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Granite Bay Capital

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Granite Bay Capital is an innovation focussed investment company with a deep focus on the companies at the leading edge of innovation across major themes such as AI, ubiquitous computing, sustainability, automation and longevity.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Headline Developments SpaceX (private) is set to launch The Pentagon’s next-generation national security satellite to orbit - the first launch with a reused rocket.  The launch of the GPS III SV05 for Space Force (below) will take place using the same Falcon 9 rocket booster that launched GPS III SV04 last November.

Headline Developments SpaceX (private) is set to launch The Pentagon’s next-generation national security satellite to orbit - the first launch with a reused rocket.  The launch of the GPS III SV05 for Space Force (below) will take place using the same Falcon 9 rocket booster that launched GPS III SV04 last November.

Consumer Discretionary / Industrials

Henry Kwon

Equity Bottom-Up

CPNG's shares declined by 9.3% on May 13, the day following its 1Q21 earnings release, but has since recovered its loss as of close on May 17. A key question should be whether this represents a dead cat bounce, or whether it represents the beginning of a sustainable share price recovery?Without reliable technical parameters established, we mainly rely on two factors, namely Fibonnaci retracement levels and a DCF analysis based on current consensus forecasts to determine how much growth CPNG would have to generate in order to justify its current share price levels.<ul>
<li>$39.95 represents the stock's 78.6% Fibonacci Retracement level which became resistance since it was breached on May 6 on intra-day basis and confirmed on May 7 close.</li>
<li>Taking current consensus 3-year EBITDA and Free Cash Flow Forecasts, with a 20% target Debt ratio in the mix, a DCF analysis suggests that current share price level would be sustainable on a terminal growth range of 9.6-10.1%. A terminal growth rate of 2% would suggest a $5.00 share price, on the other hand.</li>
</ul>In a flattening yield curve environment, we believe the market would not have much objections to 8-9% terminal growth assumptions at a practical level even though analysts would sound alarm bells. However, at this juncture we believe investors should pay heed to whether inflationary concerns will continue to lead to a steepening yield curve, thereby creating continuing headwinds for CPNG's share price performance over the next 3 to 6 months.

CPNG's shares declined by 9.3% on May 13, the day following its 1Q21 earnings release, but has since recovered its loss as of close on May 17. A key question should be whether this represents a dead cat bounce, or whether it represents the beginning of a sustainable share price recovery?Without reliable technical parameters established, we mainly rely on two factors, namely Fibonnaci retracement levels and a DCF analysis based on current consensus forecasts to determine how much growth CPNG would have to generate in order to justify its current share price levels.
$39.95 represents the stock's 78.6% Fibonacci Retracement level which became resistance since it was breached on May 6 on intra-day basis and confirmed on May 7 close.
Taking current consensus 3-year EBITDA and Free Cash Flow Forecasts, with a 20% target Debt ratio in the mix, a DCF analysis suggests that current share price level would be sustainable on a terminal growth range of 9.6-10.1%. A terminal growth rate of 2% would suggest a $5.00 share price, on the other hand.
In a flattening yield curve environment, we believe the market would not have much objections to 8-9% terminal growth assumptions at a practical level even though analysts would sound alarm bells. However, at this juncture we believe investors should pay heed to whether inflationary concerns will continue to lead to a steepening yield curve, thereby creating continuing headwinds for CPNG's share price performance over the next 3 to 6 months.

CPNG: Dead Cat Bounce or a More Sustainable Price Recovery in the Cards?

Coupang's (CPNG) first quarterly earnings call highlighted the lack of pricing power that CPNG currently has in the intensely competitive Korean E-Commerce market. Here are some of our initial thoughts on the 1Q numbers and management comments:<ul>
<li>
1Q Results Disappointing. Revenues grew at 74% YoY but Operating costs grew at 79.9% in the same period, with widening operating losses on both QoQ and YoY bases. 1Q21 Operating Loss of USD267.3mn was the largest quarterly loss that CPNG has seen in the 12 quarters disclosed by the company.</li>
<li>
Lack of Pricing Power and logistical cost burdens seem to be behind CPNG's margin compression. Based on CPNG's Korean annual disclosure from which it is easier to separate fixed and variable costs at the gross profit level, degree of operating leverage in FY20 was 1.8x. In other words, assuming fixed costs remain relatively constant, CPNG's gross margin should easily see expansion into the 20%+ range on a 74% revenue growth. It is clear in our view, however, that the margin deterioration is most likely being driven by both a) continued investments into logistics infrastructure and b) lack of pricing power that CPNG currently has with just 9% share of Korea's e-commerce market based on FY20 figures.</li>
<li>
Fierce Price Competition in the Domestic Market. Management stressed customer satisfaction with attractive prices and speedy delivery for customers on multiple occasions during the call, which only reinforced the observations we made in the previous bullet point on price competition. As if to confirm this observation Emart on May 13 announced that it will expand its lowest price guarantee on products for delivery, from 500 items to 2,000 (see <a href="https://www.smedaily.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=203561" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.smedaily.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=203561</a>).</li>
<li>
Challenges to Market Dominance. As a point of comparison, AMZN in the U.S. had 25% of the American online retail market, versus CPNG's 9% share of the Korean E-Commerce market in 2020. With deep pocketed competitors such as Emart and LOTTEmart mall achieving market dominance will likely continue to prove costly in our view.</li>
<li>
Short term Headwinds to Share Price Performance. With inflation fears mounting in the equity market with a steepening yield curve, topline growth alone will make it challenging for NASDAQ-listed growth stocks to command valuation premiums in our view. The biggest challenge for CPNG in our view is that it is basically an emerging market stock listed on NASDAQ, a double hurdle at a time when systemic risks seem to be mounting.</li>
</ul>

