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Smartkarma Daily Briefs

Daily Brief Japan: Takisawa Machine Tool, Keisei Electric Railway Co, Tokyo Stock Exchange Tokyo Price Index Topix, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (MUFG) ADR and more

By | Daily Briefs, Japan

In today’s briefing:

  • Nidec (6594) Goes Hostile On Takisawa Machine Tool (6121) – I’ve Got 🍿🍿
  • Keisei Electric: Valuation Distortion Set to Unravel with Fantasy Springs’ Opening in Spring 2024
  • Isn’t Long-Term Human Resource Strategy More Necessary than Immediate Solution to Labor Shortage?
  • Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical (4530 JP): Strong Result, New Drug Launch, & Share Buyback Brighten Outlook
  • Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.: Initiation of Coverage – Recent Acquisitions & Other Drivers


Nidec (6594) Goes Hostile On Takisawa Machine Tool (6121) – I’ve Got 🍿🍿

By Travis Lundy

  • Last year Nidec Corp (6594 JP) approached machine tool maker Takisawa Machine Tool (6121 JP) interested in an integration with their sub. Takisawa said “Talk to the hand.” 
  • Now Nidec – a blue chip (from Kyoto no less, which traditionally abhors hostile activity) – has gone hostile on Takisawa bidding 65-100% depending how you see undisturbed.
  • Lots of moving parts on this one, but in the end, Retail probably decides this.

Keisei Electric: Valuation Distortion Set to Unravel with Fantasy Springs’ Opening in Spring 2024

By Oshadhi Kumarasiri

  • Since the announcement of the proposed Tokyo Disney Sea expansion in 2015, Keisei Electric Railway Co (9009 JP)‘s price perfromance has significantly diverged from Oriental Land (4661 JP)‘s price performance.
  • The valuation disparity may result from the Disney Sea expansion’s impact, possibly due to Keisei Electric’s value-oriented investor base.
  • Fantasy Springs’ opening could resolve the valuation distortion, leading to potential rewards in a Long Keisei Electric and Short Oriental Land trade.

Isn’t Long-Term Human Resource Strategy More Necessary than Immediate Solution to Labor Shortage?

By Aki Matsumoto

  • The policy of extending retirement age to 65 is a measure to solve the immediate labor shortage, but it may lack the perspective of a mid-to-long-term human resource utilization strategy.
  • Since most employees in their 60s are male employees, this may slow down the fading of the traditionally male-centric corporate culture. A more diverse workforce is required.
  • Although seniors are still a promising market based on demographic composition, from the perspective of creating new value, it’s necessary to have more discussions about creating society that ensures diversity.

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical (4530 JP): Strong Result, New Drug Launch, & Share Buyback Brighten Outlook

By Tina Banerjee

  • Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co (4530 JP) announced strong Q1FY24 result, with double-digit top-line and triple-digit bottom-line growth, driven by its largest selling OTC product, Salonpas. The company has reiterated FY24 guidance.
  • In Q1FY24, Hisamitsu has launched Apohide Lotion in Japan for the treatment of primary palmar hyperhidrosis and Xelstrym transdermal system in the U.S. for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
  • Hisamitsu has announced buyback of up to 2M of its shares (representing 2.57% of issued shares) from July 2023 to February 2024 for ¥10B.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.: Initiation of Coverage – Recent Acquisitions & Other Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • This is our first report on one of the largest banking and financial partners, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.
  • The company plans to utilize its group-wide customer base, including Asian partner banks and Morgan Stanley, to navigate the final year of the current Medium-Term Business Plan (MTBP).
  • We initiate coverage on the stock of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. with a ‘Hold’ rating.

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Daily Brief Crypto: XRP Volume Surpasses BTC Following Landmark Ruling and more

By | Crypto, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • XRP Volume Surpasses BTC Following Landmark Ruling


XRP Volume Surpasses BTC Following Landmark Ruling

By Kaiko

  • After years of waiting, Ripple finally got a ruling in their highly anticipated lawsuit with the SEC: the company did not violate federal securities law by selling its XRP token on public exchanges.
  • The market reaction was near instantaneous.
  • Since Thursday, XRP is up 61% and several exchanges that had previously de-listed the token, including Coinbase and Kraken, immediately re-listed it.

