Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

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<p>A little over a week ago, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.just-food.com/news/chinese-dairy-firm-yili-said-to-be-weighing-approach-for-infant-formula-maker-ausnutria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/inner-mongolia-yili-indus-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3220:1" rel="noopener">Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group (A) (600887 CH)</a>, China’s biggest dairy producer, had been running a ruler over infant-formula firm <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ausnutria-dairy-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13799:1" rel="noopener">Ausnutria Dairy Corp (1717 HK)</a>.</p>
<p>Before the commencement of trading yesterday, Ausnutria was <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2021/1012/2021101200109.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended</a> pursuant to the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers. Shares had gained 7.8% on Monday (the 11th) on the largest volume since November of last year. </p>
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<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/charoen-pokphand-foods-public-company-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16131:1" rel="noopener"></a>SOE CITIC Group is the largest shareholder with <a href="https://di.hkex.com.hk/di/NSForm2.aspx?fn=CS20200831E00300&amp;sa2=as&amp;sid=37215&amp;corpn=Ausnutria+Dairy+Corporation+Ltd.&amp;sd=13%2f10%2f2020&amp;ed=13%2f10%2f2021&amp;cid=0&amp;sa1=cl&amp;scsd=13%2f10%2f2020&amp;sced=13%2f10%2f2021&amp;sc=1717&amp;src=MAIN&amp;lang=EN&amp;g_lang=en&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">22.05%</a>, having being introduced as a strategic investor back in October 2018.</p>
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<p>This insight provides some brief background on Ausnutria, plus speculates on a fair price should a firm Offer unfold. </p>
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A little over a week ago, Bloomberg reported Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group (A) (600887 CH), China’s biggest dairy producer, had been running a ruler over infant-formula firm Ausnutria Dairy Corp (1717 HK).
Before the commencement of trading yesterday, Ausnutria was suspended pursuant to the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers. Shares had gained 7.8% on Monday (the 11th) on the largest volume since November of last year. 


SOE CITIC Group is the largest shareholder with 22.05%, having being introduced as a strategic investor back in October 2018.


This insight provides some brief background on Ausnutria, plus speculates on a fair price should a firm Offer unfold. 


IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ausnutria-dairy-corp-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13799:1" rel="noopener">Ausnutria Dairy Corp (1717 HK)</a> is an international high-end dairy and nutrition products company with an entire business chain of raw milk collection, R&amp;D, production, and end-market sales. Ausnutria is the fifth largest infant formula player in China with a 6.3% market share in 2020.   </p><p>Ausnutria entered a trading halt today pursuant to the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers. On 1 October, Bloomberg reported that <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/inner-mongolia-yili-indus-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3220:1" rel="noopener">Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group (A) (600887 CH)</a> is exploring a potential takeover of Ausnutria. Yili was said to be in talks with banks to finance a potential deal. The article also speculated that Ausnutria could attract takeover interest from other industry players. There was no takeover price or valuation mentioned in the article.  </p><p>We think that Yili is the likely suitor as there is a strong strategic rationale in acquiring Ausnutria. Yili has a strategy to increase its scale in the milk powder business through mergers and acquisitions. Yili was recently unsuccessful in its bid to acquire <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/reckitt-benckiser-group-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22105:1" rel="noopener">Reckitt Benckiser (RB/ LN)</a>’s infant-formula and child nutrition business in China. </p><div class="content-highlight"><p>In this note, we look at the strategic rationale for Yili’s potential bid and take a stab at estimating the potential offer price.  </p></div>

Ausnutria Dairy Corp (1717 HK) is an international high-end dairy and nutrition products company with an entire business chain of raw milk collection, R&amp;D, production, and end-market sales. Ausnutria is the fifth largest infant formula player in China with a 6.3% market share in 2020.   Ausnutria entered a trading halt today pursuant to the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers. On 1 October, Bloomberg reported that Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group (A) (600887 CH) is exploring a potential takeover of Ausnutria. Yili was said to be in talks with banks to finance a potential deal. The article also speculated that Ausnutria could attract takeover interest from other industry players. There was no takeover price or valuation mentioned in the article.  We think that Yili is the likely suitor as there is a strong strategic rationale in acquiring Ausnutria. Yili has a strategy to increase its scale in the milk powder business through mergers and acquisitions. Yili was recently unsuccessful in its bid to acquire Reckitt Benckiser (RB/ LN)’s infant-formula and child nutrition business in China. In this note, we look at the strategic rationale for Yili’s potential bid and take a stab at estimating the potential offer price.  

