Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas, Azabu Research

Michael Allen

Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas

Azabu Research

Azabu Research is a publishing and consulting firm focused on distressed equities in the Japanese market. We specialize in turnaround strategies, corporate combinations, divestitures, and restructuring.

Publisher of the Tokyo Turnaround Letter, which conducts the most thorough research possible of publicly available information, including forensic tests for fraudulent overstatement of assets and understatement of liabilities, as well as rigorous market and industry analysis to assess the underlying strengths of the company’s products or services, the appropriateness of the company’s turnaround strategy, and the skill of its current management team. The average length of a report exceeds 25 pages of text and tables, excluding any disclosures or executive summaries.

We have more than 30 years of experience in applying this process to distressed equities in Japan. Additionally, subscribers have free access to detailed, yet easily navigated earnings models for the target company as well as the top five comparable companies, and unlimited access to the analyst for follow-up questions.

Azabu Research also conducts be-spoke research on a project basis, and provides consulting services to companies looking to restructure, divest, make acquisitions, go public, or improve investor sentiment toward their stock.

Independent Research and Consulting Firm

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>2025 will start with more attractive turnaround opportunities than we have seen in a long time. </li>
<li>An uptick in TOBs, MBOs and merger discussions makes it suddenly no longer safe to short low-PBR companies indiscriminately.</li>
<li>Investors are noticing. More than two-dozen large- and medium-cap stocks with deep discounts to the benchmark began to bounce off well-defined support levels in late December.</li>
</ul>


2025 will start with more attractive turnaround opportunities than we have seen in a long time. 
An uptick in TOBs, MBOs and merger discussions makes it suddenly no longer safe to short low-PBR companies indiscriminately.
Investors are noticing. More than two-dozen large- and medium-cap stocks with deep discounts to the benchmark began to bounce off well-defined support levels in late December.


Unloved Japan Round Up Jan. 3: Set Up for A Banner Year?

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.

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Following up on our earlier cross-shareholding work, in this note we look to summarize our work so far by looking at where most of the selling will likely come.</li>
<li>Of the seven companies that we have looked at so far, collectively they have around US$102bn worth of shares to sell in 118 companies. </li>
<li>Of these, they have a combined stake of over US$1bn in 23 companies.</li>
</ul>


Following up on our earlier cross-shareholding work, in this note we look to summarize our work so far by looking at where most of the selling will likely come.
Of the seven companies that we have looked at so far, collectively they have around US$102bn worth of shares to sell in 118 companies. 
Of these, they have a combined stake of over US$1bn in 23 companies.


Japan Cross-Shareholding - Summary Matrix - Over US$100bn of Selling in 118 Companies

Japanese Equity Specialist, Ortus Advisors

Andrew Jackson

Japanese Equity Specialist

Ortus Advisors

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Markets go risk-on with the Fed's 50 bps cut a greenlight for AI/tech favourites to rebound sharply.</li>
<li>New highs for homebuilders setting the tone for further gains the Sumitomo Forestry and Sekisui House, while logistics may be weak after FedEx numbers.</li>
<li>Worth noting out-of-favour JP autos with high short interests and US sales ratios who may be squeeze targets with undeployed capital and foreigners coming back to the Japanese market post-Fed.</li>
</ul>


Markets go risk-on with the Fed's 50 bps cut a greenlight for AI/tech favourites to rebound sharply.
New highs for homebuilders setting the tone for further gains the Sumitomo Forestry and Sekisui House, while logistics may be weak after FedEx numbers.
Worth noting out-of-favour JP autos with high short interests and US sales ratios who may be squeeze targets with undeployed capital and foreigners coming back to the Japanese market post-Fed.


Japan Morning Connection: Out-Of-Favour JP Autos May Be Squeeze Targets

Japan Specialist

Mark Chadwick

<ul>
<li>OVERSEAS. Strong close to SPX on Friday +1.4% on the Day; 3.5%WoW; +7.0%QTD; Light Macro calender this week with Job report Key; OPEC+ surprise cut; Tesla Misses 1Q</li>
<li>JAPAN.  NKY Fut +0.7% vs Cash; USDJPY 132.9; At the start of the new fiscal year, strong tailwinds ahead for Japan: BOJ normalization; Shareholder AGMs; Shareholder returns improvements; Bullish !</li>
<li>NUGGET. Labor Mobility Needed for Sustainable Wage Growth in Japan. This is essential to extend the gains made this year, or we risk reverting to the status quo. </li>
</ul>


OVERSEAS. Strong close to SPX on Friday +1.4% on the Day; 3.5%WoW; +7.0%QTD; Light Macro calender this week with Job report Key; OPEC+ surprise cut; Tesla Misses 1Q
JAPAN.  NKY Fut +0.7% vs Cash; USDJPY 132.9; At the start of the new fiscal year, strong tailwinds ahead for Japan: BOJ normalization; Shareholder AGMs; Shareholder returns improvements; Bullish !
NUGGET. Labor Mobility Needed for Sustainable Wage Growth in Japan. This is essential to extend the gains made this year, or we risk reverting to the status quo. 