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Daily Brief South Korea: Krafton Inc, Samsung Electronics Pref Shares, Nexteel and more

By | Daily Briefs, South Korea

In today’s briefing:

  • Seizing Shorting Opportunities on Krafton as ARM Seeks Anchor Investors
  • Gap Trades in Korean Prefs Vs Common Share Pairs in 3Q 2023
  • Nexteel IPO Valuation Analysis


Seizing Shorting Opportunities on Krafton as ARM Seeks Anchor Investors

By Sanghyun Park

  • One noteworthy aspect is SK Square’s strategic move towards gradually shifting its investment portfolio from platform businesses to companies within the semiconductor supply chain.
  • Given SK’s aim to acquire a 1-2% stake as an anchor investor in ARM, selling the Krafton stake is necessary to secure sufficient funds for the potential ARM investment.
  • We may consider positioning to capitalize on SK Square’s potential block deal for its Krafton stake, aligning with the schedule for selecting anchor investors in August for the ARM listing.

Gap Trades in Korean Prefs Vs Common Share Pairs in 3Q 2023

By Douglas Kim

  • In this insight, we discuss numerous gap trades involving Korean preferred and common shares in 3Q 2023. 
  • The excessive gaps in the preferred and common shares of Kumho Petrochem, LG Electronics, and Samsung Electronics could reverse in the next several months, in our view.
  • We see some attractive longer-term opportunities for Amorepacific Corp, Doosan Fuelcell, LG Electronics, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics which have especially high discounts for the preferred shares versus their counterpart common shares. 

Nexteel IPO Valuation Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Our base case valuation of Nexteel is target price of 18,671 won per share, which represents 49% higher than the high end of the IPO price range of 12,500 won. 
  • We estimate Nexteel to generate sales of 883.6 billion won (up 32.2% YoY) and operating profit of 257.4 billion won (up 42% YoY) in 2023.
  • Nexteel’s main products include pipes used to extract oil and gas from oil wells. It also makes steel pipes for transporting oil & steam, construction, shipbuilding, and machinery industries.

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Daily Brief China: JD.com Inc (ADR), Jinxin Fertility Co Ltd, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Shenzhen International, Greentown China, WuXi XDC Cayman Inc, Everest Medicines, Evergrande and more

By | China, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • [JD.com (JD US, SELL, TP US$32) Preview]: Short-Term Demand Doesn’t Indicate a Long-Term Trend
  • China Population Policies Impact on Healthcare Companies Series – Part 1
  • Sun Hung Kai Properties (16 HK): A Proxy for Hong Kong and Diversified Play – a Value Trade
  • Shenzhen Intl (152 HK): Enhancing Its Values
  • Greentown China – Tear Sheet – Lucror Analytics
  • WuXi XDC Cayman Pre-IPO Tearsheet
  • Everest Medicines (1952.HK) – To Take off Again or to Fall Instead?
  • Morning Views Asia: Evergrande


[JD.com (JD US, SELL, TP US$32) Preview]: Short-Term Demand Doesn’t Indicate a Long-Term Trend

By Shawn Yang

  • We expect JD to report C2Q23 revenue in-line vs. cons., and non-IFRS net income 6% vs. consensus.
  • Although we raised our GMV estimate, our 5% YoY revenue growth estimate is unchanged as we expect 3P take rate decline to partially offset GMV growth.
  • We maintain SELL and TP but cut FY23 non-GAAP net margin to 3% due to the greater share of lower margin 1P revenue vs. our prior estimate.

China Population Policies Impact on Healthcare Companies Series – Part 1

By Xinyao (Criss) Wang

  • China has started taking measures to optimize fertility policies. The inclusion of assisted reproduction technologies in medical insurance is a general trend, which would generate increasing demand in the future.
  • From the current domestic assisted reproductive industry chain, there is significant import substitution space and growth potential in the fields of related drugs, prenatal/newborn genetic testing, and downstream medical services.
  • Companies such as Livzon/BGI/Jinxin would be the direct beneficiaries of related policy. We analyzed the industry characteristics, investment rationale, key risks and comparison with peers of these companies. 

