All Posts By

Smartkarma Daily Briefs

Daily Brief China: Hong Kong Aerospace Technology, iQIYI Inc, Kingston Financial, Fu Shou Yuan, Wuxi Biologics, ABM Investama, Country Garden Holdings Co and more

By | China, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • Hong Kong Aerospace Tech’s (1725 HK) US$1bn Rocket-Launch Site
  • IQIYI Follow-On Offering – Might Be Expected but Its Track Record Is…
  • Kingston Financial’s (1031 HK) Vote on 9 February
  • Fu Shou Yuan (1448 HK): Latest Mortality Rate Supports Long-Term Outlook
  • Wuxi Biologics Placement (2269 HK) – Things Are No Longer Easy When the Magic of CXO Wears Off
  • Asia HY Trade Book – January 2023 – Lucror Analytics
  • Morning Views Asia: Country Garden Holdings Co, Powerlong Commercial Management Holdings
  • Kingston Financial (1031 HK): 9th Feb Scheme Vote. IFA Says Fair
  • Morning Views Asia: Country Garden Holdings Co, Powerlong Commercial Management Holdings

Hong Kong Aerospace Tech’s (1725 HK) US$1bn Rocket-Launch Site

By David Blennerhassett

  • On the 9th of January, 2023, the Republic of Djibouti signed an MOU with Hong Kong Aerospace Technology (1725 HK) (HKAT) to develop a (reported) US$1bn international commercial “spaceport”.
  • In the middle of last year, Djibouti announced plans to launch two nanosatellites to facilitate farming and other related activities.
  • HKAT, a recent back-door listing, has a market cap of US$258mn. Wholly-owned subsidiary Gang Hang Ke (Shenzhen) Space Technology, has been successfully involved in the launch of ten satellites. 

IQIYI Follow-On Offering – Might Be Expected but Its Track Record Is…

By Sumeet Singh

  • IQIYI aims to raise around US$500m via a follow-on ADS offering.
  • While the company hasn’t stated its use of proceeds, it will probably use most of it to redeem convertible notes
  • In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and  run the deal through our ECM framework.

Kingston Financial’s (1031 HK) Vote on 9 February

By Arun George

  • The Kingston Financial (1031 HK) scheme document is out with the scheme meeting scheduled for 9 February. The IFA considers the offer to be fair and reasonable. 
  • Key conditions include approval by at least 75% of independent shareholders (<10% of independent shareholders rejection) and the headcount test. No shareholder holds a blocking stake.
  • Peer re-rating increases the headcount test risk. At the last close and for the 10 March payment, the gross and annualised spread is 5.3% and 42.2%, respectively.

Fu Shou Yuan (1448 HK): Latest Mortality Rate Supports Long-Term Outlook

By Osbert Tang, CFA

  • China recorded 270,000 increases in deaths in 2022 to 10.41m (+2.7% YoY, vs. flat in 2020). This is a sad demographic trend but favourable to Fu Shou Yuan (1448 HK).  
  • Death rate of 0.74% has returned to the 1974 level. With termination of “zero COVID” policy, this is poised to increase. This will also stimulate demand for its pre-need services.
  • Despite a 73% rebound in share price from trough, valuation is still undemanding at 14.4x FY23F PER. This implies a 35% discount to the average of 22x since 2013. 

Wuxi Biologics Placement (2269 HK) – Things Are No Longer Easy When the Magic of CXO Wears Off

By Xinyao (Criss) Wang

  • WuXi Bio announced the placing of existing shares by substantial shareholder. Obviously, the share price was in  “comfortable position” for the management, so they think it’s time to take action.
  • WuXi Bio faces the uncertainty of future high growth.GSK deal/AD drug orders cannot offset the loss of COVID-19 orders.We advised to invest when it’s in “sector resonance” with “difference in expectations”.
  • What we’re most worried about this year isn’t recession/depression but Taiwan, which is the last card the US hasn’t yet played. If situation’s really bad,something may happen in Taiwan Strait.

Asia HY Trade Book – January 2023 – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

The Asia HY Trade Book for January 2023 includes a summary of our recommendations, as well as our high-conviction ideas. The report also features relative-value charts and lists of the bonds across Asia (ex-Japan) HY and crossover credits.


Morning Views Asia: Country Garden Holdings Co, Powerlong Commercial Management Holdings

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.


