'Quantamental' Japan Specialist, LightStream Research

Campbell Gunn

'Quantamental' Japan Specialist

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<div>
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/139/997/original/2020-06-15_11-08-56.png?1592186965" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="139997"></figure><div class="content-caption">Source: Japan Analytics</div>
STRESS TESTS - This Insight is the second in our Japan Stress Test series in which we endeavour to assess where business risk is concentrated among larger Japanese companies. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/japan-stress-tests-part-1-altman-z-scores" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:40180" rel="noopener">Part 1</a> looked at the time-worn Altman-Z Score for both manufacturing and non-manufacturing companies. In Part 2 will we turn our attention to the cash flow statement starting with the 'lifeblood' of all businesses - Operating Cash Flow.
ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING - Despite the sacrosanctity in some quarters of discounted cash flow analysis, for valuation purposes, our preference is to use accrual accounting. As Professor Stephen Penman states, "Accrual accounting brings the future forward in time and anticipates future cash flows."  Nevertheless, cash flow accounting, and the level of accounting accruals, can provide early insights into periodic stress. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nissan-motor-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:72:1" rel="noopener">Nissan Motor (7201 JP)'s</a> Accruals (Operating Income less Operating Cash Flow) as a percentage of period-end market capitalisation correlate with the company's Relative Price Score over the last thirty years. Further Insights in this series will continue to 'mine'  the Cash Flow statement by exploring Financing Cash Flows and the Working Capital Cycle.
REFORMULATED CASH FLOWSTATEMENTS - Our Operating Cash Flow calculation is derived from each company's Balance Sheet and Income Statement for periods of up to twenty-eight years. Cash Flow items relating to operating activities are divided into Operating Cash Flow and Investing Cash Flow, which includes Fixed Asset and Inventory Cash Flows.  Cash flows relating to financing activities are divided into Financing Cash Flow and Shareholder Cash Flow. The reformulated Balance Sheets, Income and Cash Flow Statements follow a clean-surplus relationship. All three Statements are fully articulated to include items of Other Comprehensive Income which are added to or subtracted from Shareholders' Equity. 
</div>UNIVERSE - The universe for this Insight comprises the 614 Japanese companies with a market capitalisation excluding Treasury Stock over ¥100 million and for which we have at least two years of cash flow data.  Five non-financial companies, which have significant financial subsidiaries (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/rakuten-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31:1" rel="noopener">Rakuten (4755 JP)</a>, <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>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/japan-post-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:359:1" rel="noopener">Japan Post (6178 JP)</a>, <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> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sony-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:563:1" rel="noopener">Sony (6758 JP)</a>), have been excluded from this analysis.


Source: Japan Analytics
STRESS TESTS - This Insight is the second in our Japan Stress Test series in which we endeavour to assess where business risk is concentrated among larger Japanese companies. Part 1 looked at the time-worn Altman-Z Score for both manufacturing and non-manufacturing companies. In Part 2 will we turn our attention to the cash flow statement starting with the 'lifeblood' of all businesses - Operating Cash Flow.
ACCRUAL ACCOUNTING - Despite the sacrosanctity in some quarters of discounted cash flow analysis, for valuation purposes, our preference is to use accrual accounting. As Professor Stephen Penman states, "Accrual accounting brings the future forward in time and anticipates future cash flows."  Nevertheless, cash flow accounting, and the level of accounting accruals, can provide early insights into periodic stress. Nissan Motor (7201 JP)'s Accruals (Operating Income less Operating Cash Flow) as a percentage of period-end market capitalisation correlate with the company's Relative Price Score over the last thirty years. Further Insights in this series will continue to 'mine'  the Cash Flow statement by exploring Financing Cash Flows and the Working Capital Cycle.
REFORMULATED CASH FLOWSTATEMENTS - Our Operating Cash Flow calculation is derived from each company's Balance Sheet and Income Statement for periods of up to twenty-eight years. Cash Flow items relating to operating activities are divided into Operating Cash Flow and Investing Cash Flow, which includes Fixed Asset and Inventory Cash Flows.  Cash flows relating to financing activities are divided into Financing Cash Flow and Shareholder Cash Flow. The reformulated Balance Sheets, Income and Cash Flow Statements follow a clean-surplus relationship. All three Statements are fully articulated to include items of Other Comprehensive Income which are added to or subtracted from Shareholders' Equity. 
UNIVERSE - The universe for this Insight comprises the 614 Japanese companies with a market capitalisation excluding Treasury Stock over ¥100 million and for which we have at least two years of cash flow data.  Five non-financial companies, which have significant financial subsidiaries (Rakuten (4755 JP), Z Holdings (4689 JP), Japan Post (6178 JP), Softbank Group (9984 JP) and Sony (6758 JP)), have been excluded from this analysis. 