Sun Hung Kai Properties (16 HK): A Proxy for Hong Kong and Diversified Play – a Value Trade

By Jacob Cheng

  • In this insight, we conducted fundamental analysis for SHKP, which is a proxy for Hong Kong given 70% of its GAV comes from Hong Kong
  • SHKP has well diversified businesses in residential, retail and office in Hong Kong and China, and there are a lot of share price drivers
  • We would recommend a BUY as long as the stock trades below HKD100, as the stock has a trading range of HKD100 to HKD 130

Shenzhen Intl (152 HK): Enhancing Its Values

By Osbert Tang, CFA

  • We expect Shenzhen International (152 HK) to sustain efforts in realising and releasing the value of its assets, and this will be positive in narrowing its discount to book.
  • The plan to issue REIT by using Hangzhou and Guizhou logistics projects as underlying assets will add to earnings. We estimate they account for 14% of SZI’s total project area.
  • Subscription to A-share issuance of Shenzhen Expressway Co (548 HK) will increase its book value by Rmb5bn. This will lower its P/B multiple to 0.46x, from 0.54x.

Greentown China – Tear Sheet – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

We view Greentown China as “Medium Risk” on the LARA scale. The company is an established residential property developer targeting high-end markets, mainly in Eastern China (i.e. Zhejiang province). Greentown has an SOE background, with its largest shareholder China Communications Construction Group (CCCG; 28% stake) being an SOE under the central government. Greentown also has strong branding.

Our Credit Bias on the company is “Stable”, on account of the: [1] resilient contracted sales and revenue growth; [2] adequate liquidity; and [3] access to diversified onshore financing channels. We believe Greentown is well-supported by CCCG. That said, we remain concerned over the high JV usage, which diminishes financial transparency.

We maintain our “Hold” recommendation on the GRNCH curve. We note that Greentown no longer issues USD perpetuals and has limited offshore maturities. We also note that the GRNCH 2025 bonds are trading c. 150 bps wider than the notes by peer China Jinmao (BBB-). This is likely due to a three-notch rating difference, given Greentown’s higher leverage. However, the two developers share the same ultimate central state parent, and we believe Greentown does not lack financial access or liquidity.


WuXi XDC Cayman Pre-IPO Tearsheet

By Clarence Chu

  • WuXi XDC Cayman Inc (1877628D HK) is looking to raise >US$100m in its upcoming Hong Kong IPO. The bookrunners on the deal are Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan.
  • WuXi XDC Cayman (WXDC) is a contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) focused on the global antibody drug conjugates (ADC) and broader bioconjugate market providing integrated and end-to-end services.
  • As per Frost & Sullivan (F&S), the firm was the second largest CRDMO for ADCs and other bioconjugates globally in terms of FY22 sales.

Everest Medicines (1952.HK) – To Take off Again or to Fall Instead?

By Xinyao (Criss) Wang

  • As the core candidate in Everest Medicines’s current pipeline, the peak sales of Nefecon could be significantly lower-than-expected, mainly due to low diagnostic rate, limited applicable patient population, high price, competition from latecomers.
  • For the rest late-stage candidates, such as Etrasimod, Eravacycline, Taniborbactam, their peak sales would all be lower than that of Nefecon. So, they are unable to bring enough imagination space.
  • Based on license-in mode, cost of Everest Medicines is higher than independent-R&D companies. Whether products would be returned to licensors again because of weak sales prospects is also uncertain factor.

Morning Views Asia: Evergrande

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics Morning Views comprise our fundamental credit analysis, opinions and trade recommendations on high yield issuers in the region, based on key company-specific developments in the past 24 hours. Our Morning Views include a section with a brief market commentary, key market indicators and a macroeconomic and corporate event calendar.


