Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

Last Week in Event SPACE:  Afterpay, SPH, ESR Cayman, Prosus/Naspers, Kingsoft, Milton, SOHO China

IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

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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.

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a>/SPH announced a privatisation offer from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12:1" rel="noopener">Keppel Corp (KEP SP)</a>. Keppel is taking private SPH through via a scheme of arrangement. The transaction involves Keppel offering S$0.668 cash per SPH share and 0.596 Keppel REIT units per SPH share along with SPH distributing-in-specie 0.782 SPH REIT units per SPH share. Based on the last close price of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:192:1" rel="noopener">Keppel REIT (KREIT SP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sph-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5994:1" rel="noopener">SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP)</a>, the total consideration is S$2.099 per SPH share, which is a 39.9% premium to the share price of S$1.50 on 30 March 2021 (announcement of SPH’s strategic review) and an 11.6% premium to the share price of S$1.88 on 30 July 2021 (last trading day). The privatisation proposal is the culmination of the SPH’s strategic review to unlock shareholder value. Keppel's offer was the best offer from several proposals evaluated, according to SPH management. The strategic review commenced with the announcement of the media business restructuring announced on 6 May. Post completion of the media business restructuring (requires approval at the EGM in Aug-Sep), SPH would be released from NPPA restrictions including the 5% shareholding cap restriction. Due to the impending lifting of the 5% shareholding cap, the SPH Board's preference was an offer for the whole SPH, to ensure the emergence of a controlling shareholder.<div class="content-highlight">The key conditions for the successful privatisation are the completion of the media business restructuring, regulatory approval, SPH and Keppel shareholder approval. The modest premium/discount to historical long-term multiples and share prices is unlikely to excite long-term SPH shareholders. The offer price is largely designed to appeal to SPH shareholders lacking patience for SPH to unlock value through capital recycling (such as a listing of PBSA assets, disposal of investments), a post-COVID-19 recovery particularly in its property businesses and improving earnings quality through diversifying into defensive assets. Overall, while the implied offer price is not a knockout bid, it is ok in the context of our SoTP valuation (post-media business restructuring). </div>

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)/SPH announced a privatisation offer from Keppel Corp (KEP SP). Keppel is taking private SPH through via a scheme of arrangement. The transaction involves Keppel offering S$0.668 cash per SPH share and 0.596 Keppel REIT units per SPH share along with SPH distributing-in-specie 0.782 SPH REIT units per SPH share. Based on the last close price of Keppel REIT (KREIT SP) and SPH REIT (SPHREIT SP), the total consideration is S$2.099 per SPH share, which is a 39.9% premium to the share price of S$1.50 on 30 March 2021 (announcement of SPH’s strategic review) and an 11.6% premium to the share price of S$1.88 on 30 July 2021 (last trading day). The privatisation proposal is the culmination of the SPH’s strategic review to unlock shareholder value. Keppel's offer was the best offer from several proposals evaluated, according to SPH management. The strategic review commenced with the announcement of the media business restructuring announced on 6 May. Post completion of the media business restructuring (requires approval at the EGM in Aug-Sep), SPH would be released from NPPA restrictions including the 5% shareholding cap restriction. Due to the impending lifting of the 5% shareholding cap, the SPH Board's preference was an offer for the whole SPH, to ensure the emergence of a controlling shareholder.The key conditions for the successful privatisation are the completion of the media business restructuring, regulatory approval, SPH and Keppel shareholder approval. The modest premium/discount to historical long-term multiples and share prices is unlikely to excite long-term SPH shareholders. The offer price is largely designed to appeal to SPH shareholders lacking patience for SPH to unlock value through capital recycling (such as a listing of PBSA assets, disposal of investments), a post-COVID-19 recovery particularly in its property businesses and improving earnings quality through diversifying into defensive assets. Overall, while the implied offer price is not a knockout bid, it is ok in the context of our SoTP valuation (post-media business restructuring). 

