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Smartkarma Daily Briefs

India: Reliance Industries, Oyo, ITC Ltd, Bharti Airtel, Paradeep Phosphates, Hindustan Unilever, Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd, LIC Housing Finance, RITES Ltd, Lenovo and more

By | Daily Briefs, India

In today’s briefing:

  • NIFTY Indices: Quiddity Primer
  • Oravel Stays (Oyo) Pre-IPO – The Positives – Network Effects Coupled with Industry Tailwinds
  • ITC Ltd (ITC IN) | A Good Place to Hide
  • Bharti Airtel – Tear Sheet – Lucror Analytics
  • Paradeep Phosphates IPO Trading – Tepid Demand and Anchor Quality Isn’t the Greatest
  • Hindustan Unilever (HUVR IN) | The Right Priorities, but Ain’t Enough
  • Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd (DLPL IN): Base Business Recovering; Competition Is the Only Headwind
  • LICHF: Stellar Q4FY22 Results
  • Rites: Robust Order Book & Execution Prowess to Regain Momentum; Retain BUY
  • Morning Views Asia: Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, Bharti Airtel, Lenovo, Vedanta Resources

NIFTY Indices: Quiddity Primer

By Janaghan Jeyakumar, CFA

  • The NIFTY Index Family has a series of broad equity indices that represents large, mid and small market capitalisation segments of the Indian public equity market.
  • The review of broad market indices will be done on a semi-annual basis and the changes will be implemented at the end of March and September every year.
  • In this insight, we take a look at the selection criteria and the historical price performance of past Rebalance Events.

Oravel Stays (Oyo) Pre-IPO – The Positives – Network Effects Coupled with Industry Tailwinds

By Clarence Chu

  • Oyo (1698548D IN) is looking to raise around US$700m in its upcoming India IPO. The IPO will consist of both a primary and secondary portion.
  • Oyo runs a digital platform that serves as a hotel and home aggregator between patrons, which include owners and lessors, and customers, such as travelers and guests booking for accommodation.
  • As of Mar 2021, Oyo had 157,344 storefronts across more than 35 countries listed on its platform.

ITC Ltd (ITC IN) | A Good Place to Hide

By Pranav Bhavsar

  • ITC Ltd (ITC IN) ‘s core cigarette portfolio is relatively inelastic to the current commodity inflation. With the reopening of offices and social events, volumes are likely to trend higher. 
  • A renewed focus on FMCG is likely to aid volumes for the non-cigarette segment. 
  • Valuations are in favor and we see limited scope for de-rating if not re-rating.

Bharti Airtel – Tear Sheet – Lucror Analytics

By Trung Nguyen

We view Bharti Airtel as “Low Risk” on our LARA scale, mainly driven by its strong market position as the second-largest player in India’s telco industry. It owns robust network infrastructure across India, with a broad customer base. We also like the improving industry outlook with rationalising competition, industry consolidation to Airtel’s advantage, and improving regulatory conditions. Airtel is also committed to prudent balance-sheet management and stable leverage. However, the company will likely face continued significant capex requirements with respect to its 5G rollout, with the associated risks being higher than expected capex.

Our Credit Bias is “Stable”, given Airtel’s robust business risk profile and stable financial metrics.


Paradeep Phosphates IPO Trading – Tepid Demand and Anchor Quality Isn’t the Greatest

By Clarence Chu

  • Paradeep Phosphates raised around US$194m in its India IPO. The IPO consisted of a mix of primary and secondary shares.
  • Subscription for PP’s IPO had been tepid and previous deals with similar subscription rates had produced mixed performances upon debut.
  • Were the firm to trade towards its closer peers’ average, there is a 5% upside potential and -18.6% downside potential on the FY23E and FY24E EV/EBITDA front, respectively. 

Hindustan Unilever (HUVR IN) | The Right Priorities, but Ain’t Enough

By Pranav Bhavsar

  • Hindustan Unilever (HUVR IN) is focusing on protecting its business model and market share, which is the key in such an operating environment. 
  • Presence across multiple price points and playing a targeted game in target geographies will aid in maintaining steady-state growth. 
  • Current valuations, lack of trigger for driving exponential volume growth and expected slowing pace of premiumisation warrant caution. 

Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd (DLPL IN): Base Business Recovering; Competition Is the Only Headwind

By Tina Banerjee

  • Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd (DLPL IN) reported 35% y/y revenue growth in its non-COVID business in FY22. Non-COVID realization per patient is also back to pre-COVID levels.  
  • The company has acquired Suburban Diagnostics last year, which will further widen its geographical footprint, with western region contributing 24% of revenue from 10% earlier.
  • There is a lot of noise regarding competition in the industry. Thus far, DLPL has not seen much pricing pressure and underpenetrated Indian diagnostic segment can accommodate more players.

