liquidity Compared to the US

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.

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<p>Trip.com plans to raise around US$1-2bn in its secondary listing in Hong Kong. The company is said to have won listing approval last week and will look to launch its secondary offering soon.</p>
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<p>In our previous notes, along with covering all of the past listings, we have also looked at the overall drivers for the secondary listings in our earlier notes, links to which are below: </p>
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<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-adrs-secondary-listing-deep-dive-yin-and-yang" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China ADRs Secondary Listing Deep-Dive: Yin and Yang,</a> published in Feb 2020,  we looked at the background and rules around undertaking a secondary listing in Hong Kong and then came up with a short-list of companies that might undertake a secondary listing. </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-adrs-secondary-listing-covid-19-has-increased-the-tension-but-narrowed-the-short-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In China ADRs Secondary Listing: COVID-19 Has Increased the Tension but Narrowed the Short List</a> published in May 2020, we looked at the recent developments and provided an revised short-list</li>
<li>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-adrs-secondary-listing-holding-foreign-companies-accountable-act-i-m-coming-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China ADRs Secondary Listing - Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act - I’m Coming Home</a>, published in May 2020, we spoke about the implication of the act which had made its way through the senate.</li>
<li>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-adrs-secondary-listing-pipeline-looks-rich-have-three-years-to-move" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China ADRs Secondary Listing - Pipeline looks rich, have three years to move</a>, published in Feb 2021, we looked at the recent updates from the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and Hong Kong Exchanges changes to corporate weighted average voting rights. In this note, we’ll take an early look at the deal and talk about likely timing and impact of the raising.</li>
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<p>In this note, we’ll take a look at the deal and talk about the impact of the raising.</p>
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Trip.com plans to raise around US$1-2bn in its secondary listing in Hong Kong. The company is said to have won listing approval last week and will look to launch its secondary offering soon.


In our previous notes, along with covering all of the past listings, we have also looked at the overall drivers for the secondary listings in our earlier notes, links to which are below: 




China ADRs Secondary Listing Deep-Dive: Yin and Yang, published in Feb 2020,  we looked at the background and rules around undertaking a secondary listing in Hong Kong and then came up with a short-list of companies that might undertake a secondary listing. 

In China ADRs Secondary Listing: COVID-19 Has Increased the Tension but Narrowed the Short List published in May 2020, we looked at the recent developments and provided an revised short-list
In China ADRs Secondary Listing - Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act - I’m Coming Home, published in May 2020, we spoke about the implication of the act which had made its way through the senate.
In China ADRs Secondary Listing - Pipeline looks rich, have three years to move, published in Feb 2021, we looked at the recent updates from the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and Hong Kong Exchanges changes to corporate weighted average voting rights. In this note, we’ll take an early look at the deal and talk about likely timing and impact of the raising.



In this note, we’ll take a look at the deal and talk about the impact of the raising.


Trip.com Secondary Listing - Probably Needs to Correct

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/trip-com-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:180:1" rel="noopener">Trip.com (TCOM US)</a> is a leading one-stop travel platform that currently operates through four leading travel brands which are Ctrip, Qunar, Trip.com and Skyscanner. Trip.com passed its Hong Kong listing committee hearing and could raise up to $1-2 billion through a secondary listing, according to press reports. </p><p>Trip.com is braving choppy markets and waning investor enthusiasm on secondary listings/IPOs. The recent Hong Kong secondary listings of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/autohome-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20234:1" rel="noopener">Autohome Inc (Adr) (ATHM US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bilibili-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26793:1" rel="noopener">Bilibili Inc (BILI US)</a> are trading 3% and 8% above their H-share listing price, respectively. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/baidu-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:179:1" rel="noopener">Baidu (BIDU US)</a> is trading -13% below its H-share listing price largely due to the fallout from the fire sale at Archegos Capital.   </p><div class="content-highlight"><p>Trip.com is a play on the expected reopening and recovery of travel in 2021 due to the global rollout of vaccines. In the post-pandemic world, Trip.com aims to cement its market share gains through strengthening its supply chain (such as short-distance travel), higher conversion via content investment (such as live streaming) and rising penetration in lower-tier cities (&gt;40% of new mobile app users in 2020 were from lower-tier cities). We think that Trip.com is an attractive play on travel recovery at the last close price. </p></div>

Trip.com (TCOM US) is a leading one-stop travel platform that currently operates through four leading travel brands which are Ctrip, Qunar, Trip.com and Skyscanner. Trip.com passed its Hong Kong listing committee hearing and could raise up to $1-2 billion through a secondary listing, according to press reports. Trip.com is braving choppy markets and waning investor enthusiasm on secondary listings/IPOs. The recent Hong Kong secondary listings of Autohome Inc (Adr) (ATHM US) and Bilibili Inc (BILI US) are trading 3% and 8% above their H-share listing price, respectively. Baidu (BIDU US) is trading -13% below its H-share listing price largely due to the fallout from the fire sale at Archegos Capital.   Trip.com is a play on the expected reopening and recovery of travel in 2021 due to the global rollout of vaccines. In the post-pandemic world, Trip.com aims to cement its market share gains through strengthening its supply chain (such as short-distance travel), higher conversion via content investment (such as live streaming) and rising penetration in lower-tier cities (&gt;40% of new mobile app users in 2020 were from lower-tier cities). We think that Trip.com is an attractive play on travel recovery at the last close price. 

