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. 

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Bic Camera plans to invest in omnichannel, believing that many shoppers will continue to prefer shopping in store – and that stores are also the best way to reach tourists.</li>
<li>It will redesign stores to offer more experiential shopping and rethink its merchandise strategy.</li>
<li>It also needs to consider changes in Ikebukuro if it is to compete against the incoming Yodobashi Camera.</li>
</ul>


Bic Camera plans to invest in omnichannel, believing that many shoppers will continue to prefer shopping in store – and that stores are also the best way to reach tourists.
It will redesign stores to offer more experiential shopping and rethink its merchandise strategy.
It also needs to consider changes in Ikebukuro if it is to compete against the incoming Yodobashi Camera.


Bic Camera to Focus on Omnichannel Amidst Consumer Electronics Saturation

Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas, Azabu Research

Michael Allen

Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas

Azabu Research

Azabu Research is a publishing and consulting firm focused on distressed equities in the Japanese market. We specialize in turnaround strategies, corporate combinations, divestitures, and restructuring.

Publisher of the Tokyo Turnaround Letter, which conducts the most thorough research possible of publicly available information, including forensic tests for fraudulent overstatement of assets and understatement of liabilities, as well as rigorous market and industry analysis to assess the underlying strengths of the company’s products or services, the appropriateness of the company’s turnaround strategy, and the skill of its current management team. The average length of a report exceeds 25 pages of text and tables, excluding any disclosures or executive summaries.

We have more than 30 years of experience in applying this process to distressed equities in Japan. Additionally, subscribers have free access to detailed, yet easily navigated earnings models for the target company as well as the top five comparable companies, and unlimited access to the analyst for follow-up questions.

Azabu Research also conducts be-spoke research on a project basis, and provides consulting services to companies looking to restructure, divest, make acquisitions, go public, or improve investor sentiment toward their stock.

Independent Research and Consulting Firm

<ul>
<li>Adding a new strategy I call TARP – Tariff-Proof at a Reasonable Price. Stocks need to have little or no direct or indirect exposure to the US unless locally procured.</li>
<li>Kotobuki (2222), Kikkoman (2801), and Orix JREIT (8954) are all close to bullet-proof.</li>
<li>Yamada (9831) proves that what the market is looking for is a concept of a plan, not necessarily results.</li>
</ul>


Adding a new strategy I call TARP – Tariff-Proof at a Reasonable Price. Stocks need to have little or no direct or indirect exposure to the US unless locally procured.
Kotobuki (2222), Kikkoman (2801), and Orix JREIT (8954) are all close to bullet-proof.
Yamada (9831) proves that what the market is looking for is a concept of a plan, not necessarily results.


<ul>
<li>We expect Yamada to grow EBIT 18% annually on 3.6% growth in revenues, vs. consensus forecast of 7.2% growth in EBIT on 3.2% growth in sales.</li>
<li>If correct, our valuation model suggests that a fair value for Yamada is about ¥1,029, or about 145% higher than the current price.</li>
<li>The stock trades at 0.6x book value, which is fair if you expect no change, but we see ROE rising to almost 10%, from a low of less than 4%.</li>
</ul>


We expect Yamada to grow EBIT 18% annually on 3.6% growth in revenues, vs. consensus forecast of 7.2% growth in EBIT on 3.2% growth in sales.
If correct, our valuation model suggests that a fair value for Yamada is about ¥1,029, or about 145% higher than the current price.
The stock trades at 0.6x book value, which is fair if you expect no change, but we see ROE rising to almost 10%, from a low of less than 4%.


Yamada Denki (9831): What Hasn't Killed Them Made Them Stronger

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

<ul>
<li>Telecom companies are traditionally "easy" to value. They have assets, debt, depreciation, earnings, cashflow. Lots of people like to use EV/EBITDA to measure.</li>
<li>In comparing Japan's telcos, I believe when <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27445:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Corp (9434 JP)</a> is in the mix, one has to use forward PERs. EV/EBITDA is too fraught with complications.</li>
<li>Softbank is currently at its most expensive multiple since listing on a Price to Forward Earnings basis, and relative to its major Peers. And KDDI has a big buyback now.</li>
</ul>


Telecom companies are traditionally "easy" to value. They have assets, debt, depreciation, earnings, cashflow. Lots of people like to use EV/EBITDA to measure.
In comparing Japan's telcos, I believe when Softbank Corp (9434 JP) is in the mix, one has to use forward PERs. EV/EBITDA is too fraught with complications.
Softbank is currently at its most expensive multiple since listing on a Price to Forward Earnings basis, and relative to its major Peers. And KDDI has a big buyback now.