Kingston Financial (1031 HK): 9th Feb Scheme Vote. IFA Says Fair

By David Blennerhassett

  • The Scheme Booklet is now out and Kingston Financial (1031 HK)‘s shareholders can vote on Chu Yuet Wah’s Offer on the 9 February.
  • The Cancellation price of HK$0.30/share was a 47.78% premium to the undisturbed prices. It will not be increased. 
  • Currently trading at a gross/annualised spread of 5.3%/44.4%, assuming payment on the 10 March. 

Morning Views Asia: Country Garden Holdings Co, Powerlong Commercial Management Holdings

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.


💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief Indonesia: Semen Indonesia (Gresik), ABM Investama and more

By | Daily Briefs, Indonesia

In today’s briefing:

  • Semen Indonesia (SMGR IJ) –  A Set Up with New Capacity and Lower Costs
  • Asia HY Trade Book – January 2023 – Lucror Analytics

Semen Indonesia (SMGR IJ) –  A Set Up with New Capacity and Lower Costs

By Angus Mackintosh

  • Semen Indonesia came through the worst of 2022 with flat sales, despite lower volumes, with profits rising by +18.9%, driven by cost savings, reduced debt, and use of DMO coal.
  • 4Q2022 may see a slowdown given. the onset of the rainy season but the company is well-positioned to ride a recovery in 2023 with additional capacity from Semen Baturaja.
  • Semen Indonesia (SMGR IJ) is well set up for a recovery in earnings for the next two years, with great synergies to come from Semen Baturaja. Valuations are well-below historic.

Asia HY Trade Book – January 2023 – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

The Asia HY Trade Book for January 2023 includes a summary of our recommendations, as well as our high-conviction ideas. The report also features relative-value charts and lists of the bonds across Asia (ex-Japan) HY and crossover credits.


💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief Japan: Tsi Holdings, Fast Retailing, Money Forward, Nippon Steel Corporation, Amvis Holdings Inc and more

By | Daily Briefs, Japan

In today’s briefing:

  • TSI Holdings (3608) – New Year, New Buyback, Still Good, Still Cheap
  • Fast Retailing: Growth Markets Look Weak & Uniqlo Japan Profitability Affected By Rising Wages
  • Money Forward: Top Line Expands, Yet to See Meaningful Turnaround in Profitability
  • Is NISSOL (2327) Still a Card to Be Sold for Cash Generation?
  • Amvis Holdings Inc (7071 JP): Scale Expansion to Drive Revenue Growth; Formulated New 3-Year Plan

TSI Holdings (3608) – New Year, New Buyback, Still Good, Still Cheap

By Travis Lundy

  • Last April I wrote about Tsi Holdings (3608 JP) which was trading at 0.5x EV/EBITDA and where I suggested it could double in 2-3yrs. 
  • The day after I wrote, the stock closed at ¥312/share, briefly touched ¥480 before ending the year at ¥444. On Friday they announced Q3 earnings, now TTM EV/EBITDA is 2.5x.
  • They also announced a buyback, and the stock is up further. It is worth looking into the details both near-term and what they mean longer-term.

Fast Retailing: Growth Markets Look Weak & Uniqlo Japan Profitability Affected By Rising Wages

By Oshadhi Kumarasiri

  • Fast Retailing (9983 JP)’s 1QFY23 results were below consensus estimates with OP missing consensus by 13.2%.
  • The outlook for the rest of the year doesn’t seem too well either with Domestic profitability held back by rising wages and growth markets affected by slowing demand for apparel.
  • Even though China could emerge from COVID to boost Uniqlo’s profits, we see significant downside risk to Fast Retailing’s FY23 guidance.

Money Forward: Top Line Expands, Yet to See Meaningful Turnaround in Profitability

By Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA

  • Money Forward (3994 JP) reported 4QFY11/2022 results yesterday. Revenue increased 42.5% YoY to JPY6.2bn (vs consensus JPY6.0bn) driven by growth in both MF Business and MF Home.
  • Operating losses for the quarter widened to JPY2.2bn (34.8% of revenue) from JPY661m (15.2% of revenue) in the same quarter last year (vs consensus JPY2.0bn).
  • Though MF’s top line continues to grow, we have not yet seen a meaningful improvement in its profitability, and we think, MF’s shares are overvalued compared to its counterpart freee.

Is NISSOL (2327) Still a Card to Be Sold for Cash Generation?

