Japanese Equities, Azabu Research

Michael Allen

Japanese Equities

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

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Yamaha releases new guidance on May 8 for its fiscal year ending March 2025. The  previous Mid-term plan for OP was ¥68bn, while the consensus is looking for just ¥40.9bn.  </li>
<li>We expect ¥50bn, and think the shares are as much as 30% undervalued.</li>
<li>Analysts have responded to multiple downward revisions to current year guidance, driven by collapsing Piano sales to China, but haven’t responded to cost cutting or growth in other product lines.</li>
</ul>


Yamaha releases new guidance on May 8 for its fiscal year ending March 2025. The  previous Mid-term plan for OP was ¥68bn, while the consensus is looking for just ¥40.9bn.  
We expect ¥50bn, and think the shares are as much as 30% undervalued.
Analysts have responded to multiple downward revisions to current year guidance, driven by collapsing Piano sales to China, but haven’t responded to cost cutting or growth in other product lines.


Equity Analyst, LightStream Research

Oshadhi Kumarasiri

Equity Analyst

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.

<ul>
<li>We expect high-end musical instruments to be one of the worse affected among consumer discretionary names during a high inflationary environment.</li>
<li>Although <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/roland-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:30727:1" rel="noopener">Roland Corp (7944 JP)</a> says that demand remains strong, the numbers such as revenue and backlog suggest weakening conditions.</li>
<li>In addition, there’s a risk of a recession and it appears that Roland has not made sufficient progress in streamlining operations to maintain profitability in a low revenue environment.</li>
</ul>


We expect high-end musical instruments to be one of the worse affected among consumer discretionary names during a high inflationary environment.
Although Roland Corp (7944 JP) says that demand remains strong, the numbers such as revenue and backlog suggest weakening conditions.
In addition, there’s a risk of a recession and it appears that Roland has not made sufficient progress in streamlining operations to maintain profitability in a low revenue environment.


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>The Japanese Financial Services Agency has asked the general insurers to reduce/eliminate their cross-shareholdings.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ms-ad-insurance-group-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:631:1" rel="noopener">MS&amp;AD Insurance (8725 JP)</a> had a stake over US$100m in at least 29 listed Japanese stocks, amounting to a total of US$17.4bn.</li>
<li>In this note, we take a look at its stakes in various companies to see which ones could possibly be candidates for further selldowns.</li>
</ul>


The Japanese Financial Services Agency has asked the general insurers to reduce/eliminate their cross-shareholdings.

MS&amp;AD Insurance (8725 JP) had a stake over US$100m in at least 29 listed Japanese stocks, amounting to a total of US$17.4bn.
In this note, we take a look at its stakes in various companies to see which ones could possibly be candidates for further selldowns.


MS&AD Cross-Shareholding - At Least US$20bn of Cross-Shareholding to Sell

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

<ul>
<li>There will be a bunch of rebalance announcements towards the start and at the end of the coming week. This includes the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hong-kong-hang-seng-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22899:1" rel="noopener">HSI</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-china-enterprises-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22900:1" rel="noopener">HSCEI</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hang-seng-tech-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31367:1" rel="noopener">HSTECH</a>, HSCI, HSIII and global indices.</li>
<li>The review period for the March rebalance of the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-asx-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22901:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P/ASX 200</a> and related indices ends on 16 February. The announcement of the changes will come couple of weeks later.</li>
<li>There were HUGE inflows to mainland China ETFs for yet another week as Central Huijin indicated that they would continue to buy/create ETFs units.</li>
</ul>


There will be a bunch of rebalance announcements towards the start and at the end of the coming week. This includes the HSI, HSCEI, HSTECH, HSCI, HSIII and global indices.
The review period for the March rebalance of the S&amp;P/ASX 200 and related indices ends on 16 February. The announcement of the changes will come couple of weeks later.
There were HUGE inflows to mainland China ETFs for yet another week as Central Huijin indicated that they would continue to buy/create ETFs units.


Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: STAR100, NEXT50, LowVol30, KOSPI200, TW50, NWD, ITC, India Float

<ul>
<li>There are some Japanese stocks that have dropped in price even as the broader market has powered higher. That could lead to the stocks being deleted from global portfolios.</li>
<li>The deletion from passive portfolios will lead to a liquidity event at the end of February where passive trackers will need to sell multiple days of ADV.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/baycurrent-consulting-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25985:1" rel="noopener">BayCurrent Consulting (6532 JP)</a> is a dark horse for inclusion in the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nikkei-225" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22909:1" rel="noopener">Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX)</a> in March and this deletion could take the stock lower before the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nikkei-225" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22909:1" rel="noopener">Nikkei 225</a> announcement.</li>
</ul>


There are some Japanese stocks that have dropped in price even as the broader market has powered higher. That could lead to the stocks being deleted from global portfolios.
The deletion from passive portfolios will lead to a liquidity event at the end of February where passive trackers will need to sell multiple days of ADV.

BayCurrent Consulting (6532 JP) is a dark horse for inclusion in the Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX) in March and this deletion could take the stock lower before the Nikkei 225 announcement.


Japan - Increasing Shorts on Some Interesting** Stocks

Japan

YAMAHA CORPORATION mainly manufactures musical instruments, audio equipment, and golf equipment.  The Company also produces information & communication equipment and semiconductors.  Yamaha operates recreation business. The Company has many overseas subsidiaries.

Yamaha Corp (7951 JP)

Yamaha (7951): Making Waves Again

Company has cut 10% of its workforce and demand for most of its products growing rapidly. Stock is 30% under-valued in our view.

Michael Allen

Roland Corp: Not Tuned For Inflation

We anticipate around 35% downside to Roland shares in the short term as they fall back towards the bottom end of the trend channel with increasing...

Oshadhi Kumarasiri

MS&AD Cross-Shareholding - At Least US$20bn of Cross-Shareholding to Sell

The FSA has asked general insurers to trim their cross-shareholding. MS&AD (8725 JP) had a stake over US$100m in at least 29 listed Japanese...

Sumeet Singh

Index Rebalance & ETF Flow Recap: STAR100, NEXT50, LowVol30, KOSPI200, TW50, NWD, ITC, India Float

This recap highlights Insights covering Asian index rebalances (announcements/ forecasts/ IPO Fast Entry/ M&A driven changes). We also highlight...

Brian Freitas

Japan - Increasing Shorts on Some Interesting** Stocks

There are a lot of potential passive deletions in Japan later this month. Short interest has increased in nearly all stocks since November....

Brian Freitas