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>Multiple new agencies have been reporting that <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a> plans to trim its investment portfolio over the remainder of the year. </li>
<li>The reports have been coming in since the second half of the year and the company has been duly denying these rumors.</li>
<li>In this note, we look at Tencent’s shareholding in various companies to try and gauge which ones it could sell out of and how.</li>
</ul>


Multiple new agencies have been reporting that Tencent (700 HK) plans to trim its investment portfolio over the remainder of the year. 
The reports have been coming in since the second half of the year and the company has been duly denying these rumors.
In this note, we look at Tencent’s shareholding in various companies to try and gauge which ones it could sell out of and how.


Tencent Investee Selldown - The US$120bn Global Overhang

Telco/Internet specialist

Kirk Boodry

Redex Research

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27445:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Corp (9434 JP)</a> shares have underperformed telco peers that benefit from a risk-off environment despite a sector-high dividend payout as 38% of value comes from Internet and fintech</li>
<li>That dividend payout looks safe across our forecast period though as the telco business provides sufficient free cash and parent <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-group-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:315:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Group (9984 JP)</a> can always use more cash</li>
<li>At Q3, management reiterated confidence in financial guidance through FY22 and a positive <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/z-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19603:1" rel="noopener">Z Holdings (4689 JP)</a> Q4 report could help shares make up lost ground </li>
</ul>



Softbank Corp (9434 JP) shares have underperformed telco peers that benefit from a risk-off environment despite a sector-high dividend payout as 38% of value comes from Internet and fintech
That dividend payout looks safe across our forecast period though as the telco business provides sufficient free cash and parent Softbank Group (9984 JP) can always use more cash
At Q3, management reiterated confidence in financial guidance through FY22 and a positive Z Holdings (4689 JP) Q4 report could help shares make up lost ground 


Softbank Corp (Buy) - Growth/Value Hybrid Has Been Left Behind by Telco Peers

Financials & FinTech research, Galliano’s Financials Research

Victor Galliano

Financials & FinTech research

Financials & FinTech, EM & Developed Markets

Galliano’s Financials Research

Galliano's Financials Research provides fundamental research in Emerging Markets financials, including FinTech, as well as financials in select Developed Markets.

The investment style applied is generally value oriented, although Growth At Reasonable Price (GARP) strategies can also be used where appropriate. 

Our investment research approach aim is often contrarian, looking to capitalise on overly sceptical or optimistic consensus views. In terms of valuation techniques, the focus is on PBV ratio to ROE, PE multiples and dividend yield, as well as the application of PEG ratios and, where appropriate, Sum of the Parts (SOTP) valuations.

<ul>
<li>There is downside risk to SoftBank’s NAV, due to valuations relating to Arm and the Vision Funds including LatAm; on aggregate, these holdings account for 70% of group equity value</li>
<li>We believe that Arm’s super-premium valuation is unsustainable; there is lack of transparency on the valuations relating to the unlisted Vision Fund holdings, especially in SVF2</li>
<li>We estimate that SoftBank shares trade at a 44% NAV discount, tighter than the average at the end of the last eight quarters; add to this Arm’s current over valuation</li>
</ul>


There is downside risk to SoftBank’s NAV, due to valuations relating to Arm and the Vision Funds including LatAm; on aggregate, these holdings account for 70% of group equity value
We believe that Arm’s super-premium valuation is unsustainable; there is lack of transparency on the valuations relating to the unlisted Vision Fund holdings, especially in SVF2
We estimate that SoftBank shares trade at a 44% NAV discount, tighter than the average at the end of the last eight quarters; add to this Arm’s current over valuation


SoftBank Group (9984 JP): More Downside Risk to the NAV than Upside Potential

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

NTT (Nippon Telegraph & Telephone) / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>The Kishida administration is looking for funding sources for its two big objectives - 1) raising the birthrate, 2) raising defense spending by 60% in 5yrs to 2% of GDP.</li>
<li>The second is not new. It was in an "order" PM Kishida gave to FinMin Suzuki and MinDef Hamada last November. They need ¥48trln by end 2027. </li>
<li>Yesterday, in an LDP meeting, the idea of changing the NTT Law so the government could sell more NTT shares was mooted. It's worth thinking about.</li>
</ul>


The Kishida administration is looking for funding sources for its two big objectives - 1) raising the birthrate, 2) raising defense spending by 60% in 5yrs to 2% of GDP.
The second is not new. It was in an "order" PM Kishida gave to FinMin Suzuki and MinDef Hamada last November. They need ¥48trln by end 2027. 
Yesterday, in an LDP meeting, the idea of changing the NTT Law so the government could sell more NTT shares was mooted. It's worth thinking about.