By Aki Matsumoto

  • With the shrinking domestic market, the steel brokerage business is no longer a profitable business for trading companies, so Nippon Steel needs to strengthen its own sales capabilities.
  • While this TOB will have negative impact on Nippon Steel’s balance sheet and profit margins in the short term, the steel market may be moving more significantly than we think.
  • While it would be better for Nippon Steel to make NISSOL 100% subsidiary, I suspect that NISSOL is still being kept as a card to be sold for cash generation.

Amvis Holdings Inc (7071 JP): Scale Expansion to Drive Revenue Growth; Formulated New 3-Year Plan

By Tina Banerjee

  • Amvis Holdings Inc (7071 JP) recorded 51% YoY revenue growth to ¥22B in FY22, 3% ahead of guidance. The company has added 16 facilities (825 beds), exceeding its initial plan.
  • Buoyed by strong FY22 results, business expansion, and favorable demand scenario, Amvis has raised FY23 guidance. In FY23, the company aims to open 19 new facilities.   
  • Amvis has formulated the new three-year plan, “Amvis 2025”. The company is accelerating the pace of opening Ishinkan to bring up the number to 127 by September 30, 2025.  

💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief ESG: A Few Students Were Motivated by Assignments from Their Teachers and more

By | Daily Briefs, ESG

In today’s briefing:

  • A Few Students Were Motivated by Assignments from Their Teachers, and They Performed Differently

A Few Students Were Motivated by Assignments from Their Teachers, and They Performed Differently

By Aki Matsumoto

  • Forcing companies to submit ROE targets as measure to counter the fact that half of companies languish below 1x P/B is like a teacher asking students to submit an assignment.
  • If that motivates the management, good for them. However, in our experience, only a small percentage of students are motivated by the teacher’s words and see their performance improve.
  • If companies are asked to submit ROE targets, they shouldn’t simply meet them by changing capital structure through shareholder returns, but should achieve them through investments for future earnings growth.

💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief Credit: Morning Views Asia: Azure Power Global Ltd and more

By | Credit, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • Morning Views Asia: Azure Power Global Ltd, China Hongqiao, Fantasia Holdings Group Co
  • Stanley Black & Decker Inc.: Detailed Credit Analysis & Financial Strength Evaluation Report

Morning Views Asia: Azure Power Global Ltd, China Hongqiao, Fantasia Holdings Group Co

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.


Stanley Black & Decker Inc.: Detailed Credit Analysis & Financial Strength Evaluation Report

By Baptista Research

  • Stanley Black & Decker one of the largest providers of tools and engineering systems across the world and caters to a wide variety of industries.
  • The company has seen significant progress toward narrowing its focus and overhauling its supply chain in recent times.
  • We also have a dedicated analysis of the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risk scores in order to evaluate the sustainability risk.

💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief ECM: Wuxi Biologics Placement – Lesser Discount than Recent Deals but Still Looks Good and more

By | Daily Briefs, ECM

In today’s briefing:

  • Wuxi Biologics Placement – Lesser Discount than Recent Deals but Still Looks Good
  • AInnovation Technology Lock-Up – US$670m Worth of Pre-IPO Investment Is Still Well in the Money

Wuxi Biologics Placement – Lesser Discount than Recent Deals but Still Looks Good

By Ethan Aw

  • Wuxi Biologics Holdings is looking to raise up to US$513m by selling about 1.3% of Wuxi Biologics (2269 HK). 
  • This is the company’s 16th placement since it listed in June 2017. 
  • In this note, we will discuss deal dynamics, past deal performance, and share the scores on our ECM framework.

AInnovation Technology Lock-Up – US$670m Worth of Pre-IPO Investment Is Still Well in the Money

By Clarence Chu

  • Qingdao Ainnovation Technology Group (2121 HK) was listed on 27th Jan 2022, with its one-year lockup expiring on 27th January 2023.
  • Qingdao AInnovation Technology Group is an AI solutions provider offering full-stack AI-based products and solutions.
  • Coming up for one-year lockup expiry are the pre-IPO shareholders. Bulk of them are in the money as some have invested as early as 2018.

💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief Thematic (Sector/Industry): Good Morning Japan |US Off = Directionless; BOJ in Focus +2trn JGB Buying; Kuroda off to Davos and more

By | Daily Briefs, Thematic (Sector/Industry)

In today’s briefing:

  • Good Morning Japan |US Off = Directionless; BOJ in Focus +2trn JGB Buying; Kuroda off to Davos
  • US Banks – Slow Going
  • Smartkarma Webinar | Shopping in Tokyo: Japan Retail and Consumer Market Picks

Good Morning Japan |US Off = Directionless; BOJ in Focus +2trn JGB Buying; Kuroda off to Davos

By Mark Chadwick

  • OVERSEAS:  US MLK Holidays – World markets directionless;  US Equity Futs flat; European Markets bid on Inflation peak;  BOJ decision to lead markets this week.
  • JAPAN:  NKY Futures +0.2% vs Cash ; USDJPY flat at 128.52 ; BOJ speculation dominates local headlines;  Kuroda heads to Davos = no fireworks? ;  Dec Machine Tools orders +1%YoY
  • DAILY NUGGET:  Fast Retailing and Sustainability: Set to introduce a new repair service in its domestic stores.

US Banks – Slow Going

By Daniel Tabbush

  • Two US banks saw more than 80% of their net interest income delta erased by credit costs
  • Many US banks are seeing sharply higher credit costs in 4Q22 from reversals a year ago
  • Loan growth is decelerating in 4Q22 compared with 3Q22, not a positive outlook

Smartkarma Webinar | Shopping in Tokyo: Japan Retail and Consumer Market Picks

By Smartkarma Research

In this next webinar we will speak to Smartkarma Insight Provider, Michael Causton about his top picks in the Japanese Retail and Consumer Market space. With the Japanese retail and consumer markets facing major catalysts for change like high levels of inflation, higher wages, and a labour shortage, what can we expect from the space, and what exactly it will take for Japanese retailers to thrive under these changes? 

The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, 25 January 2023, 17:00 SGT/HKT.

Michael is co-founder and partner at 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 and seminars on retail sectors and consumer trends, as well as telephone consulting/meetings with investors. All of JapanConsuming’s team are bilingual and bi-cultural, and the company’s research sources are: Direct meetings with retailers, wholesalers, distributors, trade body staff, govt., marketing firms, academics etc. Govt. data Trade association data Trade Press across all consumer sectors Unique Network of buyers/managers/marketing staff at retail, as well as wholesalers and trading firms. Editors/Journalists at publishing houses and PR/Ad firms. JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. Michael Causton set up and ran a consumer distribution business in Tokyo for 10 years and developed this into a business responsible for annual imports to Japan of several billion Yen, at the same time building up an inside knowledge of how Japanese distribution works and developing a network of contacts across the industry. Seeing the lack of quality market intelligence on Japanese markets, he co-founded JapanConsuming in 2000. He divides his time between Japan and Europe/US consulting for companies, governments and investors, including providing talks, seminars, and webinars as well as writing reports and books.


💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief Technical Analysis: SPX Trendline to Define and more

By | Daily Briefs, Technical Analysis

In today’s briefing:

  • SPX Trendline to Define
  • Tencent Reach for Sell Zone

SPX Trendline to Define

By Thomas Schroeder

  • Adjusted our SPX resistance level given overshoots with a focus on SPX futures trendline at 4,080 and price pivot at 4,100.
  • We will take this week to measure overbought conditions and sentiment. Near term upside risk to SPX trendline that defines the LT trend.
  • We have not given up on our macro bear cycle as long as trendline caps. Fine tuning top signals is the chore at hand.

Tencent Reach for Sell Zone

By Thomas Schroeder

  • Tencent faces formidable resistance at 385 that may not be seen for a while. 385 is where old lows and old highs coincide.
  • RSI is extended (ST sell and bounce). Buy volumes are descent but have been drifting since late 2022.
  • 385 a good zone to sell cash positions or short to challenge pivot supports outlined. 320 is an intermediate level to hold to keep things glued together.

💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief Equity Bottom-Up: Alibaba: Buoyed By The Ending Crackdowns and more

By | Daily Briefs, Equity Bottom-Up

In today’s briefing:

  • Alibaba: Buoyed By The Ending Crackdowns, Yet Expensive With No Turnaround in Sight For Cash Cows
  • China Internet Weekly (16Jan2023): Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, ByteDance
  • Money Forward (3994) | Corporate ARR +55% YoY
  • Aristocrat Leisure: Recent Dip in Last 90 Days Opens an Entry Point for This Uncut Gaming Tech Gem
  • Aier Eye Hospital Group (300015.CH) – The Truth Behind the Mirage
  • Interiors Long-Term Growth in Japan a Plus for Nitori
  • Kuaishou (1024 HK): Expanding Market, Will See Higher Growth and Profit
  • Stanley Black & Decker Inc.: Initiation of Coverage – New Launches & Other Drivers
  • Fastenal Company: Initiation of Coverage – Financial Forecasts
  • Money Forward – Q4 Results Reaction: Encouraging Signs of User Growth and Monetization