LICHF: Stellar Q4FY22 Results

By Ankit Agrawal, CFA

  • LIC Housing Finance (LICHF IN) reported stellar results, in line with the expectation from our last note. NIM expanded while provisions declined leading to Q4FY22 PAT of INR 1100cr+.
  • Asset quality improved with Stage 3 assets at 4.64% vs 5.04% QoQ and Stage 2 assets at 3.08% vs 3.75% QoQ. LICHF also recovered 350cr of NPAs during Q4FY22.
  • Adjusted for one-off tax benefits and assuming FY23 NIM at 2.4%, LICHF’s normalized PAT potential is INR 3600cr+ suggesting that LICHF is trading at <6x P/E on FY23E PAT.

Rites: Robust Order Book & Execution Prowess to Regain Momentum; Retain BUY

By Axis Direct

  • RITES Ltd. (RITES) reported a good set of Q4FY22 numbers with revenues of Rs 766 Cr (up 20% YoY), supported by the higher export sales, EBIDTA of Rs 204 Cr (up 10% YoY), and APAT of Rs 141 Cr (down 1% YoY).
  • The company registered EBITDA Margins of 26.7% in Q4FY22 (our estimate: 26.8%) as against 29.2% in Q4FY21
  • We roll over our estimate to FY24 and retain a BUY rating on the stock, valuing the company at 11.5x FY24E EPS to arrive at a target price of Rs 275/share (Rs 305/share earlier), implying an upside of 10% from the CMP.

Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.


Morning Views Asia: Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, Bharti Airtel, Lenovo, Vedanta Resources

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

South Korea: SK Telecom Co Ltd (Adr), LG Energy Solution, Doosan Corp, Yanolja and more

By | Daily Briefs, South Korea

In today’s briefing:

  • SK Telecom: Clarifications over ADR Creation & Premium with Zero Foreign Room
  • LG Energy Solution: Short-Term Flow Crunch & Block Deal Possibility
  • A Pair Trade Between Doosan Corp & Doosan Enerbility
  • Launch Of Unlisted Korean Companies ETFs in 2023 & How Our Smartkarma Research Would Change

SK Telecom: Clarifications over ADR Creation & Premium with Zero Foreign Room

By Sanghyun Park

  • The debating point is whether ADRs can be created from local underlying shares once the FOL is hit if the ADR issuance cap isn’t entirely burned.
  • The answer is Yes. ADRs can still be created. That is one of the exceptions that the Korea FSS allows for exceeding the foreign ownership limit.
  • This is why we saw a hefty premium on KT ADR when it reached and stayed at zero foreign room since 2015 AND an increase in ADRs through DR creation.

LG Energy Solution: Short-Term Flow Crunch & Block Deal Possibility

By Sanghyun Park

  • LG Energy Solution’s real-world free-float rate should be around 5%, or 12.3M shares. We will see two additional passive inflows with the real-world float this tight.
  • KOSPI 200 up-weight and FTSE June QIR New Entry’s combined inflow will be 0.6% of SO, enough for us to expect a short-term flow crunch.
  • Then, there will likely be a share let-go event (block deals) by LG Chem to lessen the tight float situation, just like what KSOE had done for HHI.

A Pair Trade Between Doosan Corp & Doosan Enerbility

By Douglas Kim

  • There are three major reasons we like a pair trade between Doosan Corp (go long) and Doosan Enerbility (go short). 
  • First, share prices of two companies have diverged too much this year. Second, Doosan Corp is currently trading at a 76% discount to its NAV, which is excessive. 
  • Third, as investors have poured capital into nuclear power themed Doosan Enerbility, they have neglected its parent Doosan Corp. 

Launch Of Unlisted Korean Companies ETFs in 2023 & How Our Smartkarma Research Would Change

By Douglas Kim

  • There is a strong possibility of the launch of corporate growth fund private companies ETFs in Korea in 2023. 
  • Once government gives final approval to launch the unlisted Korean companies ETFs in 2023, there is likely to be much greater interest in investing and researching in private Korean companies.
  • Starting next year, there is a strong probability that we will spend a lot more time on researching and writing about these promising, private companies in Korea. 

