Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<p>This week in StubWorld ...</p>
<p>Tech-giants such as <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> are under the hammer as investors second-guess whether Chinese regulators are targeting only <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (9988 HK)</a> or a wider anti-trust mandate. </p>
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<p>Preceding my comments on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/naspers-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21085:1" rel="noopener">Naspers (NPN SJ)</a> / <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/prosus-nv" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28104:1" rel="noopener">Prosus (PRX NA)</a> / Tencent are the weekly setup/unwind tables for Asia-Pacific Holdcos.</p>
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<p>These relationships trade with a minimum liquidity threshold of US$1mn on a 90-day moving average, and a % market capitalisation threshold - the $ value of the holding/opco held, over the parent’s market capitalisation, expressed in percent - of at least 20%.</p>
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This week in StubWorld ...
Tech-giants such as Tencent Holdings (700 HK) are under the hammer as investors second-guess whether Chinese regulators are targeting only Alibaba Group (9988 HK) or a wider anti-trust mandate. 


Preceding my comments on Naspers (NPN SJ) / Prosus (PRX NA) / Tencent are the weekly setup/unwind tables for Asia-Pacific Holdcos.


These relationships trade with a minimum liquidity threshold of US$1mn on a 90-day moving average, and a % market capitalisation threshold - the $ value of the holding/opco held, over the parent’s market capitalisation, expressed in percent - of at least 20%.


StubWorld: Tencent Under Pressure From Antitrust Push

Global Emerging Market Equities, Propitious Research

Wium Malan, CFA

Global Emerging Market Equities

Equity Bottom-Up

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/naspers-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21085:1" rel="noopener">Naspers (NPN SJ)</a> gives you deeply discounted exposure to one of the highest quality companies listed in the Emerging Markets, <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>. Should you back out the estimated fair values of all investments outside of Prosus’ 31% holding in Tencent from the current Naspers market cap, you are effectively buying exposure to Tencent for only 16.2x 2021F earnings.</p>
<p>Often overlooked, Naspers also gives exposure to a diverse range of online businesses, in differing stages of development, which are likely to structurally benefited from lasting changes to consumer behaviour in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>Further, Management has signalled their focus on meaningfully reducing its discount to listed net asset value by implementing a $5bn share buyback program, during November 2020, which should also support the share price through volatility in the near term. </p>
<p>The key risk to the investment thesis regards the newly proposed Anti-Monopoly Compliance Guidelines for the Platform Economy released by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), a clear signal of tougher antitrust regulations going forward. Tencent should, however, be able to manage through these better than the large eCommerce players.</p>

Naspers (NPN SJ) gives you deeply discounted exposure to one of the highest quality companies listed in the Emerging Markets, Tencent Holdings (700 HK). Should you back out the estimated fair values of all investments outside of Prosus’ 31% holding in Tencent from the current Naspers market cap, you are effectively buying exposure to Tencent for only 16.2x 2021F earnings.
Often overlooked, Naspers also gives exposure to a diverse range of online businesses, in differing stages of development, which are likely to structurally benefited from lasting changes to consumer behaviour in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further, Management has signalled their focus on meaningfully reducing its discount to listed net asset value by implementing a $5bn share buyback program, during November 2020, which should also support the share price through volatility in the near term. 
The key risk to the investment thesis regards the newly proposed Anti-Monopoly Compliance Guidelines for the Platform Economy released by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), a clear signal of tougher antitrust regulations going forward. Tencent should, however, be able to manage through these better than the large eCommerce players.