Alibaba: Buoyed By The Ending Crackdowns, Yet Expensive With No Turnaround in Sight For Cash Cows

By Oshadhi Kumarasiri

  • Alibaba (ADR) (BABA US), along with several other Chinese tech names have rallied more than 100% over the past 2.5 months with the Chinese government indicating regulatory crackdowns are over.
  • However, we think this could just be a temporary respite for tech names as there’s a lot more to be done in terms of a data security and privacy standpoint.
  • Nevertheless, Alibaba Group (9988 HK) is still quite expensive, given that government interventions have pretty much curtailed Alibaba’s avenues for growth in the domestic market.

China Internet Weekly (16Jan2023): Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, ByteDance

By Ming Lu

  • The Chinese government may possibly buy minor shares in Alibaba and Tencent.
  • JD.com’s long-term competitor, Dangdang, opened a bookstore in JD.com’s app.
  • In 2022, both Tencent Video Account’s active user base and time on site reached 80% of We Chat.

Money Forward (3994) | Corporate ARR +55% YoY

By Mark Chadwick

  • Money Forward Q4 sales rose +42% YoY to Y6.2bn driven by corporate ARR (+55% YoY)
  • Full year revenue guidance for FY11/23 is in line with consensus 
  • We still see over 20% upside in the stock if the company hits the top end of revenue guidance

Aristocrat Leisure: Recent Dip in Last 90 Days Opens an Entry Point for This Uncut Gaming Tech Gem

By Howard J Klein

  • We have been bullish on the prospects of the Aussie gaming tech maker’s real world valuation in the light of its outstanding performance.
  • The company’s relatively low institutional holding profile suggests its visibility is limited.
  • WE put a one year PT on the stock at AUD$45 vs its current trade at AU$33 because it outperforms industry peers in ROE among other reasons.

Aier Eye Hospital Group (300015.CH) – The Truth Behind the Mirage

By Xinyao (Criss) Wang

  • Aier launched new hospital acquisition plan. Obviously, Aier hopes to maintain high growth through M&A funds. However, considering its national market layout,Aier is in the final stages of aggressive M&As.
  • Based on our data, Aier’s endogenous growth is actually very weak. Once external M&As fail to drive high growth, Aier’s overall performance growth would decline significantly. Aier is grossly overvalued.
  • We expect decreasing birth rate after COVID-19. Due to the fundamental changes in the population structure, the valuation system of all assets would be destroyed – The long logic doesn’t exist.

Interiors Long-Term Growth in Japan a Plus for Nitori

By Michael Causton

  • Growth in the Japanese home interiors and furniture markets is set to continue long-term. 
  • At present, just a handful of brands have any major presence led by Nitori Holdings (9843 JP) which continues to expand market share.
  • With multiple formats, Nitori looks set to continue to dominate but faces competition from unlikely quarters, especially Yamada Denki (9831 JP).

Kuaishou (1024 HK): Expanding Market, Will See Higher Growth and Profit

By Ming Lu

  • Short video continued to accumulate active users in China and the company’s light-version grew the most rapidly.
  • We believe the revenue growth rate will rise from 2Q23 and the company will have positive operating profit from 2024.
  • We set the price target at HK$103, which is 44% over the market price.

Stanley Black & Decker Inc.: Initiation of Coverage – New Launches & Other Drivers

By Baptista Research

  • This is our first report on Stanley Black & Decker, one of the largest global manufacturers of tools and engineering systems catering to a wide variety of industries.
  • The company delivered an all-around beat in its last result and has been making significant progress toward narrowing its focus and overhauling its supply chain in recent times.
  • We initiate coverage on the stock of Stanley Black & Decker with a ‘Hold’ rating.

Fastenal Company: Initiation of Coverage – Financial Forecasts

By Baptista Research

  • This is our first report on Fastenal, a major wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies.
  • The company delivered a strong performance in the last quarter surpassing Wall Street expectations in terms of revenues as well as earnings.
  • We initiate coverage on the stock of Fastenal Company with a ‘Hold’ rating.