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Equity Bottom-Up: Sony Corp, Alibaba Group, ITC Ltd, Mediatek Inc, Doosan Corp, Hindustan Unilever, Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd, LIC Housing Finance, Shenzhen Expressway Co H, Bangkok Chain Hospital and more

By | Daily Briefs, Equity Bottom-Up

In today’s briefing:

  • Sony (6758 JP) | Master of the Metaverse
  • Alibaba (9988 HK): Well Controlled Expense in 4Q22 and Forthcoming Turning Point in June, Buy
  • ITC Ltd (ITC IN) | A Good Place to Hide
  • MediaTek (2454.TT): The Smartphone Demand Could Further Decrease in 2022.
  • A Pair Trade Between Doosan Corp & Doosan Enerbility
  • Hindustan Unilever (HUVR IN) | The Right Priorities, but Ain’t Enough
  • Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd (DLPL IN): Base Business Recovering; Competition Is the Only Headwind
  • LICHF: Stellar Q4FY22 Results
  • Shenzhen Expressway (548 HK): Cautiously Optimistic
  • BCH: Turning Back to Core Operation Post 1Q22 Peak

Sony (6758 JP) | Master of the Metaverse

By Mark Chadwick

  • Sony’s hosted its 2022 Corporate Strategy Meeting last week. Our key takeaway is that SONY is shifting towards greater investment in Content, Creators, and Communities.  
  • Sony recognizes that technology is changing the way that content is produced and consumed and is responding with new experiences and monetization models.  
  • Sony will continue to benefit from the evolution of the internet as it becomes more social, immersive and financialized (otherwise known as the metaverse). 

Alibaba (9988 HK): Well Controlled Expense in 4Q22 and Forthcoming Turning Point in June, Buy

By Ming Lu

  • Operating margin improved in 4Q22 due to well controlled expenses in minor businesses.
  • We believe the state council meeting will provide a turning point in June.
  • We set an upside of 31% and a price target at HK$106.

ITC Ltd (ITC IN) | A Good Place to Hide

By Pranav Bhavsar

  • ITC Ltd (ITC IN) ‘s core cigarette portfolio is relatively inelastic to the current commodity inflation. With the reopening of offices and social events, volumes are likely to trend higher. 
  • A renewed focus on FMCG is likely to aid volumes for the non-cigarette segment. 
  • Valuations are in favor and we see limited scope for de-rating if not re-rating.

MediaTek (2454.TT): The Smartphone Demand Could Further Decrease in 2022.

By Patrick Liao

  • MediaTek’s revised downward forecast for 650-680nm smartphone delivery in 1Q22 earnings conference, but we think that number could be revised down again by the end of July.
  • MediaTek announced new WiFi products, Filogic 880 and 380, in COMPUTEX2022 on May 24-27. Besides, MediaTek invests in new opportunities for AI in the US.
  • The mainland China fights fiercely against COVID-19 and stays at the Zero Policy. 

A Pair Trade Between Doosan Corp & Doosan Enerbility

By Douglas Kim

  • There are three major reasons we like a pair trade between Doosan Corp (go long) and Doosan Enerbility (go short). 
  • First, share prices of two companies have diverged too much this year. Second, Doosan Corp is currently trading at a 76% discount to its NAV, which is excessive. 
  • Third, as investors have poured capital into nuclear power themed Doosan Enerbility, they have neglected its parent Doosan Corp. 

Hindustan Unilever (HUVR IN) | The Right Priorities, but Ain’t Enough

By Pranav Bhavsar

  • Hindustan Unilever (HUVR IN) is focusing on protecting its business model and market share, which is the key in such an operating environment. 
  • Presence across multiple price points and playing a targeted game in target geographies will aid in maintaining steady-state growth. 
  • Current valuations, lack of trigger for driving exponential volume growth and expected slowing pace of premiumisation warrant caution. 

Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd (DLPL IN): Base Business Recovering; Competition Is the Only Headwind

By Tina Banerjee

  • Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd (DLPL IN) reported 35% y/y revenue growth in its non-COVID business in FY22. Non-COVID realization per patient is also back to pre-COVID levels.  
  • The company has acquired Suburban Diagnostics last year, which will further widen its geographical footprint, with western region contributing 24% of revenue from 10% earlier.
  • There is a lot of noise regarding competition in the industry. Thus far, DLPL has not seen much pricing pressure and underpenetrated Indian diagnostic segment can accommodate more players.

LICHF: Stellar Q4FY22 Results

By Ankit Agrawal, CFA

  • LIC Housing Finance (LICHF IN) reported stellar results, in line with the expectation from our last note. NIM expanded while provisions declined leading to Q4FY22 PAT of INR 1100cr+.
  • Asset quality improved with Stage 3 assets at 4.64% vs 5.04% QoQ and Stage 2 assets at 3.08% vs 3.75% QoQ. LICHF also recovered 350cr of NPAs during Q4FY22.
  • Adjusted for one-off tax benefits and assuming FY23 NIM at 2.4%, LICHF’s normalized PAT potential is INR 3600cr+ suggesting that LICHF is trading at <6x P/E on FY23E PAT.

