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.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>This is the Second of HRTech Sector series. Some of the trends in HRTech that we observed previously are becoming prominent and likely to be strong drivers of the market.</li>
<li>In our previous report, we chose four companies that are likely to have an exciting year ahead (either bullish or bearish) and these four companies have since reported earnings.</li>
<li>Except for Recruit, other three companies performed fairly positively since we last wrote. Ceridian has been struggling with some negative investor sentiment whereas margins continue to normalise for Recruit.</li>
</ul>


This is the Second of HRTech Sector series. Some of the trends in HRTech that we observed previously are becoming prominent and likely to be strong drivers of the market.
In our previous report, we chose four companies that are likely to have an exciting year ahead (either bullish or bearish) and these four companies have since reported earnings.
Except for Recruit, other three companies performed fairly positively since we last wrote. Ceridian has been struggling with some negative investor sentiment whereas margins continue to normalise for Recruit.


HRTech Sector Series: Emerging Trends in HRTech to Drive Growth

<ul>
<li>The global HRTech market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% between 2022-2028E to US$35.68bn driven by increased investment in product and technology development.</li>
<li>We have chosen four companies that will have an exciting year ahead (either bullish or bearish) and have discussed their business models, key drivers, fundamentals and their valuation.</li>
<li>We have chosen two stocks from the US (Ceridian and Automatic Data Processing) and two from Japan (Recruit and Visional) with a market capitalisation of &gt;$1bn and ADTV&gt;$1m.</li>
</ul>


The global HRTech market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% between 2022-2028E to US$35.68bn driven by increased investment in product and technology development.
We have chosen four companies that will have an exciting year ahead (either bullish or bearish) and have discussed their business models, key drivers, fundamentals and their valuation.
We have chosen two stocks from the US (Ceridian and Automatic Data Processing) and two from Japan (Recruit and Visional) with a market capitalisation of &gt;$1bn and ADTV&gt;$1m.


HRTech Sector Series: Changing HR Landscape Post-Covid Create Opportunities

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Index Rebalance

It's time for the S&amp;P500 Index Rebalance. Friday night on 3 Sep ahead of the long weekend we got the <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/documents/indexnews/announcements/20210903-1443045/1443045_sept2021-546-shuf-rebal.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a> from S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices. This quarter we have 3 Additions...<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/match-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25903:1" rel="noopener">Match Group Inc (MTCH US)</a> </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ceridian-hcm-holding-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27122:1" rel="noopener">Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US)</a> </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/brown-brown-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19532:1" rel="noopener">Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US)</a> </li>
</ul>Combined, the three ADDITIONS had US$6.4bn of revenue in the last 12 months, US$1.6bn of OP in that time, and they are forecast to have OP of $1.97bn in the next 12 months.and 3 Deletions... <ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/perrigo-co-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:869:1" rel="noopener">Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US)</a> </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unum-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2521:1" rel="noopener">Unum Group (UNM US)</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/national-oilwell-varco-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3046:1" rel="noopener">National Oilwell Varco (NOV US)</a></li>
</ul>Combined, the three DELETIONS had US$21.97bn of revenue in the last 12 months, US$1.1bn of OP in that time, and they are forecast to have $2.13bn of OP in the next 12 months.<div class="content-highlight">
With 3+x the revenue and a combined OP forecast 8% higher than the ADDITIONS in the next 12 months, these three DELETIONS have a combined market cap of US$16bn as of Friday's close against the combined market cap of the ADDITIONS which are at US$75bn.
That may not make much sense but most major indices are like that - they buy what goes up, after it has gone up, and they sell what underperforms, after it has underperformed. 
</div>While these names are not really a surprise, they may prove interesting.Much more analysis below the fold.

It's time for the S&amp;P500 Index Rebalance. Friday night on 3 Sep ahead of the long weekend we got the announcement from S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices. This quarter we have 3 Additions...

Match Group Inc (MTCH US) 

Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US) 

Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US) 
Combined, the three ADDITIONS had US$6.4bn of revenue in the last 12 months, US$1.6bn of OP in that time, and they are forecast to have OP of $1.97bn in the next 12 months.and 3 Deletions... 

Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US) 

Unum Group (UNM US) 
National Oilwell Varco (NOV US)
Combined, the three DELETIONS had US$21.97bn of revenue in the last 12 months, US$1.1bn of OP in that time, and they are forecast to have $2.13bn of OP in the next 12 months.
With 3+x the revenue and a combined OP forecast 8% higher than the ADDITIONS in the next 12 months, these three DELETIONS have a combined market cap of US$16bn as of Friday's close against the combined market cap of the ADDITIONS which are at US$75bn.
That may not make much sense but most major indices are like that - they buy what goes up, after it has gone up, and they sell what underperforms, after it has underperformed. 
While these names are not really a surprise, they may prove interesting.Much more analysis below the fold. 

S&P500 September 2021 Rebalance:  3 OUT, 3 IN - The Deletions May Be More Interesting

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

On Friday post market close, S&amp;P Dow Jones announced the results of the September review for the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-500" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22886:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500 (SPX INDEX)</a> that will be effective after the close of trading on 17 September.There are 3 inclusion -  <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/match-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25903:1" rel="noopener">Match Group Inc (MTCH US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ceridian-hcm-holding-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27122:1" rel="noopener">Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/brown-brown-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19532:1" rel="noopener">Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US)</a>, while the exclusions are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unum-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2521:1" rel="noopener">Unum Group (UNM US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/national-oilwell-varco-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3046:1" rel="noopener">National Oilwell Varco (NOV US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/perrigo-co-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:869:1" rel="noopener">Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US)</a>.There are inclusions/exclusions to the S&amp;P MidCap 400 and the S&amp;P SmallCap 600 as well.The stocks with the largest impact from passive buying are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/match-group-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25903:1" rel="noopener">Match Group Inc (MTCH US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tandem-diabetes-care-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20893:1" rel="noopener">Tandem Diabetes Care (TNDM US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/brown-brown-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19532:1" rel="noopener">Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US)</a>, UniqureNV (QURE US) and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ceridian-hcm-holding-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27122:1" rel="noopener">Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US)</a>.The stocks with the largest impact from passive selling are <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/united-insurance-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19222:1" rel="noopener">United Insurance Holdings (UIHC US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/team-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6811:1" rel="noopener">Team Inc (TISI US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/unum-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2521:1" rel="noopener">Unum Group (UNM US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/perrigo-co-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:869:1" rel="noopener">Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/national-oilwell-varco-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3046:1" rel="noopener">National Oilwell Varco (NOV US)</a>.There are a lot of other stocks that will have a lot to buy/sell from passive funds due to changes in the number of shares and free float and due to funding flows.

On Friday post market close, S&amp;P Dow Jones announced the results of the September review for the S&amp;P 500 (SPX INDEX) that will be effective after the close of trading on 17 September.There are 3 inclusion -  Match Group Inc (MTCH US), Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US) and Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US), while the exclusions are Unum Group (UNM US), National Oilwell Varco (NOV US) and Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US).There are inclusions/exclusions to the S&amp;P MidCap 400 and the S&amp;P SmallCap 600 as well.The stocks with the largest impact from passive buying are Match Group Inc (MTCH US), Tandem Diabetes Care (TNDM US), Brown &amp; Brown (BRO US), UniqureNV (QURE US) and Ceridian HCM Holding Inc (CDAY US).The stocks with the largest impact from passive selling are United Insurance Holdings (UIHC US), Team Inc (TISI US), Unum Group (UNM US), Perrigo Co Plc (PRGO US) and National Oilwell Varco (NOV US).There are a lot of other stocks that will have a lot to buy/sell from passive funds due to changes in the number of shares and free float and due to funding flows.

S&P500 Index Rebalance: Swiping Right on Match

AlphaSituations-Event/Catalyst Driven Research, AlphaSituations

Robert Sassoon

AlphaSituations-Event/Catalyst Driven Research

AlphaSituations

Since its establishment, AlphaSituations has delivered a track record of outperformance with a hit rate of winners of more than 70% of its portfolio of ideas generating annualized average returns of 20%. In January 2022, AlphaSituations was contracted by Water Tower Research, an investor engagement and stakeholder communication platform to provide coverage of Special Situations