Softbank Corp (9434) - Accounting for the Accounting Is Complicated Redux - So Be Bearish

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>At the October rebalance, Free Float Weight (FFW) will be reduced on 284 stocks and increased on 458 stocks. 43 stocks will be removed from Phased Weight Reduction.</li>
<li>Estimated one-way turnover is 1.77% resulting in a one-way trade of ¥1.45tn. 364 stocks have over 4 days ADV to trade, 97 stocks have over 8 days ADV to trade.</li>
<li>Over the last 6 months, the stocks with inflows (&gt;US$25m) have outperformed the stocks with outflows (&gt;US$25m) with most of the outperformance coming in the last three months.</li>
</ul>


At the October rebalance, Free Float Weight (FFW) will be reduced on 284 stocks and increased on 458 stocks. 43 stocks will be removed from Phased Weight Reduction.
Estimated one-way turnover is 1.77% resulting in a one-way trade of ¥1.45tn. 364 stocks have over 4 days ADV to trade, 97 stocks have over 8 days ADV to trade.
Over the last 6 months, the stocks with inflows (&gt;US$25m) have outperformed the stocks with outflows (&gt;US$25m) with most of the outperformance coming in the last three months.


TOPIX October 2023 Rebalance: Round Trip Trade of US$20bn; Upweights Outperform Downweights

Japan

Yamada Holdings Co., Ltd. operates as a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, sells home appliances and offers various services for housing, furniture and interior, remodeling, real estate, insurance, finance, and others. Yamada Holdings provides its services throughout Japan.

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Yamada Holdings (9831 JP)

Bic Camera to Focus on Omnichannel Amidst Consumer Electronics Saturation

Bic Camera to invest in omnichannel, focusing on experiential in-store shopping to attract tourists but the market is facing saturation. Bic is...

Michael Causton

Unloved Japan: Cheap & Tariff-Proof

New strategy TARP focuses on investing in stocks with little to no exposure to the US, highlighting companies like Kotobuki, Kikkoman, and Orix...

Michael Allen

Yamada Denki (9831): What Hasn't Killed Them Made Them Stronger

Yamada's potential for 18% EBIT growth could lead to a fair value of ¥1,029, 160% higher than current price, with ROE expected to rise to almost 10%.

Michael Allen

Softbank Corp (9434) - Accounting for the Accounting Is Complicated Redux - So Be Bearish

Accounting for all the adjustments needed in EV (and EBITDA) in constructing a fair value for Softbank Corp means one should use forward PER. In...

Travis Lundy

TOPIX October 2023 Rebalance: Round Trip Trade of US$20bn; Upweights Outperform Downweights

There are FFW changes for 700+ stocks and changes to the Phased Weight Reduction list. Round trip trade is around US$20bn and there is over 8 days...

Brian Freitas

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Bic Camera to Focus on Omnichannel Amidst Consumer Electronics Saturation

​Bic Camera to invest in omnichannel, focusing on experiential in-store shopping to attract tourists but the market is facing saturation. Bic is...

Michael Causton

Unloved Japan: Cheap & Tariff-Proof

​New strategy TARP focuses on investing in stocks with little to no exposure to the US, highlighting companies like Kotobuki, Kikkoman, and Orix...

Michael Allen

Yamada Denki (9831): What Hasn't Killed Them Made Them Stronger

​Yamada's potential for 18% EBIT growth could lead to a fair value of ¥1,029, 160% higher than current price, with ROE expected to rise to almost 10%.

Michael Allen

Softbank Corp (9434) - Accounting for the Accounting Is Complicated Redux - So Be Bearish

Accounting for all the adjustments needed in EV (and EBITDA) in constructing a fair value for Softbank Corp means one should use forward PER. In...

Travis Lundy

TOPIX October 2023 Rebalance: Round Trip Trade of US$20bn; Upweights Outperform Downweights

There are FFW changes for 700+ stocks and changes to the Phased Weight Reduction list. Round trip trade is around US$20bn and there is over 8 days...

Brian Freitas

Bic Camera to invest in omnichannel, focusing on experiential in-store shopping to attract tourists but the market is facing saturation. Bic is...

New strategy TARP focuses on investing in stocks with little to no exposure to the US, highlighting companies like Kotobuki, Kikkoman, and Orix...

Yamada's potential for 18% EBIT growth could lead to a fair value of ¥1,029, 160% higher than current price, with ROE expected to rise to almost 10%.