HK/China Equity Long-Short

Osbert Tang, CFA

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-education-group-holdin" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18218:1" rel="noopener">China Education Group (839 HK)</a> again announced solid result with adjusted net profit surged by 57.1% to Rmb1.55bn in FY21, ahead of guidance and also better than market expectations.</li>
<li>Management suggests positive FY22 outlook as student recruitment is encouraging, new schools and campuses add momentum and potential acquisitions provide upside. Unified new student enrollment increased 34% YoY.</li>
<li>CEG stays as our top pick in China Private Education Sector, and its PER of 14.5x for FY22F is undemanding given sustained solid earnings outlook and less regulatory exposure.</li>
</ul>



China Education Group (839 HK) again announced solid result with adjusted net profit surged by 57.1% to Rmb1.55bn in FY21, ahead of guidance and also better than market expectations.
Management suggests positive FY22 outlook as student recruitment is encouraging, new schools and campuses add momentum and potential acquisitions provide upside. Unified new student enrollment increased 34% YoY.
CEG stays as our top pick in China Private Education Sector, and its PER of 14.5x for FY22F is undemanding given sustained solid earnings outlook and less regulatory exposure.


China Education Group (839 HK): Post-FY21 Result Call Suggests Robust Year Ahead

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

China Education Group / Equity Capital Markets

China Education Group (839 HK) is looking to raise up to US$154m in its top-up placement. This will be the third placement by the group over the past 15 months.We covered the previous placement in Jan 21, China Education Group Placement - Back for More, past Deal Didn’t Do Well.In this note, we will look  at the deal dynamics and run the deal through framework.

China Education Group (839 HK) is looking to raise up to US$154m in its top-up placement. This will be the third placement by the group over the past 15 months.We covered the previous placement in Jan 21, China Education Group Placement - Back for More, past Deal Didn’t Do Well.In this note, we will look  at the deal dynamics and run the deal through framework.

China Education Group Placement - Recent Momentum Is Strong but past Deal Record Isn’t Supportive

We highlight that <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-east-education-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27843:1" rel="noopener">China East Education (667 HK)</a>, given its focus on vocational training, is an off-target victim of the government's regulations on the Private Education Sector and the "Double Reduction" policies. We think it will ride on government's latest supportive measures on vocational training; and with its schools providing training in culinary arts, IT &amp; Internet Technology and auto services, China East will benefit from the shortage of skills workers in China. Also, unlike K-12 education, private participation in vocational education is very encouraged by the government. China East's good post-COVID recovery can be demonstrated by the sharp rebound in student number and stable tuition fees in 1H21. With 90% of students enrolling in long-term program, it has good revenue visibility. We like its sound financial position - Rmb3.5bn net cash, and consideration of shareholder value - bought back nearly 14m shares in Jul and Aug. While valuations are high in absolute terms, China East is clearly another interesting name in the sector after our preferred play <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-education-group-holdin" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18218:1" rel="noopener">China Education Group (839 HK)</a>.

We highlight that China East Education (667 HK), given its focus on vocational training, is an off-target victim of the government's regulations on the Private Education Sector and the "Double Reduction" policies. We think it will ride on government's latest supportive measures on vocational training; and with its schools providing training in culinary arts, IT &amp; Internet Technology and auto services, China East will benefit from the shortage of skills workers in China. Also, unlike K-12 education, private participation in vocational education is very encouraged by the government. China East's good post-COVID recovery can be demonstrated by the sharp rebound in student number and stable tuition fees in 1H21. With 90% of students enrolling in long-term program, it has good revenue visibility. We like its sound financial position - Rmb3.5bn net cash, and consideration of shareholder value - bought back nearly 14m shares in Jul and Aug. While valuations are high in absolute terms, China East is clearly another interesting name in the sector after our preferred play China Education Group (839 HK).

China East Education (667 HK): Riding on Government's Push for Vocational Schools

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

In Sep, various ministries and local governments have announced detailed regulations or opinion-seeking drafts for the implementation of central government's "Double Reduction" Opinions. The areas that covered by these regulations range from the qualifications of tutors to the advance collection of tuition fees. While this should be anticipated, we think there is risk of regulatory overshoot which will put further pressure on the after-school tutoring companies like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-oriental-education-technology-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32210:1" rel="noopener">New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tal-education-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1124:1" rel="noopener">TAL Education (TAL US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gaotu-techedu-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28069:1" rel="noopener">Gaotu Techedu (GOTU US)</a>.We can see that the regulations are all targeted on off-campus after-school tutoring but not on the higher and vocational segment. In this regard, we believe <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-education-group-holdin" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18218:1" rel="noopener">China Education Group (839 HK)</a>, which focused on higher education, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-east-education-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27843:1" rel="noopener">China East Education (667 HK)</a>, which focused on vocational training, are better positioned in this wave of regulatory crackdown.

