Independent research on the U.S. markets, Baptista Research

Baptista Research

Independent research on the U.S. markets

Baptista Research is an independent financial research house focused on the U.S. markets. We provide equity research as well as credit research reports on the top-listed U.S. companies with most of our focus on technology, consumer goods and services, automobiles, industrials, oil and gas, pharma, and healthcare. Our research has served more than 3000 institutional investors including mutual funds, hedge funds, banks, family offices, and various buy-side firms. We operate a research subscription service where institutions, as well as retail investors, can have priority access to all our research. We also have a wide distribution of our research reports across some of the top global financial platforms. Apart from equity research and credit research, we also provide advisory services with respect to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity/ venture capital fundraising, valuation reports, and investment management services for corporates.
Baptista Research is owned and managed by Ishan Majumdar, an ex-Venture Capitalist/ Investment Banker, a Chartered Accountant, and a Masters’ degree holder in Management from HEC Paris. Ishan has nearly a decade of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs), Venture Capital Investing, Corporate Strategy, and Valuation in front-office roles at the likes of BNP Paribas CIB, Credit Agricole CIB, Groupe Danone, and TIW Private Equity. He has worked on and closed multiple acquisition deals, leveraged buyouts, and start-up investment transactions.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>JD.com reported its second quarter and interim 2024 earnings, presenting a mixed performance amid challenging market conditions.</li><li>The company achieved record non-GAAP net profit for a single quarter, indicating strong profitability and effective cost management.</li><li>However, revenue growth was modest, reflecting the competitive and dynamic nature of the market JD.com operates in.</li></ul>

JD.com reported its second quarter and interim 2024 earnings, presenting a mixed performance amid challenging market conditions.The company achieved record non-GAAP net profit for a single quarter, indicating strong profitability and effective cost management.However, revenue growth was modest, reflecting the competitive and dynamic nature of the market JD.com operates in.

JD.com Inc.: Enhancing Platform Ecosystem For Third-Party Sellers As A Key Growth Catalyst! - Major Drivers

Analyst

Steve

<ul>
<li>Profitability of the business surprised on the upside, as the net profit margin of JD.com increased from 3% in 2Q23 to 5% in 2Q24.</li>
<li>Share buyback accelerated in 2Q24, as the company bought USD2.1bn worth of stock in the quarter, up from USD1.2bn in 1Q24. </li>
<li>The stock is trading at 7x 2024 PE, with a yield of &gt;10% through dividend and buyback.</li>
</ul>


Profitability of the business surprised on the upside, as the net profit margin of JD.com increased from 3% in 2Q23 to 5% in 2Q24.
Share buyback accelerated in 2Q24, as the company bought USD2.1bn worth of stock in the quarter, up from USD1.2bn in 1Q24. 
The stock is trading at 7x 2024 PE, with a yield of &gt;10% through dividend and buyback.


JD.com (JD US):  Strong Profitability And Upsized Share Buyback in 2Q24

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

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Media reports indicate that <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/walmart-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11134:1" rel="noopener">Walmart (WMT US)</a> is looking to sell 144.5m shares of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-com-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:446:1" rel="noopener">JD.com (JD US)</a> to raise up to US$3.74bn. That would be substantially all of its stake.</li>
<li>There will be passive buying from global index trackers at the time of settlement of the placement shares and could absorb around 12% of the placement shares.</li>
<li>There will be no passive buying from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-hang-seng-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22899:1" rel="noopener">HSI</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-china-enterprises-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22900:1" rel="noopener">HSCEI</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-tech-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31367:1" rel="noopener">HSTECH</a> and HSIII trackers in the short-term. An increase in CCASS holdings should result in passive buying in December.</li>
</ul>


Media reports indicate that Walmart (WMT US) is looking to sell 144.5m shares of JD.com (JD US) to raise up to US$3.74bn. That would be substantially all of its stake.
There will be passive buying from global index trackers at the time of settlement of the placement shares and could absorb around 12% of the placement shares.
There will be no passive buying from HSI, HSCEI, HSTECH and HSIII trackers in the short-term. An increase in CCASS holdings should result in passive buying in December.


JD.com (9618 HK): Index Implications of Walmart Placement

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.