Coupang's (CPNG) first quarterly earnings call highlighted the lack of pricing power that CPNG currently has in the intensely competitive Korean E-Commerce market. Here are some of our initial thoughts on the 1Q numbers and management comments:

1Q Results Disappointing. Revenues grew at 74% YoY but Operating costs grew at 79.9% in the same period, with widening operating losses on both QoQ and YoY bases. 1Q21 Operating Loss of USD267.3mn was the largest quarterly loss that CPNG has seen in the 12 quarters disclosed by the company.

Lack of Pricing Power and logistical cost burdens seem to be behind CPNG's margin compression. Based on CPNG's Korean annual disclosure from which it is easier to separate fixed and variable costs at the gross profit level, degree of operating leverage in FY20 was 1.8x. In other words, assuming fixed costs remain relatively constant, CPNG's gross margin should easily see expansion into the 20%+ range on a 74% revenue growth. It is clear in our view, however, that the margin deterioration is most likely being driven by both a) continued investments into logistics infrastructure and b) lack of pricing power that CPNG currently has with just 9% share of Korea's e-commerce market based on FY20 figures.

Fierce Price Competition in the Domestic Market. Management stressed customer satisfaction with attractive prices and speedy delivery for customers on multiple occasions during the call, which only reinforced the observations we made in the previous bullet point on price competition. As if to confirm this observation Emart on May 13 announced that it will expand its lowest price guarantee on products for delivery, from 500 items to 2,000 (see https://www.smedaily.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=203561).

Challenges to Market Dominance. As a point of comparison, AMZN in the U.S. had 25% of the American online retail market, versus CPNG's 9% share of the Korean E-Commerce market in 2020. With deep pocketed competitors such as Emart and LOTTEmart mall achieving market dominance will likely continue to prove costly in our view.

Short term Headwinds to Share Price Performance. With inflation fears mounting in the equity market with a steepening yield curve, topline growth alone will make it challenging for NASDAQ-listed growth stocks to command valuation premiums in our view. The biggest challenge for CPNG in our view is that it is basically an emerging market stock listed on NASDAQ, a double hurdle at a time when systemic risks seem to be mounting.


CPNG: 1Q21 - Revenues Soar, Losses Deepen

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Equity Capital Markets

Founded in 2003 by the CEO Anthony Casalena, Squarespace is getting ready to complete its direct public listing on May 19 on the New York Stock Exchange. Squarespace raised $300 million ($68.42 per share) in March 2021 from investors including Tiger Global, D1 Capital Partners, and Fidelity Management &amp; Research Company, valuing the company at nearly<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-squarespace-funding-idUSKBN2B832O" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> $10 billion. </a>Other major investors of the company include Accel, Index Ventures, and General Atlantic. Squarespace joins a list of numerous technology companies that have become public through the direct listing route, including <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/palantir-technologies-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27728:1" rel="noopener">Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/roblox-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29697:1" rel="noopener">ROBLOX Corp (RBLX US)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/coinbase-global-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32227:1" rel="noopener">Coinbase (COIN US)</a>. Squarespace's shareholders have registered to sell about 40.4 million common shares with the CEO Anthony Caslena holding a 68.2% stake. Squarespace is a one-stop-shop platform for websites creation, domains, e-commerce, and marketing tools for companies and organizations to manage their social media presence. The company generated sales of $621.2 million in 2020, up 28.1% YoY. Its sales growth accelerated by 31.3% YoY to $179.7 million in 1Q 2021. Although the company benefited from higher sales and gross margins, its operating margins declined from 12.7% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2020, which was caused by higher R&amp;D and sales &amp; marketing expenses.

