Research from Superfluous Value, Superfluous Value

Superfluous Value

Research from Superfluous Value

Stock selection has rarely been as important as it is today. After a roaring decade for US markets and with signs of mania everywhere, the S&P 500 as over-priced as it has ever been.

But, there is better way. Superfluous Value is a contrarian, deep-dive into the markets forgotten by the 60/40 instos and indexing, momentum chasers. Where the hot money has long moved on, it leaves behind investments offering great safety and prospective returns.

I believe the 2020s will look diametrically opposite to the recent past, with Emerging Markets, the UK, Japan and commodities set to rip and I intend to be holding the best opportunities available as they do.

Please feel free to come along on the journey.

Contrarian Deep-Dive into the Markets

Equity Bottom-Up

Micro Focus International  / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>After banging the drum on Micro Focus for several years, a suitor has arrived, with Canadian software firm OpenText offering to acquire the company for an Enterprise Value of $6b or $6.30 (532p)/share.</li><li>I have mixed emotions here and will try to sum up my thinking since the deal was announced.</li><li>Of course, it’s hard to be upset when one of your holdings doubles overnight.</li></ul>

After banging the drum on Micro Focus for several years, a suitor has arrived, with Canadian software firm OpenText offering to acquire the company for an Enterprise Value of $6b or $6.30 (532p)/share.I have mixed emotions here and will try to sum up my thinking since the deal was announced.Of course, it’s hard to be upset when one of your holdings doubles overnight.

European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Event-Driven

Micro Focus International  / Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Open Text agreed a 532p/share cash offer for legacy software, highly leveraged FTSE250 constituent, Micro Focus (98% premium, 2.3x EV/Fwd Revenues, 6.4x EV/Fwd EBITDA), taking advantage of target's downwards re-rating.</li>
<li>My TP based (5.6x EV/Fwd EBITDA based) is 350p, which reflects macro challenges. Although the offer from Open Text seems every generous, ROIC could reach low single teens.</li>
<li>Gross spread is 2.35% and the estimated annual return would be 4.38% assuming settlement by mid-February. Irrevocables amount to 16.62%, the lengthy part will be antitrust and FDI approvals. Long.</li>
</ul>


Open Text agreed a 532p/share cash offer for legacy software, highly leveraged FTSE250 constituent, Micro Focus (98% premium, 2.3x EV/Fwd Revenues, 6.4x EV/Fwd EBITDA), taking advantage of target's downwards re-rating.
My TP based (5.6x EV/Fwd EBITDA based) is 350p, which reflects macro challenges. Although the offer from Open Text seems every generous, ROIC could reach low single teens.
Gross spread is 2.35% and the estimated annual return would be 4.38% assuming settlement by mid-February. Irrevocables amount to 16.62%, the lengthy part will be antitrust and FDI approvals. Long.


Open Text/Micro Focus: Next Chapter in an Acquisition Growth Story

Director | Exposing Creative Accounting, Bucephalus Research Partnership

Robert Medd

Director | Exposing Creative Accounting

Exposing Creative Accounting

Bucephalus Research Partnership

Bucephalus Research Partnership Limited. Exposing Creative Accounting.

At the Bucephalus Research Partnership (BRP) we analyse financial statements using our accountant's practical experience and our own quantitative algorithms for corporate governance, accounting risk and peer performance.

Our thematic research refines our unique algorithms while our single stock research focuses on examples where we discover a significant gap between published accounts and business reality.

​Bucephalus Research Partnership:
- Is an independent fee-based research service
- Does not take proprietary positions, long or short
- Does not solicit business or fees from the corporates we review

Forensic Accounting

The Bucephalus Idea Generator (BIG) picks stocks by combining our work on Creative Accounting and our work on capex and valuation cycles to see which companies are forecast to generate extreme returns and/or are on extreme valuations. The model then creates performance outcomes to search for absolute and relative investment ideas.We run the model every month to see what has changed and which companies are worthy of further investigation.<a href="https://www.buceph.com/bucephalus-idea-model-604975.html" target="_blank">Click here </a>to download a sample company overview from the Bucephalus Idea Generator.