Event-Driven

Back in September 2020, amid a boom in SPAC investing that had never been seen before and against the backdrop of profitless companies (and in some cases years from actual revenue generation) being propelled to insane valuations , we published an insight effectively warning investors to be very wary and selective (cf. MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning. Read more: <a href="https://skr.ma/JNmvg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://skr.ma/JNmvg</a> ). The fresh supply of SPAC IPOs in the US keeps on coming -the number of completed SPAC IPOs so far this year has already eclipsed the record total set for all of 2020 by 51% (374 vs 248)  and is well on target to surpass the number of traditional IPOs in the US for the second year running - in  2020, there were a total of 227 traditional IPOs with that number standing at 157 so far this year, well behind SPAC IPOs. In 2020, SPACs raised more cash ($83BN) than the total amount raised  over the preceding 17 years. So far in 2021, the cash raised from SPAC IPOs is already approaching 40% higher than 2021 at $114BN.However, these stats do not disguise the fact that the enthusiasm for SPACs has cooled  since mid-February. A snapshot reflection of this change in mood is the performance of the first 3 SPAC ETFs introduced to the market which began with SPAK at the beginning of October 2020.<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/219/878/original/image_45285074321626909062078.png?1626909063" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="219878"></figure>The average size of SPAC IPOs this year is 9% lower at $305MN than last year's ~$336MN. Perhaps more revealing, out of a total of 152 SPACs total that have announced business combinations and are in the process of de-SPACing, 92 (i.e., 61%) are trading below the SPAC IPO price of $10.  Of the 134 SPAC business combinations completed around one half are currently trading above the  SPAC IPO price, and many of those well below their post-merger highs.As our November insight indicates, we have been somewhat skeptical of the SPAC investment space. We believe that much of the SPAC investment frenzy witnessed in the past 18 months has was driven by  thematic interest over the more diligent scrutiny of the business combination.<blockquote>The observation is that not all SPAC mergers are created equal and that the majority are prone to value destruction.  It appears that SPAC investors are most excited about transactions in “emerging” trends such as green mobility or pandemic resistant areas such as online gaming and packaged/healthy foods rather than companies with a solid fundamental track record of revenue generation and profitability.</blockquote>Source: MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning, November 2020We are not suggesting for one moment that SPAC investing is a passing fad. The SPAC investing community is a far cry from the predominantly roulette table retail investors of yesteryear. Yes, the speculative element in SPACs has been very  much in evidence over the past 18 months, but greater involvement from well established institutional investors/sponsors in the most recent SPAC wave and the prospect of more intense regulatory scrutiny following several high profile investment debacles in the past 18 months will hopefully see this investment class evolve towards greater emphasis on quality rather than quantity. As of today there remains a lot of liquidity chasing SPACs with capital searching for deals. As of today there are 305 pending IPOs, 574 active SPACs of which 425  still need to find companies with which to merge.While there is certainly a lot of chaff in the SPAC investment space, there are also hidden gems  to be uncovered. Not uncommon in thematic oriented investments, when in fashion, the rising tide raises all ships, whether seaworthy or not. By the same token, when enthusiasm wanes, even the better quality companies can get caught up in the sell-off. This is more so in an investment category where there is still limited research coverage.  Judging from the job postings we have seen, investment banks  and hedge funds are looking to build out their SPAC research capabilities, but the current dearth of quality sell-side coverage of the 100s of active SPACs creates an opportunity for those willing to put in the required research/due-diligence effort to discover potentially lucrative undervalued  businesses.In this respect,  the simple formula we would follow is to hone in on SPACs with good sponsors backed up by a strong track record, either in the process of executing an Initial Business Combination (IBC) or having recently completed business combination with a company with a fundamentally sound business and strategy, preferably supported by an established operating track record that is already delivering revenues and profitability. There may be a number of other hidden gems to uncover within the SPAC universe, in this insight, we highlight one example of a recently completed business combination which has caught our eye - <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alight-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27940:1" rel="noopener">Alight Inc (ALIT US)</a> which we believe ticks all the aforementioned boxes.