2021 High Conviction: Naspers, Deeply Discounted Exposure to Accelerating Online Sales

Travis Lundy

<p>On Friday 30 October in the morning, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/prosus-nv" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28104:1" rel="noopener">Prosus (PRX NA)</a><a href="https://www.prosus.com/news/media-release-prosus-to-acquire-us%245-billion-of-na" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would conduct a US$5bn buyback of Prosus shares and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/naspers-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21085:1" rel="noopener">Naspers (NPN SJ)</a> shares (i.e. the subsidiary would buy shares in the parent to avoid passing down income from sub to parent which could be taxed). </p>
<p>There were some pleasant, shareholder-friendly comments. </p>
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<p>In total, Prosus will acquire up to US$5 billion in shares in Naspers and Prosus on the open market, starting after interim earnings are released on 23 November 2020. Purchases will be made on a pro-rata (72.5%/27.5%) basis in line with the economic stakes of both companies in the Prosus/Naspers asset base and Prosus would not vote shares purchased and they would come out of the per-share calculations for EPS and BVPS.</p>
<p>It isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but $5bn is $5bn, and the discount is quite wide, so this deserves a look.</p>

On Friday 30 October in the morning, Prosus (PRX NA)announced that it would conduct a US$5bn buyback of Prosus shares and Naspers (NPN SJ) shares (i.e. the subsidiary would buy shares in the parent to avoid passing down income from sub to parent which could be taxed). 
There were some pleasant, shareholder-friendly comments. 



In total, Prosus will acquire up to US$5 billion in shares in Naspers and Prosus on the open market, starting after interim earnings are released on 23 November 2020. Purchases will be made on a pro-rata (72.5%/27.5%) basis in line with the economic stakes of both companies in the Prosus/Naspers asset base and Prosus would not vote shares purchased and they would come out of the per-share calculations for EPS and BVPS.
It isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but $5bn is $5bn, and the discount is quite wide, so this deserves a look.

Naspers & Prosus - A $5bn Catalyst Arrives

<p>Between early-2018 and late-2019, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/naspers-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21085:1" rel="noopener">Naspers (NPN SJ)</a> / <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/prosus-nv" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28104:1" rel="noopener">Prosus (PRX NA)</a> management took meaningful steps to attempt a narrowing of their discount to listed NAV, the most important of which was announcing the intended spin-off of all Naspers’ ex-South African internet assets into a new entity, Prosus, to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam, with a secondary listing on the JSE, which resulted in a narrowing of the discount from c.35% to c.25%. </p><p>However, in the year since the listing of Prosus, we have seen a “double” discount manifest given Prosus’ c. 27% discount to its listed NAV as well as Naspers’ c. 29% discount to its listed NAV (which entirely comprises its 73% shareholding in Prosus). Intuitively, this seems excessive and, in this insight, I take a closer look at, what I believe to be, the top reasons for this discount, to find catalysts which might unlock value. </p><p>I believe we will continue to see a c.25% holding company discount at Prosus, with another c.20% warranted at Naspers. I cannot, however, identify any catalysts that would cause the “double” discount to widen and have applied these values to my SOTP. I estimate fair value for Prosus at €101/share (31% upside) and Naspers at R4,404/share (47% upside).</p>

Between early-2018 and late-2019, Naspers (NPN SJ) / Prosus (PRX NA) management took meaningful steps to attempt a narrowing of their discount to listed NAV, the most important of which was announcing the intended spin-off of all Naspers’ ex-South African internet assets into a new entity, Prosus, to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam, with a secondary listing on the JSE, which resulted in a narrowing of the discount from c.35% to c.25%. However, in the year since the listing of Prosus, we have seen a “double” discount manifest given Prosus’ c. 27% discount to its listed NAV as well as Naspers’ c. 29% discount to its listed NAV (which entirely comprises its 73% shareholding in Prosus). Intuitively, this seems excessive and, in this insight, I take a closer look at, what I believe to be, the top reasons for this discount, to find catalysts which might unlock value. I believe we will continue to see a c.25% holding company discount at Prosus, with another c.20% warranted at Naspers. I cannot, however, identify any catalysts that would cause the “double” discount to widen and have applied these values to my SOTP. I estimate fair value for Prosus at €101/share (31% upside) and Naspers at R4,404/share (47% upside).