Shenzhen Expressway (548 HK): Cautiously Optimistic

By Osbert Tang, CFA

  • Shenzhen Expressway Co H (548 HK) guided that many drivers are presented for the rest of the year to support growth, after a 24% YoY decline in 1Q22 net profit. 
  • Toll road business should benefit from organic growth and project completions, while clean energy and waste treatment businesses will experience astronomical growth from capacity acquisitions. 
  • There exists room to leverage up for growth as liabilities-to-asset ratio is still 11pp below its tolerance level of 65%. Besides below-average PERs, FY22F yield of 10% is attractive too.

BCH: Turning Back to Core Operation Post 1Q22 Peak

By Pi Research

  • Upgrade to BUY from HOLD rating with an unchanged TP of B21.00, based on 14.36xPE’22E which is close to -2SD of 3-years trailing average.
  • We see earnings trend to fall QoQ in 2Q22, as COVID-19 contribution fades in parallel with declining infection patients cases and dropped RT-PCR test for vaccinated tourists.
  • We view profit trend to drop HoH in 2H22, as COVID-revenue normalizes YoY off high base in 2H21 based on our expectation government declares COVID as endemic in July.

Related tickers: Sony Corp (6758.T), ITC Ltd (ITC.NS), Mediatek Inc (2454.TW), Doosan Corp (000150.KS), Hindustan Unilever (HLL.NS), LIC Housing Finance (LICH.NS), Shenzhen Expressway Co H (0548.HK), Bangkok Chain Hospital (BCH.BK)

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Most Read: Tsuruha Holdings, Appen Ltd, SK Telecom Co Ltd (Adr), Renesas Electronics, Yancoal Australia and more

By | Daily Briefs, Most Read

In today’s briefing:

  • MSCI Japan Index Rebalance: Short Build Up Continues as We Near Implementation Day
  • Appen (APX AU): Telus’ 48% Premium; 10% Short Interest; Potential ASX200 Deletion
  • SK Telecom: Clarifications over ADR Creation & Premium with Zero Foreign Room
  • Nikkei 225 Methodology Change. Again. This Time Better But Still Not Good Enough
  • Yancoal (YAL AU, 3668 HK): Potential Offer From Parent In H-Share CBs

MSCI Japan Index Rebalance: Short Build Up Continues as We Near Implementation Day

By Brian Freitas

  • There are 22 deletions for the MSCI Japan Index at the May SAIR. The changes were expected and there was large short buildup prior to announcement of the changes.
  • Shorts have continued to increase to increase over the last week and there could be a reversal over the next few days as shorts start to cover.
  • Buying the deletions in the next few days and hedging with Tokyo Stock Exchange Tokyo Price Index Topix (TPX INDEX) futures could provide superior risk adjusted returns.

Appen (APX AU): Telus’ 48% Premium; 10% Short Interest; Potential ASX200 Deletion

By Brian Freitas

  • Telus International (TIXT US) has made an unsolicited, conditional and non-binding indicative proposal to acquire 100% of Appen Ltd (APX AU) at A$9.5/share, valuing the company at A$1.17bn.
  • The offer is a 48% premium to the last close but a discount to longer-term VWAPs. It should require a bump for the Appen Board to unanimously recommend to shareholders.
  • Appen Ltd (APX AU) is a potential deletion from the S&P/ASX 200 (AS51 INDEX) at the June rebalance. Short interest is 10% of shares out. There will be covering.

SK Telecom: Clarifications over ADR Creation & Premium with Zero Foreign Room

By Sanghyun Park

  • The debating point is whether ADRs can be created from local underlying shares once the FOL is hit if the ADR issuance cap isn’t entirely burned.
  • The answer is Yes. ADRs can still be created. That is one of the exceptions that the Korea FSS allows for exceeding the foreign ownership limit.
  • This is why we saw a hefty premium on KT ADR when it reached and stayed at zero foreign room since 2015 AND an increase in ADRs through DR creation.

Nikkei 225 Methodology Change. Again. This Time Better But Still Not Good Enough

By Travis Lundy

  • The Nikkei Index Team has suggested a methodology change to the Nikkei 225 Average.
  • It involves capping stocks, creating a method for re-weighting once capped then stocks fall, and they recommend changing to a semi-annual Periodic Review – twice a year rather than once.
  • More interestingly, they also change the “High Liquidity” definition to be related to traded value not volume, which starts to favour higher-market cap stocks with more shares out.