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Daily Brief India: InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, EbixCash and more

By | Daily Briefs, India

In today’s briefing:

  • Interglobe Aviation (Indigo) Lockup – Time for Another Selldown, This Time Could Touch US$900m
  • EbixCash IPO: The Bull Case


Interglobe Aviation (Indigo) Lockup – Time for Another Selldown, This Time Could Touch US$900m

By Sumeet Singh

  • InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (INDIGO IN)’s co-founder Rakesh Gangwal’s 29%+ stake was released from lock-up today.
  • He had earlier stated his intention to pare down his stake after a long drawn, and very public battle, with his co-founder Rahul Bhatia. 
  • In this note, we will talk about the lockup dynamics and possible placement.

EbixCash IPO: The Bull Case

By Arun George

  • EbixCash (EBIXC IN), a subsidiary of Ebix Inc (EBIX US) and India’s largest end-to-end financial exchange, is seeking to launch an Rs60 billion (US$730 million) in July.   
  • EbixCash’s Forex operations have emerged as a leader in India’s airport Forex business. Also, EbixCash’s inward remittance business in India is the clear market leader.
  • The key elements of the bull case rest on fast-paced growth, growth runaway from the post-COVID recovery, declining contract assets, improving balance sheet, and declining leverage.

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Daily Brief Event-Driven: Nidec (6594) Goes Hostile On Takisawa Machine Tool (6121) – I’ve Got 🍿🍿 and more

By | Daily Briefs, Event-Driven

In today’s briefing:

  • Nidec (6594) Goes Hostile On Takisawa Machine Tool (6121) – I’ve Got 🍿🍿
  • Seizing Shorting Opportunities on Krafton as ARM Seeks Anchor Investors
  • Keisei Electric: Valuation Distortion Set to Unravel with Fantasy Springs’ Opening in Spring 2024
  • Quiddity Leaderboard F100/​​250 Sep 23: Two F100 Change and Three F250 Changes Likely
  • Quiddity Leaderboard-DAX Sep 23: SHORT Sartorius LONG Merck Trade STILL Interesting
  • Inflexion/DWF: Compelling Value


Nidec (6594) Goes Hostile On Takisawa Machine Tool (6121) – I’ve Got 🍿🍿

By Travis Lundy

  • Last year Nidec Corp (6594 JP) approached machine tool maker Takisawa Machine Tool (6121 JP) interested in an integration with their sub. Takisawa said “Talk to the hand.” 
  • Now Nidec – a blue chip (from Kyoto no less, which traditionally abhors hostile activity) – has gone hostile on Takisawa bidding 65-100% depending how you see undisturbed.
  • Lots of moving parts on this one, but in the end, Retail probably decides this.

Seizing Shorting Opportunities on Krafton as ARM Seeks Anchor Investors

By Sanghyun Park

  • One noteworthy aspect is SK Square’s strategic move towards gradually shifting its investment portfolio from platform businesses to companies within the semiconductor supply chain.
  • Given SK’s aim to acquire a 1-2% stake as an anchor investor in ARM, selling the Krafton stake is necessary to secure sufficient funds for the potential ARM investment.
  • We may consider positioning to capitalize on SK Square’s potential block deal for its Krafton stake, aligning with the schedule for selecting anchor investors in August for the ARM listing.

Keisei Electric: Valuation Distortion Set to Unravel with Fantasy Springs’ Opening in Spring 2024

By Oshadhi Kumarasiri

  • Since the announcement of the proposed Tokyo Disney Sea expansion in 2015, Keisei Electric Railway Co (9009 JP)‘s price perfromance has significantly diverged from Oriental Land (4661 JP)‘s price performance.
  • The valuation disparity may result from the Disney Sea expansion’s impact, possibly due to Keisei Electric’s value-oriented investor base.
  • Fantasy Springs’ opening could resolve the valuation distortion, leading to potential rewards in a Long Keisei Electric and Short Oriental Land trade.