Good Morning Japan |SPX-Sizzling 1Q Close; NUGGET: Labor Mobility Needed for Sustainable Wage Growth

IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/future-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5485:1" rel="noopener">Future Corporation (4722 JP)</a> announced a Chairman-led MBO at JPY2,451, a 2.9% premium to the last close of JPY2,382.  </li>
<li>The low takeover premium could be explained by the mysterious 65.13% share price surge from 24 June to 27 July. Also, the offer represents an all-time high. </li>
<li>However, the offer is below the midpoint of the special committee's IFA DCF valuation range and is light relative to precedent transactions, potentially attracting activists.</li>
</ul>



Future Corporation (4722 JP) announced a Chairman-led MBO at JPY2,451, a 2.9% premium to the last close of JPY2,382.  
The low takeover premium could be explained by the mysterious 65.13% share price surge from 24 June to 27 July. Also, the offer represents an all-time high. 
However, the offer is below the midpoint of the special committee's IFA DCF valuation range and is light relative to precedent transactions, potentially attracting activists.


Future Corp (4722 JP): A Chairman-Led MBO Could Invite Activism

Japan

SG Holdings Co., Ltd. offers courier services. The Company provides goods delivery, cargo logistics, goods pickup, and other services. SG Holdings also operates real estate development, human resources management, and other businesses.

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SG Holdings (9143 JP)

Unloved Japan Round Up Jan. 3: Set Up for A Banner Year?

An uptick in TOBs, MBOs, and mergers creating the best environment for deep value turnarounds in a long time. Dozens of discounted stocks started...

Michael Allen

Japan Cross-Shareholding - Summary Matrix - Over US$100bn of Selling in 118 Companies

Toyotal has just announced that it will buy back around 290m (around 2% of the stock) of its own shares from MS&AD, Tokio Marine, MUFG and SMFG. In...

Sumeet Singh

Japan Morning Connection: Out-Of-Favour JP Autos May Be Squeeze Targets

Markets go risk-on with AI/tech favorites rebounding sharply, homebuilders hitting new highs, JP autos with high short interests and US sales...

Andrew Jackson

Good Morning Japan |SPX-Sizzling 1Q Close; NUGGET: Labor Mobility Needed for Sustainable Wage Growth

US equities close out a solid quarter. For Japan, at the start of the new fiscal year, strong tailwinds ahead: BOJ normalization; Shareholder AGMs;...

Mark Chadwick

Future Corp (4722 JP): A Chairman-Led MBO Could Invite Activism

While an all-time high, the offer is below the midpoint of the special committee's IFA DCF valuation range and is light relative to precedent...

Arun George

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Unloved Japan Round Up Jan. 3: Set Up for A Banner Year?

An uptick in TOBs, MBOs, and mergers​ creating the best environment for deep value turnarounds in a long time. Dozens of discounted stocks started...

Michael Allen

Japan Cross-Shareholding - Summary Matrix - Over US$100bn of Selling in 118 Companies

Toyotal has just announced that it will buy back around 290m (around 2% of the stock) of its own shares from MS&AD, Tokio Marine, MUFG and SMFG. In...

Sumeet Singh

Japan Morning Connection: Out-Of-Favour JP Autos May Be Squeeze Targets

Markets go risk-on with AI/tech favorites rebounding sharply, homebuilders hitting new highs, JP autos with high short interests and US sales...

Andrew Jackson

Good Morning Japan |SPX-Sizzling 1Q Close; NUGGET: Labor Mobility Needed for Sustainable Wage Growth

US equities close out a solid quarter. For Japan, at the start of the new fiscal year, strong tailwinds ahead: BOJ normalization; Shareholder AGMs;...

Mark Chadwick

Future Corp (4722 JP): A Chairman-Led MBO Could Invite Activism

While an all-time high, the offer is below the midpoint of the special committee's IFA DCF valuation range and is light relative to precedent...

Arun George

An uptick in TOBs, MBOs, and mergers creating the best environment for deep value turnarounds in a long time. Dozens of discounted stocks started...