Money Forward – Q4 Results Reaction: Encouraging Signs of User Growth and Monetization

By Kirk Boodry

  • Q4 revenue growth of 43% was driven by growth in sales to corporates (+54%) on new user growth, customer mix, and upside from cross-selling
  • EBITDA erosion improved from the peak losses of Q3 and whilst it has not issued full-year FY23 guidance, it says it expects steady improvements as the year goes on
  • This was a good quarter but we expect that is largely reflected in the share price after a 61% run over the last six months

💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars

Daily Brief Event-Driven: Thinking About Japanese Banks – Go Big and more

By | Daily Briefs, Event-Driven

In today’s briefing:

  • Thinking About Japanese Banks – Go Big, Go Small, Go Insurance
  • Mitsui & Co To Buy Out Relia (4708) – Moshi Moshi Is TOO CHEAP
  • Quiddity Primer for HSCEI Rebalance Events
  • EQD | Alibaba (BABA US): Leverage up Longs Using Call Ratios
  • Osstem Implant: Potential M&A Fight Between KCGI And Founder Choi
  • Liquid Universe of European Ordinary and Preferred Shares: January ‘23 Report
  • WM Motor Reverse Merger and Placement – The US$2bn Merger and US$500m Planned Placement

Thinking About Japanese Banks – Go Big, Go Small, Go Insurance

By Travis Lundy

  • Japanese Banks have had a good run recently. From the day before the BOJ changed the 10yr yield target in December in its YCC programme to today, +30% vs TOPIX.
  • The question is how that is spread out. There are lots of banks. Some are cheaper than others. Some are better than others. Can we draw conclusions to trade better?
  • If you are looking at Japanese Banks to play a change in BOJ policy when Governor Kuroda’s term ends shortly, there are definitely conclusions one can draw. I offer comments.

Mitsui & Co To Buy Out Relia (4708) – Moshi Moshi Is TOO CHEAP

By Travis Lundy

  • Mitsui&Co has been in Relia Inc (4708 JP) for a long time. As part of investing in BPO/RPA/AI services, they are buying out Relia, merging it with a KDDI sub.
  • They are buying it at an all-time high, and a 50% premium. Looks nice. But it’s not nice enough.
  • This is one of those times when I can reiterate, Japan Needs More Cowbell

Quiddity Primer for HSCEI Rebalance Events

By Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA

  • The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI INDEX) is one of the most widely discussed indices in the Hang Seng Indices family.
  • The HSCEI serves as a benchmark to reflect the overall performance of “Mainland” Securities listed in Hong Kong.
  • In this insight, we take a brief look at the selection criteria and the historical price performance of past Rebalance Events.

EQD | Alibaba (BABA US): Leverage up Longs Using Call Ratios

By Simon Harris

  • BABA US is up 85% from October lows and continues to trade well in 2023 up 32% in January
  • Stock has benefitted from not only improved economic sentiment but also an end to the 2-year crack down on the Internet Sector
  • We suggest using call ratios to increase upside leverage prior to earnings release

Osstem Implant: Potential M&A Fight Between KCGI And Founder Choi

By Douglas Kim

  • The case involving KCGI (a local corporate activist private equity fund) and Osstem Implant (048260 KS) is one of the more interesting situations rising in the Korea’s M&A/corporate activism markets. 
  • Osstem Implant is the number one dental implant company in Korea/Asia and the fourth largest player in this segment globally. 
  • We believe Osstem Implant could outperform the market in 2023 due to improving fundamentals, cheap valuations, and a potential M&A fight between KCGI and Chairman Choi.

Liquid Universe of European Ordinary and Preferred Shares: January ‘23 Report

By Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

  • Since mid-December, spreads have shown a mixed performance across our liquid universe (9 have widened, 9 tightened, 1 at same level).
  • Trade recommendations long ords / short prefs: Fuchs Petrolub, Henkel, Handelsbanken, SSAB Svenska Stal.
  • Trade recommendations long prefs / short ords: Sixt, VW, Danieli, MFE-Media for Europe, Grifols, Atlas Copco, Ericsson.

WM Motor Reverse Merger and Placement – The US$2bn Merger and US$500m Planned Placement

By Sumeet Singh

  • On 11th Jan 2023, WM Motor Technology Co Ltd announced its intention to merge with Apollo Future Mobility (860 HK) .
  • WM Motor failed to list in Hong Kong last year and this is essentially its attempt to undertake a reverse merger at a valuation well below its previous funding rounds.
  • In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and  take an early look at its implications.

💡 Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Sign Up for Free

The Smartkarma Preview Pass is your entry to the Independent Investment Research Network

  • ✓ Unlimited Research Summaries
  • ✓ Personalised Alerts
  • ✓ Custom Watchlists
  • ✓ Company Data and News
  • ✓ Events & Webinars