🇯🇵 JAPAN - Stress Tests Part 2 - Operating Cash Flow & Accruals

Japan/Asia Long-Short, LightStream Research

Mio Kato

Japan/Asia Long-Short

Equity Bottom-Up

Towards the end of 2018 <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/2840" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2840:1">Modec Inc (6269 JP)</a>'s share price dropped 46.5% as the price of crude oil also cratered, falling 44.4% . Since that plunge, the stock price has rebounded 53.9% as the company posted excellent results at 4Q and guidance, while conservative, was for continued healthy earnings.Having visited the company today, we believe earnings should continue to be strong and actually strengthen over the next few years with MODEC likely to start running into capacity constraints over the course of this year.

Towards the end of 2018 Modec Inc (6269 JP)'s share price dropped 46.5% as the price of crude oil also cratered, falling 44.4% . Since that plunge, the stock price has rebounded 53.9% as the company posted excellent results at 4Q and guidance, while conservative, was for continued healthy earnings.Having visited the company today, we believe earnings should continue to be strong and actually strengthen over the next few years with MODEC likely to start running into capacity constraints over the course of this year.

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/6232" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6232:1">Chiyoda Corp (6366 JP)</a> made a <a href="https://www.chiyodacorp.com/ir/20181031_Timely_E.pdf" target="_blank">shock downward revision</a> to its forecast at the lunch break, booking a ¥85bn charge for its Cameron LNG project in Louisiana. In all the company downgraded its OP forecast from a profit of ¥11.5bn to a loss of ¥86.5bn and is now guiding to incur a ¥105bn net loss due to the reversal of DTAs.While already trading down 12% before the announcement following <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/17524" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17524:1">Mcdermott Intl (MDR US)</a>'s announcement of additional charges at Cameron and other projects, the size of the revision was a negative surprise as Mcdermott only booked $482m (about ¥54.5bn) in charges for Cameron.

Chiyoda Corp (6366 JP) made a shock downward revision to its forecast at the lunch break, booking a ¥85bn charge for its Cameron LNG project in Louisiana. In all the company downgraded its OP forecast from a profit of ¥11.5bn to a loss of ¥86.5bn and is now guiding to incur a ¥105bn net loss due to the reversal of DTAs.While already trading down 12% before the announcement following Mcdermott Intl (MDR US)'s announcement of additional charges at Cameron and other projects, the size of the revision was a negative surprise as Mcdermott only booked $482m (about ¥54.5bn) in charges for Cameron.

Chiyoda: Massive Loss from Cameron Sends Stock Limit Down

Doing bespoke work since 2002....., Custom Products Group

Patrick Hansen

Doing bespoke work since 2002.....

Custom Products Group

Custom Products was started 14 years ago at Lehman Brothers by current co-founder Patrick Hansen, CFA. After 3 years at Lehman, Patrick moved the team to Macquarie Securities where Simon Rigney (co-founder) joined. 3 years ago we took Custom Products independent. 

Our core strength can be summed up three words. 1- Customization - we have very little off the shelf products and most work is done on a one on one bespoke basis. 2- Speed - We pride ourselves in our ability to get requests back to the client very quickly. 3- Confidentiality - We do not redistribute. There is no grace period where we wait a week and then mass blast. Any request stops with that client.

We know that historically there has been a lot of leakage leading into Earnings Season. In a different life, I remember Fuji Photo calling me in and given me a preview of the earnings results 2 weeks before the actual announcement. It may not happen as much now in the large-cap space, so we took a look at the small-cap space with very little coverage to see if there are movements in consensus.

We know that historically there has been a lot of leakage leading into Earnings Season. In a different life, I remember Fuji Photo calling me in and given me a preview of the earnings results 2 weeks before the actual announcement. It may not happen as much now in the large-cap space, so we took a look at the small-cap space with very little coverage to see if there are movements in consensus.

Japanese Small-Cap Names with Consensus Changes Leading into Earning Season....

Japan

Toyo Engineering Corporation is a plant engineering firm operating worldwide. The Company constructs industrial plants including chemical fertilizer, oil refining, petrochemical, and nuclear plants.  Toyo Engineering, a member of Mitsui Group, also builds industrial systems such as production, distribution, and environment management systems.

Toyo Engineering (6330 JP)

🇯🇵 JAPAN - Stress Tests Part 2 - Operating Cash Flow & Accruals

STRESS TESTS - This Insight is the second in our Japan Stress Test series in which we endeavour to assess where business risk is concentrated...

Campbell Gunn

MODEC: Add

Towards the end of 2018 Modec Inc (6269 JP)'s share price dropped 46.5% as the price of crude oil also cratered, falling 44.4% . Since that plunge,...

Mio Kato

Chiyoda: Massive Loss from Cameron Sends Stock Limit Down

Chiyoda Corp (6366 JP) made a shock downward revision to its forecast at the lunch break, booking a ¥85bn charge for its Cameron LNG project in...

Mio Kato

Japanese Small-Cap Names with Consensus Changes Leading into Earning Season....

We know that historically there has been a lot of leakage leading into Earnings Season. In a different life, I remember Fuji Photo calling me in...

Custom Products Group