Quiddity Leaderboard F100/​​250 Sep 23: Two F100 Change and Three F250 Changes Likely

By Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA

  • In this insight, we take a look at the potential index changes for F100 and F250 in the run up to the September 2023 Rebalance.
  • I currently expect two changes for the F100 index and three changes for the F250 index.
  • As always, there are several names lurking just outside the borders and could be involved in index changes in September 2023 if there are sharp price changes.

Quiddity Leaderboard-DAX Sep 23: SHORT Sartorius LONG Merck Trade STILL Interesting

By Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA

  • In this insight, we take a look at the names leading the race to become ADDs/DELs for the DAX, MDAX, and SDAX Indices in the September 2023 Rebalance.
  • As things stand, I do not see any changes for the DAX index as-is, but there are couple of names requiring only small price gains to trigger Fast Entry changes.
  • I see one change between MDAX and SDAX and one separate ADD/DEL for the SDAX index in the September 2023 rebalance.

Inflexion/DWF: Compelling Value

By Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

  • DWF Group (DWF LN) is discussing with Inflexion regarding a 100p/share offer (£342 million implied equity value, 53% premium, 8.2x Fwd P/E, but 18% discount to IPO price). PUSU is 7 August.
  • Spread to the offer price is 16.2%. The market is pricing a 53% chance to complete the deal, which seems low. Poor cash generation and leverage are already known.
  • The shares trade at 6.7x Fwd P/E, 7.6% dividend yield and 18.6% FCF yield (IBES estimates). Considering that management has said it would recommend the offer, my TP is 100p.

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Daily Brief Credit: Greentown China – Tear Sheet – Lucror Analytics and more

By | Credit, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • Greentown China – Tear Sheet – Lucror Analytics
  • Europe HY Trade Book – July 2023 – Lucror Analytics
  • Morning Views Asia: Evergrande


Greentown China – Tear Sheet – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

We view Greentown China as “Medium Risk” on the LARA scale. The company is an established residential property developer targeting high-end markets, mainly in Eastern China (i.e. Zhejiang province). Greentown has an SOE background, with its largest shareholder China Communications Construction Group (CCCG; 28% stake) being an SOE under the central government. Greentown also has strong branding.

Our Credit Bias on the company is “Stable”, on account of the: [1] resilient contracted sales and revenue growth; [2] adequate liquidity; and [3] access to diversified onshore financing channels. We believe Greentown is well-supported by CCCG. That said, we remain concerned over the high JV usage, which diminishes financial transparency.

We maintain our “Hold” recommendation on the GRNCH curve. We note that Greentown no longer issues USD perpetuals and has limited offshore maturities. We also note that the GRNCH 2025 bonds are trading c. 150 bps wider than the notes by peer China Jinmao (BBB-). This is likely due to a three-notch rating difference, given Greentown’s higher leverage. However, the two developers share the same ultimate central state parent, and we believe Greentown does not lack financial access or liquidity.


Europe HY Trade Book – July 2023 – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

The Europe HY Trade Book for July 2023 includes current trade recommendations drawn from our European HY coverage universe, along with relative-value scatter plots and tables by industry.


Morning Views Asia: Evergrande

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics Morning Views comprise our fundamental credit analysis, opinions and trade recommendations on high yield issuers in the region, based on key company-specific developments in the past 24 hours. Our Morning Views include a section with a brief market commentary, key market indicators and a macroeconomic and corporate event calendar.


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Daily Brief Thematic (Sector/Industry): Ohayo Japan|Equities Cruise on No Recession Narrative; NUGGET: JAL(9201) A Double Winner and more

By | Daily Briefs, Thematic (Sector/Industry)

In today’s briefing:

  • Ohayo Japan|Equities Cruise on No Recession Narrative; NUGGET: JAL(9201) A Double Winner
  • [Blue Lotus EV Sector Update]: All Solid-State Battery Unlikely to Disrupt EV Market
  • China TMT Update-LI AUTO/Akeso/BEKE-Delay Chongqing Plant/Trial of Cadonilimab BsAb/New Home Sales
  • US PPI: Tailwinds from Transportation Price Collapse Set to Subside in H2 2023
  • The Highlights – Cannabis News for the Week Ending July 14, 2023
  • WRKR Limited – Super Opportunities Ahead