Back in September 2020, amid a boom in SPAC investing that had never been seen before and against the backdrop of profitless companies (and in some cases years from actual revenue generation) being propelled to insane valuations , we published an insight effectively warning investors to be very wary and selective (cf. MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning. Read more: https://skr.ma/JNmvg ). The fresh supply of SPAC IPOs in the US keeps on coming -the number of completed SPAC IPOs so far this year has already eclipsed the record total set for all of 2020 by 51% (374 vs 248)  and is well on target to surpass the number of traditional IPOs in the US for the second year running - in  2020, there were a total of 227 traditional IPOs with that number standing at 157 so far this year, well behind SPAC IPOs. In 2020, SPACs raised more cash ($83BN) than the total amount raised  over the preceding 17 years. So far in 2021, the cash raised from SPAC IPOs is already approaching 40% higher than 2021 at $114BN.However, these stats do not disguise the fact that the enthusiasm for SPACs has cooled  since mid-February. A snapshot reflection of this change in mood is the performance of the first 3 SPAC ETFs introduced to the market which began with SPAK at the beginning of October 2020.The average size of SPAC IPOs this year is 9% lower at $305MN than last year's ~$336MN. Perhaps more revealing, out of a total of 152 SPACs total that have announced business combinations and are in the process of de-SPACing, 92 (i.e., 61%) are trading below the SPAC IPO price of $10.  Of the 134 SPAC business combinations completed around one half are currently trading above the  SPAC IPO price, and many of those well below their post-merger highs.As our November insight indicates, we have been somewhat skeptical of the SPAC investment space. We believe that much of the SPAC investment frenzy witnessed in the past 18 months has was driven by  thematic interest over the more diligent scrutiny of the business combination.The observation is that not all SPAC mergers are created equal and that the majority are prone to value destruction.  It appears that SPAC investors are most excited about transactions in “emerging” trends such as green mobility or pandemic resistant areas such as online gaming and packaged/healthy foods rather than companies with a solid fundamental track record of revenue generation and profitability.Source: MergerTalk: SPACs May Have Become The Hot New Trend, But SPAC Investment Requires A Health Warning, November 2020We are not suggesting for one moment that SPAC investing is a passing fad. The SPAC investing community is a far cry from the predominantly roulette table retail investors of yesteryear. Yes, the speculative element in SPACs has been very  much in evidence over the past 18 months, but greater involvement from well established institutional investors/sponsors in the most recent SPAC wave and the prospect of more intense regulatory scrutiny following several high profile investment debacles in the past 18 months will hopefully see this investment class evolve towards greater emphasis on quality rather than quantity. As of today there remains a lot of liquidity chasing SPACs with capital searching for deals. As of today there are 305 pending IPOs, 574 active SPACs of which 425  still need to find companies with which to merge.While there is certainly a lot of chaff in the SPAC investment space, there are also hidden gems  to be uncovered. Not uncommon in thematic oriented investments, when in fashion, the rising tide raises all ships, whether seaworthy or not. By the same token, when enthusiasm wanes, even the better quality companies can get caught up in the sell-off. This is more so in an investment category where there is still limited research coverage.  Judging from the job postings we have seen, investment banks  and hedge funds are looking to build out their SPAC research capabilities, but the current dearth of quality sell-side coverage of the 100s of active SPACs creates an opportunity for those willing to put in the required research/due-diligence effort to discover potentially lucrative undervalued  businesses.In this respect,  the simple formula we would follow is to hone in on SPACs with good sponsors backed up by a strong track record, either in the process of executing an Initial Business Combination (IBC) or having recently completed business combination with a company with a fundamentally sound business and strategy, preferably supported by an established operating track record that is already delivering revenues and profitability. There may be a number of other hidden gems to uncover within the SPAC universe, in this insight, we highlight one example of a recently completed business combination which has caught our eye - Alight Inc (ALIT US) which we believe ticks all the aforementioned boxes.

SPACTalk: Shining ALIGHT On The Process Of Separating the Wheat From The Chaff In The SPAC Space

United States

Dayforce, Inc. provides technology solutions. The Company offers a platform for talent and workforce management, human resources, benefits, and payroll services that help to manage the entire employee lifecycle, from recruiting and onboarding, to paying people. Dayforce serves customers worldwide.

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Dayforce (DAY US)

HRTech Sector Series: Emerging Trends in HRTech to Drive Growth

This is the Second of HRTech Sector series. Some trends that we observed previously are becoming prominent and likely to be strong drivers of the...

Shifara Samsudeen, FCMA, CGMA

HRTech Sector Series: Changing HR Landscape Post-Covid Create Opportunities

The global HRTech market has been undergoing rapid changes and in this insight we have discussed 4 companies that will have an exciting year ahead...

Shifara Samsudeen, FCMA, CGMA

S&P500 September 2021 Rebalance: 3 OUT, 3 IN - The Deletions May Be More Interesting

The S&P500 Quarterly Review is here. 3 in and 3 out. $14bn a side as of now. I expect the DELETIONS are more interesting though the headlines will...

Travis Lundy

S&P500 Index Rebalance: Swiping Right on Match

There are 3 changes to the S&P500 that will be implemented at the close on 17 Sep. There are changes to the S&P400 & S&P600 as well. There will be...

Brian Freitas

SPACTalk: Shining ALIGHT On The Process Of Separating the Wheat From The Chaff In The SPAC Space

While there is certainly a lot of chaff among SPACs/De-SPACs, there are also hidden gems to be discovered. We believe the recently completed De...

Robert Sassoon

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