NTT (9432 JP) - Would the Govt Sell All Its Shares? Why? How? How Long? Overhang?

<ul>
<li>On 28th Mar 2023, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (9988 HK)</a> announced that it would adopt a new organizational and governance structure, splitting into six major business groups and other investments.</li>
<li>Alibaba also stated that each of the business groups would be set up as an independent entity with its own board and the groups will eventually seek to list.</li>
<li>Having looked at the past performance of its division, some appear more worthy than others of undertaking a listing in the next year or two.</li>
</ul>


On 28th Mar 2023, Alibaba Group (9988 HK) announced that it would adopt a new organizational and governance structure, splitting into six major business groups and other investments.
Alibaba also stated that each of the business groups would be set up as an independent entity with its own board and the groups will eventually seek to list.
Having looked at the past performance of its division, some appear more worthy than others of undertaking a listing in the next year or two.


Alibaba Potential IPOs - Part 1 - Six Mini-Alibabas - Some Are More Ready than Others to List

Japan

Softbank Corporation provides mobile phone telecommunication and networking services. The Company offers mobile communication opening, short messaging function opening, video function opening, and other services. Softbank also provides mobile phones.

Softbank Corp (9434 JP)

Tencent Investee Selldown - The US$120bn Global Overhang

There have been multiple reports that Tencent (700 HK) plans to trim its investment portfolio over the remainder of the year. We look at Tencent's...

Sumeet Singh

Softbank Corp (Buy) - Growth/Value Hybrid Has Been Left Behind by Telco Peers

Softbank Corp has underperformed telco peers on tech exposure as Z Holdings is down 38% from recent highs. Despite that it still offers sector-high...

Kirk Boodry

SoftBank Group (9984 JP): More Downside Risk to the NAV than Upside Potential

SoftBank trades at a 44% discount to the NAV; it has downside risk due to high market valuations of Arm and the unlisted SVF holdings lack...

Victor Galliano

NTT (9432 JP) - Would the Govt Sell All Its Shares? Why? How? How Long? Overhang?

Yesterday saw a curious bit of news. The govt may try to change the NTT Law to enable them to sell NTT shares to raise funds for increased defense...

Travis Lundy

Alibaba Potential IPOs - Part 1 - Six Mini-Alibabas - Some Are More Ready than Others to List

Alibaba recently announced that it would adopt a new organizational structure, splitting into six major business groups and other investments. In...

Sumeet Singh

Tencent Investee Selldown - The US$120bn Global Overhang

There have been multiple reports that Tencent (700 HK) plans to trim its investment portfolio over the remainder of the year. We look at Tencent's...

Sumeet Singh

Softbank Corp (Buy) - Growth/Value Hybrid Has Been Left Behind by Telco Peers

Softbank Corp has underperformed telco peers on tech exposure as Z Holdings is down 38% from recent highs. Despite that it still offers sector-high...

Kirk Boodry

SoftBank Group (9984 JP): More Downside Risk to the NAV than Upside Potential

​SoftBank trades at a 44% discount to the NAV; it has downside risk due to high market valuations of Arm and the unlisted SVF holdings lack...

Victor Galliano

NTT (9432 JP) - Would the Govt Sell All Its Shares? Why? How? How Long? Overhang?

Yesterday saw a curious bit of news. The govt may try to change the NTT Law to enable them to sell NTT shares to raise funds for increased defense...

Travis Lundy

Alibaba Potential IPOs - Part 1 - Six Mini-Alibabas - Some Are More Ready than Others to List

Alibaba recently announced that it would adopt a new organizational structure, splitting into six major business groups and other investments. In...

Sumeet Singh

SoftBank trades at a 44% discount to the NAV; it has downside risk due to high market valuations of Arm and the unlisted SVF holdings lack...