Ohayo Japan|Equities Cruise on No Recession Narrative; NUGGET: JAL(9201) A Double Winner

By Mark Chadwick

  • OVERSEAS.  SPX hit 52W highs as Yellen sees no US Recession;  Rates fall on “inflation behind us” narrative; Global HF unwind bearish US positions; EV WARS as Ford Slashes prices. 
  • JAPAN.  NKY Futures -0.2% vs Cash; USDJPY 138.7%; Japan Back after Marine Day Holidays to lower US rates, stronger yen, Weaker China, and Tech bid; Blackrock lifts Japan stock outlook
  • NUGGET.  JAL(9201) Double Winner(Margins+Emmissions) with Fleet Upgrade. Share price has run, but strong tailwinds on demand and operational efficiency. Watch for pullback to pick up.

[Blue Lotus EV Sector Update]: All Solid-State Battery Unlikely to Disrupt EV Market

By Shawn Yang

  • In early July, Toyota announced a breakthrough in all-solid-state-battery (ASSB) delivering 745 miles per charge and <10-minute charging time. 
  • Currently lithium-ion battery (LIB) can reach 500 miles and 25 minutes; We, however, believe the migration of LIB to ASSB will be a continuous process. 
  • ASSB is expensive to manufacture. Further, mineral reliance on China is unlikely to lessen.

China TMT Update-LI AUTO/Akeso/BEKE-Delay Chongqing Plant/Trial of Cadonilimab BsAb/New Home Sales

By Shawn Yang

  • LI: Li Auto said to postpone the construction of Chongqing plant (-)
  • Akeso started Phase III head-to-head trial of its Cadonilimab BsAb against BeiGene’s Tislelizumab mAb for first line treatment of NSCLC(/)
  • KE Holdings: New home sales remain weak in June, and existing home price trended down for two months, expecting more supportive policy on demand side of property market.

US PPI: Tailwinds from Transportation Price Collapse Set to Subside in H2 2023

By Daniel Hellberg

  • US PPI has steadily eased over the past 15 months, and lower transportation costs have helped
  • US long-distance trucking and international air freight costs have fallen dramatically from the peak, but ocean freight has surprisingly remained close to peak levels
  • We believe falling transportation costs are unlikely to provide “tailwinds” for much longer

The Highlights – Cannabis News for the Week Ending July 14, 2023

By Water Tower Research

  • Global equities rallied this week on softer CPI and PPI reports.

  • One year ago, CPI was 9.1%, compared to last week’s 3.0%, showing the Fed’s action has slowed inflation.

  • This puts less pressure on the Fed to continue raising rates.


WRKR Limited – Super Opportunities Ahead

By Research as a Service (RaaS)

  • Wrkr Ltd (ASX:WRK) offers compliance solutions for Australian superannuation contributions and payroll including member onboarding, clearing, messaging and employee validation.
  • WRK’s product solutions need to address and comply with a range of government regulations that continue to evolve, with examples being Single Touch Payroll 2.0, Your Future Your Super, Pay Day Super, Rollovers 3.0, and the Security of Critical Infrastructure.
  • Such regulations provide somewhat of a moat for competitors looking to enter the space and strong customer retention once secured. 

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Daily Brief ECM: Interglobe Aviation (Indigo) Lockup – Time for Another Selldown and more

By | Daily Briefs, ECM

In today’s briefing:

  • Interglobe Aviation (Indigo) Lockup – Time for Another Selldown, This Time Could Touch US$900m
  • EbixCash IPO: The Bull Case
  • Nexteel IPO Valuation Analysis
  • WuXi XDC Cayman Pre-IPO Tearsheet


Interglobe Aviation (Indigo) Lockup – Time for Another Selldown, This Time Could Touch US$900m

By Sumeet Singh

  • InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (INDIGO IN)’s co-founder Rakesh Gangwal’s 29%+ stake was released from lock-up today.
  • He had earlier stated his intention to pare down his stake after a long drawn, and very public battle, with his co-founder Rahul Bhatia. 
  • In this note, we will talk about the lockup dynamics and possible placement.