Travis Lundy

Just under three months ago, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> which is a mini-conglomerate of major Singaporean media interests, an investment fund, and a diverse collection of development and leasing assets in the real estate business, announced that it would restructure, hiving off the media assets into a SPINCO, granting it a pile of cash and assets designed to allow it to work through its problems to stand on its own, then it would be REMAINCO for the real estate and investment assets. This was discussed in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/singapore-press-own-time-own-target-restructuring-lor-come-i-clap-for-you" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:51141" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Own Time Own Target Restructuring Lor... (Come I Clap For You)</a>. The shares dropped on the announcement because SPH was giving away cash to the media business. It was costing them money to throw it away. At the time, I suggested that the pre-announcement price of S$1.79/share was reasonably full when looking at the future SPH REMAINCO at something like 0.84x Adjusted Post-Deal P/NAV. Since then, as real estate in Singapore has rallied, SPH shares have rallied from the low S$1.50s where they fell to Friday's S$1.88/share.<h3>The NEW News</h3>This morning we get news that after a period of further review, SPH has decided to accept (<a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Proposed%20Privatisation%20of%20SPH%20by%20Keppel%20-%20Joint%20Announcement.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=676909" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a>, <a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Proposed%20Privatisation%20of%20SPH%20by%20Keppel%20-%20Media%20Release.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=676910" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>, <a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Proposed%20Privatisation%20of%20SPH%20by%20Keppel%20-%20Presentation.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=676911" target="_blank" rel="noopener">presentation</a>) being taken over by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/keppel-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12:1" rel="noopener">Keppel Corp (KEP SP)</a> based on a Scheme which will deliver to SPH holders S$0.668 in cash, 0.596 units of Keppel REIT, and 0.782 units of SPH REIT through a distribution of 45.4% of SPH's stake in the REIT.Based on the closing prices of 30 July 2021, that would be S$2.099/share or an 11.6% premium to the close. Any dividend that SPH would declare for the fiscal year ending 31 August 2021 would be additive (consensus estimates currently imply ~S$0.02-0.03/share (details in the footnote at the bottom of <a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Proposed%20Privatisation%20of%20SPH%20by%20Keppel%20-%20Joint%20Announcement.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=676909" target="_blank" rel="noopener">p3</a>).There are a fair number of conditions. Approval of the Media Business Restructuring at the SPH EGM later this month or September is a sine qua non - if that doesn't pass SPH shareholders, the thing is off. Then there is another EGM at end-Oct early Nov to approve the resulting deal.  The CEO of Keppel made a presentation on the deal, and his speech is <a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/GCAT_Speech%20by%20CEO%20Keppel%20Corporation%20on%20proposed%20acquisition%20of%20SPH%20ex-Media.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=676925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. He clearly says the SPH assets are a good deal for Keppel and go some ways to helping Keppel aim at its Vision 2030 goals through enhancing the value of the SPH assets. I note, however, that SPH shareholders get to sell their shares at below book to receive assets that Keppel is liquidating (and mentioning it as a good thing). <div class="content-highlight">SPH holders may be start to ask themselves "Hey Keppel, why you bo jio me?!"</div>There are more complications besides so they are discussed below.

Just under three months ago, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) which is a mini-conglomerate of major Singaporean media interests, an investment fund, and a diverse collection of development and leasing assets in the real estate business, announced that it would restructure, hiving off the media assets into a SPINCO, granting it a pile of cash and assets designed to allow it to work through its problems to stand on its own, then it would be REMAINCO for the real estate and investment assets. This was discussed in Singapore Press Own Time Own Target Restructuring Lor... (Come I Clap For You). The shares dropped on the announcement because SPH was giving away cash to the media business. It was costing them money to throw it away. At the time, I suggested that the pre-announcement price of S$1.79/share was reasonably full when looking at the future SPH REMAINCO at something like 0.84x Adjusted Post-Deal P/NAV. Since then, as real estate in Singapore has rallied, SPH shares have rallied from the low S$1.50s where they fell to Friday's S$1.88/share.The NEW NewsThis morning we get news that after a period of further review, SPH has decided to accept (announcement, press release, presentation) being taken over by Keppel Corp (KEP SP) based on a Scheme which will deliver to SPH holders S$0.668 in cash, 0.596 units of Keppel REIT, and 0.782 units of SPH REIT through a distribution of 45.4% of SPH's stake in the REIT.Based on the closing prices of 30 July 2021, that would be S$2.099/share or an 11.6% premium to the close. Any dividend that SPH would declare for the fiscal year ending 31 August 2021 would be additive (consensus estimates currently imply ~S$0.02-0.03/share (details in the footnote at the bottom of p3).There are a fair number of conditions. Approval of the Media Business Restructuring at the SPH EGM later this month or September is a sine qua non - if that doesn't pass SPH shareholders, the thing is off. Then there is another EGM at end-Oct early Nov to approve the resulting deal.  The CEO of Keppel made a presentation on the deal, and his speech is here. He clearly says the SPH assets are a good deal for Keppel and go some ways to helping Keppel aim at its Vision 2030 goals through enhancing the value of the SPH assets. I note, however, that SPH shareholders get to sell their shares at below book to receive assets that Keppel is liquidating (and mentioning it as a good thing). SPH holders may be start to ask themselves "Hey Keppel, why you bo jio me?!"There are more complications besides so they are discussed below. 