Naspers: “Double” Discount Warranted? The Search for a Catalyst Continues

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<p>On the 27 August, Leyou <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2020/0827/2020082701826.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a Scheme from <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> at $3.3219/share.</p>
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<p>The Offer Price represents a 30.27% premium over the closing price of HK$2.55/share on 19 September 2019, which was the last trading day prior to Leyou's <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2020/0525/2020052501310.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcing</a> it was in preliminary discussions with various independent potential investors.</p>
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<p>Irrevocables in favour of the Scheme total 70.02% of shares out - primarily comprising Charles Yuk's stake - and the Scheme is conditional on 75% of shares out voting in favour of the Scheme.  Disinterested Shareholders comprise <em>all </em>shares out. Therefore the blocking stake at the Scheme Meeting is 308.5mn shares or 10% of shares out. No single shareholder has such a blocking stake. The headcount test applies as Leyou is Cayman-incorporated. </p>
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<p>This looks done.</p>
<p>But politics can be a fickle beast. Social media app WeChat was in Trump's crosshairs over what is deemed a possible risk to the national security of the US, concerning personal information making its way to China.  That perceived data risk has now spilled over into gaming platforms operating in the US.</p>
<p>Leyou's shares wobbled a little after gaming companies were asked by Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) on their security protocols in handling Americans' personal data.</p>
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<p>Shares have now righted themselves - and indeed  - trade closer to terms. </p>
<p>As always, more below the fold.</p>
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On the 27 August, Leyou announced a Scheme from Tencent Holdings (700 HK) at $3.3219/share.


The Offer Price represents a 30.27% premium over the closing price of HK$2.55/share on 19 September 2019, which was the last trading day prior to Leyou's announcing it was in preliminary discussions with various independent potential investors.


Irrevocables in favour of the Scheme total 70.02% of shares out - primarily comprising Charles Yuk's stake - and the Scheme is conditional on 75% of shares out voting in favour of the Scheme.  Disinterested Shareholders comprise all shares out. Therefore the blocking stake at the Scheme Meeting is 308.5mn shares or 10% of shares out. No single shareholder has such a blocking stake. The headcount test applies as Leyou is Cayman-incorporated. 


This looks done.
But politics can be a fickle beast. Social media app WeChat was in Trump's crosshairs over what is deemed a possible risk to the national security of the US, concerning personal information making its way to China.  That perceived data risk has now spilled over into gaming platforms operating in the US.
Leyou's shares wobbled a little after gaming companies were asked by Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) on their security protocols in handling Americans' personal data.


Shares have now righted themselves - and indeed  - trade closer to terms. 
As always, more below the fold.




China

Prosus N.V. provides internet based services. The Company focuses on investments in internet, digital media, e-commerce retailing, and consumer internet companies. Prosus serves customers worldwide.

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Prosus NV (PRX NA)

StubWorld: Tencent Under Pressure From Antitrust Push

Stay long long Naspers vs Tencent. As we approach March, the likelihood that investors realise there could be another large offering increases,...

David Blennerhassett

2021 High Conviction: Naspers, Deeply Discounted Exposure to Accelerating Online Sales

Naspers: Deeply discounted exposure to Tencent, a diverse range of online businesses set to benefit from accelerated online activity post-COVID-19...

Wium Malan, CFA

Naspers & Prosus - A $5bn Catalyst Arrives

Naspers/Prosus finally has a catalyst. It's not a HUGE catalyst but US$5bn is US$5bn. The trick is to think about where this places you at the end...

Travis Lundy

Naspers: “Double” Discount Warranted? The Search for a Catalyst Continues

Since the listing of Prosus, we have seen a “double” discount to listed NAV manifest at Naspers. I take a closer look at the top reasons for this...

Wium Malan, CFA

Tencent/Leyou: China Bytes

After going into a trading halt on the 10 July, Leyou announced Charles Yuk - its largest shareholder - had entered into a privatisation...

David Blennerhassett

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