EbixCash IPO: The Bull Case

By Arun George

  • EbixCash (EBIXC IN), a subsidiary of Ebix Inc (EBIX US) and India’s largest end-to-end financial exchange, is seeking to launch an Rs60 billion (US$730 million) in July.   
  • EbixCash’s Forex operations have emerged as a leader in India’s airport Forex business. Also, EbixCash’s inward remittance business in India is the clear market leader.
  • The key elements of the bull case rest on fast-paced growth, growth runaway from the post-COVID recovery, declining contract assets, improving balance sheet, and declining leverage.

Nexteel IPO Valuation Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Our base case valuation of Nexteel is target price of 18,671 won per share, which represents 49% higher than the high end of the IPO price range of 12,500 won. 
  • We estimate Nexteel to generate sales of 883.6 billion won (up 32.2% YoY) and operating profit of 257.4 billion won (up 42% YoY) in 2023.
  • Nexteel’s main products include pipes used to extract oil and gas from oil wells. It also makes steel pipes for transporting oil & steam, construction, shipbuilding, and machinery industries.

WuXi XDC Cayman Pre-IPO Tearsheet

By Clarence Chu

  • WuXi XDC Cayman Inc (1877628D HK) is looking to raise >US$100m in its upcoming Hong Kong IPO. The bookrunners on the deal are Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan.
  • WuXi XDC Cayman (WXDC) is a contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) focused on the global antibody drug conjugates (ADC) and broader bioconjugate market providing integrated and end-to-end services.
  • As per Frost & Sullivan (F&S), the firm was the second largest CRDMO for ADCs and other bioconjugates globally in terms of FY22 sales.

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Daily Brief Equity Bottom-Up: [JD.com (JD US and more

By | Daily Briefs, Equity Bottom-Up

In today’s briefing:

  • [JD.com (JD US, SELL, TP US$32) Preview]: Short-Term Demand Doesn’t Indicate a Long-Term Trend
  • Gap Trades in Korean Prefs Vs Common Share Pairs in 3Q 2023
  • China Population Policies Impact on Healthcare Companies Series – Part 1
  • Shakeys Pizza: What to Expect From Q2 2023
  • Sun Hung Kai Properties (16 HK): A Proxy for Hong Kong and Diversified Play – a Value Trade
  • Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical (4530 JP): Strong Result, New Drug Launch, & Share Buyback Brighten Outlook
  • Shenzhen Intl (152 HK): Enhancing Its Values
  • HSBC Holdings PLC: Initiation of Coverage – Increased Distribution & Transformation Strategy & Other Drivers
  • UBS Group AG: Initiation of Coverage – The Credit Suisse Acquisition & Other Drivers
  • Truist Financial Corporation: Initiation of Coverage – Business Strategy & Key Drivers


[JD.com (JD US, SELL, TP US$32) Preview]: Short-Term Demand Doesn’t Indicate a Long-Term Trend

By Shawn Yang

  • We expect JD to report C2Q23 revenue in-line vs. cons., and non-IFRS net income 6% vs. consensus.
  • Although we raised our GMV estimate, our 5% YoY revenue growth estimate is unchanged as we expect 3P take rate decline to partially offset GMV growth.
  • We maintain SELL and TP but cut FY23 non-GAAP net margin to 3% due to the greater share of lower margin 1P revenue vs. our prior estimate.

Gap Trades in Korean Prefs Vs Common Share Pairs in 3Q 2023

By Douglas Kim

  • In this insight, we discuss numerous gap trades involving Korean preferred and common shares in 3Q 2023. 
  • The excessive gaps in the preferred and common shares of Kumho Petrochem, LG Electronics, and Samsung Electronics could reverse in the next several months, in our view.
  • We see some attractive longer-term opportunities for Amorepacific Corp, Doosan Fuelcell, LG Electronics, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics which have especially high discounts for the preferred shares versus their counterpart common shares. 