Trip.com Secondary Listing: No Heads in the Clouds

Zhihu Technology / Equity Capital Markets

<div><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zhihu-technology-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32185:1" rel="noopener">Zhihu Technology (ZH US)</a> is the largest Q&amp;A-inspired online community and one of the top five comprehensive online content communities in China, both in terms of average mobile MAUs and revenue in 2020, according to CIC.</p></div><div><p>Zhihu has priced its IPO at $9.50 per ADS which at the low-end of the IPO price range of $9.50-11.50 per ADS, according to press reports. At the final IPO price of $9.50 per share, Zhihu will have a market cap of $5.7 billion. Zhihu will also raise an additional $250 million in a concurrent private placement to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-com-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:446:1" rel="noopener">JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent Holdings (700 HK)</a> and Lilith Games.</p></div><div><p>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/zhihu-ipo-initiation-question-time" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:48928" rel="noopener">Zhihu IPO Initiation: Question Time</a>, we opined that as the largest Q&amp;A-inspired online community, Zhihu is well-positioned to benefit from favourable industry trends. We concluded that Zhihu’s fundamentals are attractive. In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/zhihu-ipo-valuation-insights" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:49410" rel="noopener">Zhihu IPO: Valuation Insights,</a> we noted that the IPO price range is attractive. </p></div><div><div><div class="content-highlight"><p>However, since the launch of the IPO, a brutal sell-off on Chinese ADRs was triggered by SEC adopting measures that would kick foreign companies off US stock exchanges if they do not comply with US auditing standards. Despite the subsequent de-rating of peers, Zhihu remains attractive at the IPO price. Updating for the final IPO net raise, our base-case DCF derived price target of $12.35 per ADS. As DCF-based target prices are subject to a wide range of variability, we present a sensitivity table to help investors gauge where target prices could head. Our DCF sensitivity analysis points to a meaningful upside based on securing a modest share of the addressable market. </p></div></div></div>

Zhihu Technology (ZH US) is the largest Q&amp;A-inspired online community and one of the top five comprehensive online content communities in China, both in terms of average mobile MAUs and revenue in 2020, according to CIC.Zhihu has priced its IPO at $9.50 per ADS which at the low-end of the IPO price range of $9.50-11.50 per ADS, according to press reports. At the final IPO price of $9.50 per share, Zhihu will have a market cap of $5.7 billion. Zhihu will also raise an additional $250 million in a concurrent private placement to Alibaba Group (BABA US), JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US), Tencent Holdings (700 HK) and Lilith Games.In Zhihu IPO Initiation: Question Time, we opined that as the largest Q&amp;A-inspired online community, Zhihu is well-positioned to benefit from favourable industry trends. We concluded that Zhihu’s fundamentals are attractive. In Zhihu IPO: Valuation Insights, we noted that the IPO price range is attractive. However, since the launch of the IPO, a brutal sell-off on Chinese ADRs was triggered by SEC adopting measures that would kick foreign companies off US stock exchanges if they do not comply with US auditing standards. Despite the subsequent de-rating of peers, Zhihu remains attractive at the IPO price. Updating for the final IPO net raise, our base-case DCF derived price target of $12.35 per ADS. As DCF-based target prices are subject to a wide range of variability, we present a sensitivity table to help investors gauge where target prices could head. Our DCF sensitivity analysis points to a meaningful upside based on securing a modest share of the addressable market. 

China

Autohome Inc is an online destination for automobile consumers in China.  The Company delivers comprehensive, independent and interactive content to automobile buyers and owners.

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Autohome Inc (Adr) (ATHM US)

Trip.com Secondary Listing: HK-ADS Premium/(Discount) Views

Trip.com has launched a $1.4 bn secondary listing in Hong Kong. In the context of the weakening market sentiment, Trip.com pricing its H-shares at...

Arun George

ADR/HKEX Analysis: Lower Trading Volumes on HKEX Show Limited Liquidity Compared to the US

Given relatively lower levels of trading volumes in HK compared to the US Exchanges, it is questionable whether the ADR/HKEX listed companies are...

Shifara Samsudeen, FCMA, CGMA

Trip.com Secondary Listing - Probably Needs to Correct

Trip.com plans to raise around US$1-2bn in its secondary listing in Hong Kong. The company is said to have won listing approval last week and will...

Sumeet Singh

Trip.com Secondary Listing: No Heads in the Clouds

Trip.com passed its HKEx listing hearing to raise up to $1-2bn through a secondary listing. We think that Trip.com is an attractive play on travel...

Arun George

Zhihu IPO: Trading Debut

Zhihu has priced its IPO at $9.50 per ADS which at the low-end of the IPO price range, according to press reports. Despite the recent de-rating of...

Arun George

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52-week Range

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Trip.com Secondary Listing: HK-ADS Premium/​​(Discount) Views

Trip.com has launched a $1.4 bn secondary listing in Hong Kong. In the context of the weakening market sentiment, Trip.com pricing its H-shares at...

Arun George

ADR/HKEX Analysis: Lower Trading Volumes on HKEX Show Limited Liquidity Compared to the US

Given relatively lower levels of trading volumes in HK compared to the US Exchanges, it is questionable whether the ADR/HKEX listed companies are...

Shifara Samsudeen, FCMA, CGMA

Trip.com Secondary Listing - Probably Needs to Correct

Trip.com plans to raise around US$1-2bn in its secondary listing in Hong Kong. The company is said to have won listing approval last week and will...

Sumeet Singh

Trip.com Secondary Listing: No Heads in the Clouds

Trip.com passed its HKEx listing hearing to raise up to $1-2bn through a secondary listing. We think that Trip.com is an attractive play on travel...

Arun George

Zhihu IPO: Trading Debut

Zhihu has priced its IPO at $9.50 per ADS which at the low-end of the IPO price range, according to press reports. Despite the recent de-rating of...

Arun George

Trip.com Secondary Listing: HK-ADS Premium/(Discount) Views