Founded in 2003 by the CEO Anthony Casalena, Squarespace is getting ready to complete its direct public listing on May 19 on the New York Stock Exchange. Squarespace raised $300 million ($68.42 per share) in March 2021 from investors including Tiger Global, D1 Capital Partners, and Fidelity Management &amp; Research Company, valuing the company at nearly $10 billion. Other major investors of the company include Accel, Index Ventures, and General Atlantic. Squarespace joins a list of numerous technology companies that have become public through the direct listing route, including Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR US), ROBLOX Corp (RBLX US), and Coinbase (COIN US). Squarespace's shareholders have registered to sell about 40.4 million common shares with the CEO Anthony Caslena holding a 68.2% stake. Squarespace is a one-stop-shop platform for websites creation, domains, e-commerce, and marketing tools for companies and organizations to manage their social media presence. The company generated sales of $621.2 million in 2020, up 28.1% YoY. Its sales growth accelerated by 31.3% YoY to $179.7 million in 1Q 2021. Although the company benefited from higher sales and gross margins, its operating margins declined from 12.7% in 2019 to 6.5% in 2020, which was caused by higher R&amp;D and sales &amp; marketing expenses.

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

<div>
On the 28 February, e-commerce and payment solutions provider <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-youzan-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11467:1" rel="noopener">China Youzan Limited (8083 HK)</a> <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/gem/2021/0228/2021022800069.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a pre-conditional Offer by way of a Scheme to take its GEM-listed shares private, then list 51.7%-held Youzan Technology on Hong Kong's mainboard. Shareholders are offered HK$0.1352/share in cash plus an in-specie distribution of 0.05077265 Youzan Technology shares for every China Youzan share held.
All in, the indicative Offer price was HK$2.3088/share, a 30.2% discount to last close. China Youzan was up 283% in the past year, and 44% YTD prior to the offer. 
In <a href="https://skr.ma/qgiJ9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China Youzan (8083 HK): Proposal Towards Relisting Youzan Tech</a>, I recommended avoiding the stock, with a view to re-entering if it closed in on the implied fair value using peer multiples, or ~HK$2.20/share. 
On the 6  May, Disinterested Scheme Shareholders <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/gem/2021/0506/2021050602278.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> at the First SGM a rollover arrangement and other side-agreements - not the take-private proposal as has been incorrectly reported by some media sources. The Scheme Document is expected to be posted on or before the 15 June. 
Shares closed today at $2.09/share, down 5.4%, and down 37% since the delisting proposal. 
This is starting to look more attractive.
</div>


On the 28 February, e-commerce and payment solutions provider China Youzan Limited (8083 HK) announced a pre-conditional Offer by way of a Scheme to take its GEM-listed shares private, then list 51.7%-held Youzan Technology on Hong Kong's mainboard. Shareholders are offered HK$0.1352/share in cash plus an in-specie distribution of 0.05077265 Youzan Technology shares for every China Youzan share held.
All in, the indicative Offer price was HK$2.3088/share, a 30.2% discount to last close. China Youzan was up 283% in the past year, and 44% YTD prior to the offer. 
In China Youzan (8083 HK): Proposal Towards Relisting Youzan Tech, I recommended avoiding the stock, with a view to re-entering if it closed in on the implied fair value using peer multiples, or ~HK$2.20/share. 
On the 6  May, Disinterested Scheme Shareholders approved at the First SGM a rollover arrangement and other side-agreements - not the take-private proposal as has been incorrectly reported by some media sources. The Scheme Document is expected to be posted on or before the 15 June. 
Shares closed today at $2.09/share, down 5.4%, and down 37% since the delisting proposal. 
This is starting to look more attractive.


China Youzan (8083 HK): Reality Check As Shares Rollover

Canada

Shopify Inc. provides a cloud-based commerce platform. The Company offers a platform for merchants to create an omni-channel experience that helps showcase the merchant's brand. Shopify serves customers in Canada.

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Shopify (SHOP US)

Weekly Innovation Review (WIRE) #36

Headline Developments: SpaceX (private) is set to launch The Pentagon’s next-generation national security satellite to orbit.

Granite Bay Capital

CPNG: Dead Cat Bounce or a More Sustainable Price Recovery in the Cards?

We look at Fibonnaci Retracement levels and DCF analysis using consensus forecast to see whether price recovery in the last 2 trading sessions...

Henry Kwon

CPNG: 1Q21 - Revenues Soar, Losses Deepen

CPNG's First Quarterly Earnings Release following its IPO showed that while revenue growth is on track, the company is likely to face considerable...

Henry Kwon

Squarespace Direct Listing Preview

Squarespace is getting ready to complete its direct public listing on May 19 on the New York Stock Exchange. In this insight, we provide the key...

Douglas Kim

China Youzan (8083 HK): Reality Check As Shares Rollover

Buying China Youzan means you are buying the Youzan Tech IPO at an Implied EV/sales multiple. That's around a 10% premium to peers currently. The...

David Blennerhassett

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