In Sep, various ministries and local governments have announced detailed regulations or opinion-seeking drafts for the implementation of central government's "Double Reduction" Opinions. The areas that covered by these regulations range from the qualifications of tutors to the advance collection of tuition fees. While this should be anticipated, we think there is risk of regulatory overshoot which will put further pressure on the after-school tutoring companies like New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK), TAL Education (TAL US) and Gaotu Techedu (GOTU US).We can see that the regulations are all targeted on off-campus after-school tutoring but not on the higher and vocational segment. In this regard, we believe China Education Group (839 HK), which focused on higher education, and China East Education (667 HK), which focused on vocational training, are better positioned in this wave of regulatory crackdown.

China Private Education: More Regulations Rolled Out Backing "Double Reduction"

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Index Rebalance

In this weeks recap, we look at:<ul>
<li>the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/santos-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:711:1" rel="noopener">Santos Ltd (STO AU)</a> / <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> merger and the impact on the S&amp;P/ASX 100 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> </li>
<li>the spread on the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12:1" rel="noopener">Keppel Corp (KEP SP)</a> / <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> deal and potential index flows</li>
<li>the listing of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hyundai-heavy-industries-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33808:1" rel="noopener">Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180 KS)</a> and the potential Fast Entry into the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/korea-stock-exchange-kospi-200-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26021:1" rel="noopener">Korea Stock Exchange Kospi 200 Index (KOSPI2 INDEX)</a> </li>
<li>the potential changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/stock-exchange-of-thailand-set-50-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31493:1" rel="noopener">Stock Exchange of Thailand SET 50 Index (SET50 INDEX)</a> at the December rebalance</li>
<li>the potential changes to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-tech-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31367:1" rel="noopener">Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH INDEX)</a> at the December rebalance</li>
<li>the potential changes to the Hang Seng Composite Index (HSCI) at the December and March rebalances</li>
</ul>There are no major index events in the coming week - there were enough in the last week!There were substantial inflows to onshore China ETFs in the last week, while there was finally an outflow (albeit a small one) from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kraneshares-csi-china-internet-fund" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28208:1" rel="noopener">KraneShares CSI China Internet Fund (KWEB US)</a>.

In this weeks recap, we look at:
the Santos Ltd (STO AU) / Oil Search Ltd (OSH AU) merger and the impact on the S&amp;P/ASX 100 and S&amp;P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) 
the spread on the Keppel Corp (KEP SP) / Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) deal and potential index flows
the listing of Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180 KS) and the potential Fast Entry into the Korea Stock Exchange Kospi 200 Index (KOSPI2 INDEX) 
the potential changes to the Stock Exchange of Thailand SET 50 Index (SET50 INDEX) at the December rebalance
the potential changes to the Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH INDEX) at the December rebalance
the potential changes to the Hang Seng Composite Index (HSCI) at the December and March rebalances
There are no major index events in the coming week - there were enough in the last week!There were substantial inflows to onshore China ETFs in the last week, while there was finally an outflow (albeit a small one) from KraneShares CSI China Internet Fund (KWEB US). 

Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: STO/OSH, KEP/SPH, HHI, SET50, HSTECH, HSCI

China

China Maple Leaf Educational Systems Limited is a Chinese international school operator. The Company operates high schools, middle schools and elementary schools across various Chinese cities.

China Maple Leaf Educational Systems (1317 HK)

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China Maple Leaf Educational Systems (1317 HK)

China Education Group (839 HK): Post-FY21 Result Call Suggests Robust Year Ahead

After beating expectation in FY21 result, positive outlook will extend into FY22 as student recruitment is encouraging, new schools and campuses...

Osbert Tang, CFA

China Education Group Placement - Recent Momentum Is Strong but past Deal Record Isn’t Supportive

China Education Group (839 HK) is looking to raise up to US$154m in its top-up placement. This will be the third placement by the group over the...

Sumeet Singh

China East Education (667 HK): Riding on Government's Push for Vocational Schools

China East should benefit from the government's push on vocational education and its businesses have less regulatory risks. The net cash position...

Osbert Tang, CFA

China Private Education: More Regulations Rolled Out Backing "Double Reduction"

More detailed regulations on after-school tutoring have been rolled out by various ministries and local governments in Sep. The higher education...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: STO/OSH, KEP/SPH, HHI, SET50, HSTECH, HSCI

This recap highlights Insights covering the index rebalance space in Asia as well as announcements that could result in index changes. We also look...

Brian Freitas

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