Ausnutria in Trading Halt - Will Yili Lob an Offer?

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.

Equity Capital Markets

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-youran-dairy-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31075:1" rel="noopener">China Youran Dairy Group Ltd (9858 HK)</a> announced the indicative price range of its IPO on 7th June 2021 at HK$6.98-8.66 per share, which implies a market cap and EV range of HK$26.5-32.9bn and HK$34.0-39.6bn respectively.</p><p>China’s fragmented upstream dairy market consolidation process is led by two main players and the current market leader, Youran, is our first choice when it comes to exposure to this attractive investment theme.</p>

China Youran Dairy Group Ltd (9858 HK) announced the indicative price range of its IPO on 7th June 2021 at HK$6.98-8.66 per share, which implies a market cap and EV range of HK$26.5-32.9bn and HK$34.0-39.6bn respectively.China’s fragmented upstream dairy market consolidation process is led by two main players and the current market leader, Youran, is our first choice when it comes to exposure to this attractive investment theme.

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<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-youran-dairy-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31075:1" rel="noopener">China Youran Dairy Group Ltd (9858 HK)</a> is the world’s largest raw milk provider as measured by herd size of dairy cows as of 30 June 2020 and raw milk production volume in 1H20, according to Frost &amp; Sullivan. Youran was once a wholly-owned subsidiary of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/inner-mongolia-yili-indus-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3220:1" rel="noopener">Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group (A) (600887 CH)</a> until PAG Capital’s investment in 2015.</p>
<p>At the proposed IPO price range of HK$6.98-8.66 per share, Youran will have a market cap of HK$26,492-32,868 million ($3.4-4.2 billion). At the mid-point of the IPO price range, the gross proceeds are HK$5,595 million ($722 million). The primary/secondary split is 69%/31%. The selling shareholder is PAG Capital.</p>
<p>The cornerstone support is unusually low. Two cornerstone investors will purchase $50 million worth of the offer shares (6.94% of the offer shares at the mid-point of the IPO price range). The cornerstone investors are CITIC-Prudential Life Insurance and Harvest Fund Management.</p>
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<p>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-youran-dairy-group-ipo-initiation-ecownomics" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:51709" rel="noopener">China Youran Dairy Group IPO Initiation: Ecownomics</a>, we stated that notwithstanding its high revenue dependence on Yili, Youran is capitalising on the favourable demand-supply imbalance for raw milk in China by delivering strong organic growth (on a pro-forma basis), rising margins and accretive acquisitions. We concluded that Youran is worth a look.</p>
<div class="content-highlight"><p>Based on our forecasts, Youran is attractively valued to its H-share peer group, which are largely downstream players, at the low-end of the IPO price range. Compared to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-modern-dairy-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6785:1" rel="noopener">China Modern Dairy (1117 HK)</a>, an upstream dairy peer (arguably the key listed comp), Youran trades at a substantial premium on a CY2021 P/E basis but trades at a substantial discount on a CY2021 PEG basis. Overall, we are inclined to participate at most at the low end of the IPO price range due to the decent upside potential. </p></div>
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China Youran Dairy Group Ltd (9858 HK) is the world’s largest raw milk provider as measured by herd size of dairy cows as of 30 June 2020 and raw milk production volume in 1H20, according to Frost &amp; Sullivan. Youran was once a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group (A) (600887 CH) until PAG Capital’s investment in 2015.
At the proposed IPO price range of HK$6.98-8.66 per share, Youran will have a market cap of HK$26,492-32,868 million ($3.4-4.2 billion). At the mid-point of the IPO price range, the gross proceeds are HK$5,595 million ($722 million). The primary/secondary split is 69%/31%. The selling shareholder is PAG Capital.
The cornerstone support is unusually low. Two cornerstone investors will purchase $50 million worth of the offer shares (6.94% of the offer shares at the mid-point of the IPO price range). The cornerstone investors are CITIC-Prudential Life Insurance and Harvest Fund Management.