Alamak! SPH Restructuring Restructured as Keppel Bo Jios SPH Holders

Last Week in Event SPACE: Singapore Press, Tabcorp, Invesco Office, Justbon, IHH Healthcare, JD.com

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> had been undergoing a strategic review - something long awaited, and perpetually not quite done. The outcome is going to disappoint some (thus my title).Today, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> made an <a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Announcement.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=665172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a> (<a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Media%20Release.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=665173" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media release</a>, <a href="https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Analyst%20Briefing.ashx?App=Announcement&amp;FileID=665174" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analyst presentation</a>) that it would undergo a Proposed Restructuring (defined by a Business Restructuring Deed ("BRD")) which would spin off the Media Business into a Media Holdco which would be run as a not-for-profit in the form of a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG), basically a charity in corporate form (subject to the Companies Act). The quick and dirty of the situation is that SPH is giving away 6.6% of its equity (and 12+% of its market cap) to the ether so that it is no longer carrying the media business around its neck like an albatross. The Media business has seen revenue declines in the traditional print space, and SPH Media ad revenue fell 39% from FY2018 to FY2020. Operating revenue in the past five years has halved, and in FY2020, the SPH Media business posted its first ever loss. H1 2021 has seen the run-rate worsen further. The idea is to give away the business, and assets to help it fund itself, to ring-fence SPH from SPH Media going forward, and to remove the strictures of the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act ("NPPA") which bind SPH today.One can think of it as an owner having to recapitalise a loss-making business before selling it for a dollar. Sometimes something is worth less than nothing. It is not a done deal. There are conditions to complete. But it is worthwhile looking at the before/after to determine the "value" of SPH going forward because while revenue will drop, operating profits should increase on a pro-forma basis, and dropping the NPPA restrictions has the potential to make things quite interesting in the medium-long-term.More below the fold.

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) had been undergoing a strategic review - something long awaited, and perpetually not quite done. The outcome is going to disappoint some (thus my title).Today, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) made an announcement (media release, analyst presentation) that it would undergo a Proposed Restructuring (defined by a Business Restructuring Deed ("BRD")) which would spin off the Media Business into a Media Holdco which would be run as a not-for-profit in the form of a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG), basically a charity in corporate form (subject to the Companies Act). The quick and dirty of the situation is that SPH is giving away 6.6% of its equity (and 12+% of its market cap) to the ether so that it is no longer carrying the media business around its neck like an albatross. The Media business has seen revenue declines in the traditional print space, and SPH Media ad revenue fell 39% from FY2018 to FY2020. Operating revenue in the past five years has halved, and in FY2020, the SPH Media business posted its first ever loss. H1 2021 has seen the run-rate worsen further. The idea is to give away the business, and assets to help it fund itself, to ring-fence SPH from SPH Media going forward, and to remove the strictures of the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act ("NPPA") which bind SPH today.One can think of it as an owner having to recapitalise a loss-making business before selling it for a dollar. Sometimes something is worth less than nothing. It is not a done deal. There are conditions to complete. But it is worthwhile looking at the before/after to determine the "value" of SPH going forward because while revenue will drop, operating profits should increase on a pro-forma basis, and dropping the NPPA restrictions has the potential to make things quite interesting in the medium-long-term.More below the fold. 

Singapore Press Own Time Own Target Restructuring Lor... (Come I Clap For You)

Singapore

Singapore Press Holdings is a diversified company that primarily invests in and manages properties, including retail malls and student accommodation, and operates aged care facilities. It previously held a significant media business, publishing newspapers, magazines, and books across various platforms. The company was founded in Singapore on August 4, 1984, with its headquarters in Singapore.

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Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)

Last Week in Event SPACE: Afterpay, SPH, ESR Cayman, Prosus/Naspers, Kingsoft, Milton, SOHO China

The weekend is here! Pour yourself a coffee, grab a comfortable seat, and sift through a brief summary of insights on various events discussed...

David Blennerhassett

SPH’s Privatisation by Keppel

SPH announced a privatisation offer from Keppel for a total consideration is S$2.099 per share. While the implied offer price is not a knockout...

Arun George

Alamak! SPH Restructuring Restructured as Keppel Bo Jios SPH Holders

SPH and Keppel have a deal. Keppel will take over SPH post-Media spinoff, paying cash and shares in two REITs. It's a bit cheap, a bit ugly. But...

Travis Lundy

Last Week in Event SPACE: Singapore Press, Tabcorp, Invesco Office, Justbon, IHH Healthcare, JD.com

The weekend is here! Pour yourself a coffee, grab a comfortable seat, and sift through a brief summary of insights on various events discussed...

David Blennerhassett

Singapore Press Own Time Own Target Restructuring Lor... (Come I Clap For You)

SPH has announced a business restructuring to divest itself of its loss-making Media Holdings, paying to make it go away. This changes structure -...

Travis Lundy

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