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pony-ai-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:44035:1" rel="noopener">Pony AI (PONY US)</a> raised around US$260m in its upsized US ADR listing in Nov 2024. The lockup on its pre-IPO investors is set to expire soon.</li>
<li>As per Frost &amp; Sullivan, Pony AI was among the first companies in China to obtain licenses to operate fully driverless robotaxis in all four Tier-1 cities in China.</li>
<li>In this note, we will talk about the lockup dynamics and possible placement.</li>
</ul>



Pony AI (PONY US) raised around US$260m in its upsized US ADR listing in Nov 2024. The lockup on its pre-IPO investors is set to expire soon.
As per Frost &amp; Sullivan, Pony AI was among the first companies in China to obtain licenses to operate fully driverless robotaxis in all four Tier-1 cities in China.
In this note, we will talk about the lockup dynamics and possible placement.


Pony AI IPO Lockup - US$4.3bn Lockup Release with Stock at 69x EV/Sales

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>The review period for the June rebalance of the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-tech-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31367:1" rel="noopener">HSTECH INDEX</a> ended on 31 March, the changes will be announced on 16 May and implemented on 6 June.</li>
<li>Following the launch of the God's Eye ADAS, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/byd-co-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20962:1" rel="noopener">BYD (1211 HK)</a> could become eligible for index inclusion after meeting the Autonomous theme and Innovation screening.</li>
<li>The inclusion of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/byd-co-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20962:1" rel="noopener">BYD (1211 HK)</a> in the index could result in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-literature-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24388:1" rel="noopener">China Literature (772 HK)</a> being deleted from the index in June.</li>
</ul>


The review period for the June rebalance of the HSTECH INDEX ended on 31 March, the changes will be announced on 16 May and implemented on 6 June.
Following the launch of the God's Eye ADAS, BYD (1211 HK) could become eligible for index inclusion after meeting the Autonomous theme and Innovation screening.
The inclusion of BYD (1211 HK) in the index could result in China Literature (772 HK) being deleted from the index in June.


HSTECH Index Rebalance Preview: BYD (1211 HK) Could Replace China Literature (772 HK); Huge Trade

China

JD.com, Inc. is an online direct sales company in China. The Company offers a wide selection of products through its website and mobile applications. JD.com sells appliances, computers, digital products, communication products, garments, books, and household items to consumers and vendors.

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JD.com (9618 HK)

JD.com Inc.: Enhancing Platform Ecosystem For Third-Party Sellers As A Key Growth Catalyst! - Major Drivers

JD.com reported its second quarter and interim 2024 earnings, presenting a mixed performance amid challenging market conditions. The company...

Baptista Research

JD.com (9618 HK): Index Implications of Walmart Placement

Walmart is looking to sell its entire stake in JD.com. The ADR is lower in the aftermarket and the HK-line is down 10.8%. Passive trackers will buy...

Brian Freitas

Pony AI IPO Lockup - US$4.3bn Lockup Release with Stock at 69x EV/Sales

Pony AI (PONY US) raised around US$260m in its upsized US ADR listing in Nov 2024. The lockup on its pre-IPO investors is set to expire soon.

Sumeet Singh

HSTECH Index Rebalance Preview: BYD (1211 HK) Could Replace China Literature (772 HK); Huge Trade

BYD could replace China Literature in the HSTECH in June. There will be FAF upweights for a few stocks. Funding outflows will be big and there will...

Brian Freitas

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

JD.com Inc.: Enhancing Platform Ecosystem For Third-Party Sellers As A Key Growth Catalyst! - Major Drivers

JD.com reported its second quarter and interim 2024 earnings, presenting a mixed performance amid challenging market conditions. The company...

Baptista Research

JD.com (JD US): Strong Profitability And Upsized Share Buyback in 2Q24

Two pieces of news: 1) According to public news, Wal-Mart is looking to offload its entire stake (144.5m ADRs) in JD.com at USD24.85 - USD25.85....

Steve

JD.com (9618 HK): Index Implications of Walmart Placement

Walmart is looking to sell its entire stake in JD.com. The ADR is lower in the aftermarket and the HK-line is down 10.8%. Passive trackers will buy...

Brian Freitas

Pony AI IPO Lockup - US$4.3bn Lockup Release with Stock at 69x EV/Sales

Pony AI (PONY US) raised around US$260m in its upsized US ADR listing in Nov 2024. The lockup on its pre-IPO investors is set to expire soon.

Sumeet Singh

HSTECH Index Rebalance Preview: BYD (1211 HK) Could Replace China Literature (772 HK); Huge Trade

BYD could replace China Literature in the HSTECH in June. There will be FAF upweights for a few stocks. Funding outflows will be big and there will...

Brian Freitas