In China Youran Dairy Group IPO Initiation: Ecownomics, we stated that notwithstanding its high revenue dependence on Yili, Youran is capitalising on the favourable demand-supply imbalance for raw milk in China by delivering strong organic growth (on a pro-forma basis), rising margins and accretive acquisitions. We concluded that Youran is worth a look.
Based on our forecasts, Youran is attractively valued to its H-share peer group, which are largely downstream players, at the low-end of the IPO price range. Compared to China Modern Dairy (1117 HK), an upstream dairy peer (arguably the key listed comp), Youran trades at a substantial premium on a CY2021 P/E basis but trades at a substantial discount on a CY2021 PEG basis. Overall, we are inclined to participate at most at the low end of the IPO price range due to the decent upside potential. 


China Youran Dairy Group IPO: Valuation Insights

APAC IPOs & Placements

Zhen Zhou, Toh

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.

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-youran-dairy-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31075:1" rel="noopener">China Youran Dairy Group Ltd (1836774D CH)</a>  is looking to raise up to US$500m in its upcoming Hong Kong IPO. </p><div id="ember1586"><div id="ember1593">
<div><p>CYD is an integrated provider of products and services in the upstream dairy industry. The company is a leader in the various upstream industries that it operates in even though they are mostly fragmented.</p></div>
<div><p>In this note, we will look at the industry landscape and compare CYD to Hong Kong listed peers.</p></div>
<div><p>We have previously covered the IPO in:</p></div>
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<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-youran-dairy-pre-ipo-a-leader-pulling-ahead-in-a-fragmented-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China Youran Dairy(悠然牧业) Pre-IPO - A Leader Pulling Ahead in a Fragmented Market<br></a></li>
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<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-youran-dairy-pre-ipo-phip-updates-much-better-disclosure" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:51794" rel="noopener">China Youran Dairy(悠然牧业) Pre-IPO - PHIP Updates - Much Better Disclosure</a> </li>
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China Youran Dairy Group Ltd (1836774D CH)  is looking to raise up to US$500m in its upcoming Hong Kong IPO. 
CYD is an integrated provider of products and services in the upstream dairy industry. The company is a leader in the various upstream industries that it operates in even though they are mostly fragmented.
In this note, we will look at the industry landscape and compare CYD to Hong Kong listed peers.
We have previously covered the IPO in:

China Youran Dairy(悠然牧业) Pre-IPO - A Leader Pulling Ahead in a Fragmented Market 

China Youran Dairy(悠然牧业) Pre-IPO - PHIP Updates - Much Better Disclosure 



China Youran Dairy(悠然牧业) Pre-IPO - Peer Comparison - Youran Is the Leader

China

YuanShengTai Dairy Farm is a dairy farming company primarily engaged in the production and sale of raw cow milk. The company operates dairy cow farms in Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces, China, supplying raw milk to downstream dairy processors. It was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Qiqihar, People's Republic of China.

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YuanShengTai Dairy Farm (1431 HK)

Will Yili Gulp Down Ausnutria (1717 HK)?

Ausnutria is currently trading around multi-year high lows on all metrics despite edging towards an all-time profit high. Optically, this could...

David Blennerhassett

Ausnutria in Trading Halt - Will Yili Lob an Offer?

Bloomberg reported on 1 Oct that Yili is weighing a bid for Ausnutria. We look at the strategic rationale for Yili/Ausnutria combination and take a...

Arun George

China Youran Dairy IPO: Peer Comparison

China’s fragmented upstream dairy market consolidation process is led by two main players and the current market leader, Youran, is our first...

Oshadhi Kumarasiri

China Youran Dairy Group IPO: Valuation Insights

At the mid-point of the IPO price range, the gross proceeds are $722 million. Overall, we are inclined to participate at most at the low end of the...

Arun George

China Youran Dairy(悠然牧业) Pre-IPO - Peer Comparison - Youran Is the Leader

CYD is an integrated provider of products and services in the upstream dairy industry. In this note, we will look at the industry landscape and...

Zhen Zhou, Toh

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