The Bucephalus Idea Generator (BIG) picks stocks by combining our work on Creative Accounting and our work on capex and valuation cycles to see which companies are forecast to generate extreme returns and/or are on extreme valuations. The model then creates performance outcomes to search for absolute and relative investment ideas.We run the model every month to see what has changed and which companies are worthy of further investigation.Click here to download a sample company overview from the Bucephalus Idea Generator.

Extreme Valuations: Global Stock Ideas Using the BORUC Yield

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

In today’s report we highlight the follow themes:<ul><li>As a whole, Europe continues to lag, but we like the price patterns—mostly multi-year bases. Recent weakness presents a buying opportunity, especially in leading countries, like Germany, and leading Sectors and Groups, such as software stocks. </li><li>Japan recently broke out above a key resistance level, making the current pullback all the more attractive. Add exposure.</li><li>EM remains unchallenged this year from a performance standpoint. While a pullback/pause wouldn’t surprise us, we expect EM to continue to lead, especially in light of the bottom pattern visible in the EM/ACWI ratio.</li><li>Today’s report includes actionable ideas across the developed and EM universe, and across multiple sectors.</li></ul>

In today’s report we highlight the follow themes:As a whole, Europe continues to lag, but we like the price patterns—mostly multi-year bases. Recent weakness presents a buying opportunity, especially in leading countries, like Germany, and leading Sectors and Groups, such as software stocks. Japan recently broke out above a key resistance level, making the current pullback all the more attractive. Add exposure.EM remains unchallenged this year from a performance standpoint. While a pullback/pause wouldn’t surprise us, we expect EM to continue to lead, especially in light of the bottom pattern visible in the EM/ACWI ratio.Today’s report includes actionable ideas across the developed and EM universe, and across multiple sectors.

Global Equity Pullback = Buying Opportunity

Frontier and emerging markets (Vietnam)

Dylan Waller

Nomadic Equity

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Transition from the Irish Stock Exchange to the London Stock ExchangeDragon Capital’s fund <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/22754" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22754">Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited</a>, which currently trades on the Irish Stock Exchange, may trade on the main market of the London Stock Exchange next month.  The company plans to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on June the 21st to vote on the approval of this transfer, which is expected to potentially take place next month.  The fund currently manages over $850 million, and is most notable for…

Transition from the Irish Stock Exchange to the London Stock ExchangeDragon Capital’s fund Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited, which currently trades on the Irish Stock Exchange, may trade on the main market of the London Stock Exchange next month.  The company plans to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on June the 21st to vote on the approval of this transfer, which is expected to potentially take place next month.  The fund currently manages over $850 million, and is most notable for…

Dragon Capital's VEIL Fund: A 3rd London Listing for Vietnam May Emerge Next Month

United Kingdom

Micro Focus International PLC provides software solutions. The Company transforms digital business with enterprise application software, as well as provides tools to build, operate, secure, and analyze the enterprise which bridge the gap between existing and emerging technologies. Micro Focus International serves customers in the United Kingdom and the United States.

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Micro Focus International (MCRO LN)

The Micro Focus Buy-Out: Vindication?

After banging the drum on Micro Focus for several years, a suitor has arrived, with Canadian software firm OpenText offering to acquire the company

Superfluous Value

Open Text/Micro Focus: Next Chapter in an Acquisition Growth Story

Serial acquirer OTEX CN agreed a 98% premium all-cash offer for highly leveraged and stalling revenues MCRO LN, implying an £5.1 billion EV to...

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Extreme Valuations: Global Stock Ideas Using the BORUC Yield

The Bucephalus Idea Generator (BIG) picks stocks by combining our work on Creative Accounting and our work on capex and valuation cycles to see...

Bucephalus Research Partnership

Global Equity Pullback = Buying Opportunity

In today’s report we highlight the follow themes: As a whole, Europe continues to lag, but we like the price patterns—mostly multi-year bases....

Vermilion Research

Dragon Capital's VEIL Fund: A 3rd London Listing for Vietnam May Emerge Next Month

Transition from the Irish Stock Exchange to the London Stock ExchangeDragon Capital’s fund Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited, which currently...

Nomadic Equity

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