Global Healthcare Analyst

Tina Banerjee

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alfresa-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10610:1" rel="noopener">Alfresa Holdings (2784 JP)</a> reported better-than-expected H1FY23 results, with sales growth of 3% to ¥1,332 billion, 2% ahead of guidance of ¥1,304 billion, mainly driven by pharmaceutical wholesaling business.</li>
<li>With a revenue growth of 4.3% y/y, pharmaceutical wholesaling business outpaced the broad market growth of 2.7% and improved its market share to 23.3% at the end of H1FY23.</li>
<li>The company has announced an interim dividend of ¥28 per share. Despite reporting encouraging H1FY23 performance, Alfresa has reiterated its FY23 guidance, implying accelerated growth in H2FY23.</li>
</ul>



Alfresa Holdings (2784 JP) reported better-than-expected H1FY23 results, with sales growth of 3% to ¥1,332 billion, 2% ahead of guidance of ¥1,304 billion, mainly driven by pharmaceutical wholesaling business.
With a revenue growth of 4.3% y/y, pharmaceutical wholesaling business outpaced the broad market growth of 2.7% and improved its market share to 23.3% at the end of H1FY23.
The company has announced an interim dividend of ¥28 per share. Despite reporting encouraging H1FY23 performance, Alfresa has reiterated its FY23 guidance, implying accelerated growth in H2FY23.


Alfresa Holdings (2784 JP): H1FY23 Review- Better-Than-Expected Performance; Outlook Is Positive

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/suzuken-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:14996:1" rel="noopener">Suzuken Co Ltd (9987 JP)</a> last Friday announced earnings which beat expectations and raised forecasts well above consensus. But Implied H2 did not change, suggesting full-year is lowballed.</li>
<li>The company announced a buyback over 5 months, but today (Tuesday) announced a ToSTNeT-3 buyback for the full size (6% or so) that morning. </li>
<li>It looks like insider selling, which in addition to being accretive would be bullish on a governance basis.</li>
</ul>



Suzuken Co Ltd (9987 JP) last Friday announced earnings which beat expectations and raised forecasts well above consensus. But Implied H2 did not change, suggesting full-year is lowballed.
The company announced a buyback over 5 months, but today (Tuesday) announced a ToSTNeT-3 buyback for the full size (6% or so) that morning. 
It looks like insider selling, which in addition to being accretive would be bullish on a governance basis.


Suzuken Buyback (9987 JP) - The Best News In Years

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Major wholesalers in food, pharmaceuticals and books continue to prosper due to their role in both serving and protecting fragmented distribution channels.</li>
<li>Profits returned last year as clients picked themselves up after Covid, but as inflation sets in, these middlemen are being squeezed by both manufacturers and retailers and profits may slump.</li>
<li>They now need to offer an ever increasing array of value-added services to continue to grow and not all have the capability. More M&amp;A may be on the cards.</li>
</ul>


Major wholesalers in food, pharmaceuticals and books continue to prosper due to their role in both serving and protecting fragmented distribution channels.
Profits returned last year as clients picked themselves up after Covid, but as inflation sets in, these middlemen are being squeezed by both manufacturers and retailers and profits may slump.
They now need to offer an ever increasing array of value-added services to continue to grow and not all have the capability. More M&amp;A may be on the cards.


Major Japan Wholesalers up 2.8% in 2021, but Problems Looming

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/medipal-holdings-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18394:1" rel="noopener">Medipal Holdings (7459 JP)</a> reported strong revenue growth in pharmaceutical wholesale business, while its cosmetics distribution business reported lower-than-expected revenue in FY22. FY23 operating profit target was set below consensus.</li>
<li>Lower demand for hygiene-related products in domestic market and lesser foreign tourists arrival in Japan are expected to negatively impact Medipal’s cosmetics distribution business.</li>
<li>NHI drug price revisions are the biggest challenge in pharmaceutical wholesale business. Medipal’s largest revenue contributing drug, Takecab saw a 15.8% price reduction effective April 1.</li>
</ul>



Medipal Holdings (7459 JP) reported strong revenue growth in pharmaceutical wholesale business, while its cosmetics distribution business reported lower-than-expected revenue in FY22. FY23 operating profit target was set below consensus.
Lower demand for hygiene-related products in domestic market and lesser foreign tourists arrival in Japan are expected to negatively impact Medipal’s cosmetics distribution business.
NHI drug price revisions are the biggest challenge in pharmaceutical wholesale business. Medipal’s largest revenue contributing drug, Takecab saw a 15.8% price reduction effective April 1.


Medipal Holdings (7459 JP): Disappointing FY23 Guidance and Challenging Business Environment

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>Downtrends remain intact for Japan’s TOPIX/Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, Europe’s EURO STOXX50, Germany's DAX, China (MCHI-US), and all the MSCI global indexes (ACWI, ACWI ex-US, EM, and EAFE).</li>
<li>The majority of these indexes are in well-defined downtrends; that means when the downtrends eventually reverse, it will be clear and we will be ready to buy/turn bullish.</li>
<li>Relative strength on Japan's TOPIX is reversing topside a 4.5-year downtrend, signaling Japan is emerging as leadership. We highlight buy opportunities in Japan and also in defensive Sectors</li>
</ul>


Downtrends remain intact for Japan’s TOPIX/Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, Europe’s EURO STOXX50, Germany's DAX, China (MCHI-US), and all the MSCI global indexes (ACWI, ACWI ex-US, EM, and EAFE).
The majority of these indexes are in well-defined downtrends; that means when the downtrends eventually reverse, it will be clear and we will be ready to buy/turn bullish.
Relative strength on Japan's TOPIX is reversing topside a 4.5-year downtrend, signaling Japan is emerging as leadership. We highlight buy opportunities in Japan and also in defensive Sectors


Japan Emerging as Leadership; Actionable Themes: Japan and Defensives

Japan

SUZUKEN CO., LTD., a subsidiary of Medca Japan, wholesales and manufactures pharmaceutical products mainly to hospitals and practitioners.  The Company also provides medical equipment such as electro-cardiogram and blood pressure measurement.  Suzuken provides construction and repair works to hospitals and maintains patients' clinical records through information systems services.

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Suzuken Co Ltd (9987 JP)

Alfresa Holdings (2784 JP): H1FY23 Review- Better-Than-Expected Performance; Outlook Is Positive

Alfresa reported revenue growth of 3% in H1FY23, driven by pharmaceutical wholesaling business, which is on an accelerated growth path due to...

Tina Banerjee

Suzuken Buyback (9987 JP) - The Best News In Years

Suzuken' earnings were good. Forecasts only reflect the past. H2 implieds were unch'd. Buyback announced = ToSTNeT-3 tomorrow should finish....

Travis Lundy

Major Japan Wholesalers up 2.8% in 2021, but Problems Looming

Wholesalers in Japan had a good year last year. The biggest firms like Medipal may prosper but there are challenges for the sector which could...

Michael Causton

Medipal Holdings (7459 JP): Disappointing FY23 Guidance and Challenging Business Environment

Medipal’s operating profit guidance for FY23 came below market expectations. Annual drug price revisions remain the biggest long-term challenge for...

Tina Banerjee

Japan Emerging as Leadership; Actionable Themes: Japan and Defensives

Despite the intact downtrend on Japan's TOPIX, relative strength is reversing topside a 4.5-year downtrend; this tells us Japan is emerging as...

Vermilion Research

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