China Population Policies Impact on Healthcare Companies Series – Part 1

By Xinyao (Criss) Wang

  • China has started taking measures to optimize fertility policies. The inclusion of assisted reproduction technologies in medical insurance is a general trend, which would generate increasing demand in the future.
  • From the current domestic assisted reproductive industry chain, there is significant import substitution space and growth potential in the fields of related drugs, prenatal/newborn genetic testing, and downstream medical services.
  • Companies such as Livzon/BGI/Jinxin would be the direct beneficiaries of related policy. We analyzed the industry characteristics, investment rationale, key risks and comparison with peers of these companies. 

Shakeys Pizza: What to Expect From Q2 2023

By Sameer Taneja

  • We expect Shakey’s Pizza (PIZZA PM) to release its results for H1 2023 in the second week of August. The stock just went ex-dividend today (17th July 2023).
  • We estimate Q1/H1 FY23 revenue to grow 36%/59% and profits to increase by 31%/71%, led by slight margin expansion for Q2 over Q1 as guided by the company. 
  • Trading at 14.5x/11.1x PE with a growth profile of >20% CAGR over the next 4-5 years, given the Potato Corner expansion, Shakey’s Pizza could be an attractive investment opportunity. 

Sun Hung Kai Properties (16 HK): A Proxy for Hong Kong and Diversified Play – a Value Trade

By Jacob Cheng

  • In this insight, we conducted fundamental analysis for SHKP, which is a proxy for Hong Kong given 70% of its GAV comes from Hong Kong
  • SHKP has well diversified businesses in residential, retail and office in Hong Kong and China, and there are a lot of share price drivers
  • We would recommend a BUY as long as the stock trades below HKD100, as the stock has a trading range of HKD100 to HKD 130

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical (4530 JP): Strong Result, New Drug Launch, & Share Buyback Brighten Outlook

By Tina Banerjee

  • Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co (4530 JP) announced strong Q1FY24 result, with double-digit top-line and triple-digit bottom-line growth, driven by its largest selling OTC product, Salonpas. The company has reiterated FY24 guidance.
  • In Q1FY24, Hisamitsu has launched Apohide Lotion in Japan for the treatment of primary palmar hyperhidrosis and Xelstrym transdermal system in the U.S. for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
  • Hisamitsu has announced buyback of up to 2M of its shares (representing 2.57% of issued shares) from July 2023 to February 2024 for ¥10B.

Shenzhen Intl (152 HK): Enhancing Its Values

By Osbert Tang, CFA

  • We expect Shenzhen International (152 HK) to sustain efforts in realising and releasing the value of its assets, and this will be positive in narrowing its discount to book.
  • The plan to issue REIT by using Hangzhou and Guizhou logistics projects as underlying assets will add to earnings. We estimate they account for 14% of SZI’s total project area.
  • Subscription to A-share issuance of Shenzhen Expressway Co (548 HK) will increase its book value by Rmb5bn. This will lower its P/B multiple to 0.46x, from 0.54x.

HSBC Holdings PLC: Initiation of Coverage – Increased Distribution & Transformation Strategy & Other Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • This is our first report on HSBC Holdings PLC, one of the biggest banks and financial service providers in the world.
  • Notably, Hong Kong, Mainland China, the Middle East, and the U.K. have shown strong economic resilience and recovery.
  • We initiate coverage on the stock of HSBC Holdings PLC with a ‘Hold’ rating.

UBS Group AG: Initiation of Coverage – The Credit Suisse Acquisition & Other Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • This is our first report on UBS Group AG, one of the largest banking service companies.
  • The company delivered a decent result in the last quarter driven by strong flows across Global Wealth Management and Asset Management.
  • The company will continue to prioritize a capital-light and client-focused Investment Bank model while managing activities outside its strategic focus.

Truist Financial Corporation: Initiation of Coverage – Business Strategy & Key Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • This is our first report on Truist Financial Corporation, one of the largest regional banks in the United States.
  • Truist opened 146,000 bank accounts online.
  • We initiate coverage on the stock of Truist Financial Corporation with a ‘Hold’ rating.

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