Yancoal (YAL AU, 3668 HK): Potential Offer From Parent In H-Share CBs

By David Blennerhassett

  • Yankuang Energy Group Company (1171 HK) is considering an Offer for dual-listed coal-miner Yancoal Australia (YAL AU / 3668 HK) via the issuance of H-share convertible bonds.
  • The potential consideration of US$3.60 (~A$5.07/~HK$28.26) per Yancoal share, in the form of H-Share CBs, compares to the last close A$6.08 and HK$33.05. Perhaps an attractive yield will be dangled. 
  • Yankuang Energy has 62.26%. Cinda, Glencore, and China Shandong collectively hold 27.7%. You need all three to support the Offer terms, and then some, to force compulsory acquisition. 

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Industrials: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, S.A., Doosan Corp, Shenzhen Expressway Co H, RITES Ltd, Nesco Ltd and more

By | Daily Briefs, Industrials

In today’s briefing:

  • Siemens Energy/Siemens Gamesa: What Now?
  • A Pair Trade Between Doosan Corp & Doosan Enerbility
  • Shenzhen Expressway (548 HK): Cautiously Optimistic
  • Rites: Robust Order Book & Execution Prowess to Regain Momentum; Retain BUY
  • NESCO – Gradual Revival in IT Park & F&B Amid Opening up of Economy

Siemens Energy/Siemens Gamesa: What Now?

By Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

  • Siemens Energy seems to have the backing of both BlackRock and Norges, and could then count on 72.55% of the votes vs. 75% approval at EGM needed for delisting.
  • The shares have seen high purchasing activity since the offer announcement (€158 million average turnover since Monday). Gross spread is 1.5%, 3.7% estimated annual return (assuming settlement on 24 October).
  • One could sell part of the shares if the share price rises above the offer price and await a possible sweetening, and tender the rest during the acceptance period.

A Pair Trade Between Doosan Corp & Doosan Enerbility

By Douglas Kim

  • There are three major reasons we like a pair trade between Doosan Corp (go long) and Doosan Enerbility (go short). 
  • First, share prices of two companies have diverged too much this year. Second, Doosan Corp is currently trading at a 76% discount to its NAV, which is excessive. 
  • Third, as investors have poured capital into nuclear power themed Doosan Enerbility, they have neglected its parent Doosan Corp. 

Shenzhen Expressway (548 HK): Cautiously Optimistic

By Osbert Tang, CFA

  • Shenzhen Expressway Co H (548 HK) guided that many drivers are presented for the rest of the year to support growth, after a 24% YoY decline in 1Q22 net profit. 
  • Toll road business should benefit from organic growth and project completions, while clean energy and waste treatment businesses will experience astronomical growth from capacity acquisitions. 
  • There exists room to leverage up for growth as liabilities-to-asset ratio is still 11pp below its tolerance level of 65%. Besides below-average PERs, FY22F yield of 10% is attractive too.

Rites: Robust Order Book & Execution Prowess to Regain Momentum; Retain BUY

By Axis Direct

  • RITES Ltd. (RITES) reported a good set of Q4FY22 numbers with revenues of Rs 766 Cr (up 20% YoY), supported by the higher export sales, EBIDTA of Rs 204 Cr (up 10% YoY), and APAT of Rs 141 Cr (down 1% YoY).
  • The company registered EBITDA Margins of 26.7% in Q4FY22 (our estimate: 26.8%) as against 29.2% in Q4FY21
  • We roll over our estimate to FY24 and retain a BUY rating on the stock, valuing the company at 11.5x FY24E EPS to arrive at a target price of Rs 275/share (Rs 305/share earlier), implying an upside of 10% from the CMP.

Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.


NESCO – Gradual Revival in IT Park & F&B Amid Opening up of Economy

By Nirmal Bang

  • Consolidated revenue decreases by 2.5% QoQ but increases by 21.3% YoY to Rs910.7mn in 4QFY22
  • NESCO reported 4QFY22 revenue of Rs910.7mn, up 21.3% YoY but down by 2.5% QoQ.
  • IT Park segment’s revenue stood at Rs705mn, up 15% YoY and 3% QoQ.

Content is external broker report sourced from online content aggregator through publicly available sources and is displayed below for general informational purposes only. Refer full disclaimer below.


Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Macro: UK: Fiscal Measures Against Inflation and more

By | Daily Briefs, Macro

In today’s briefing:

  • UK: Fiscal Measures Against Inflation

UK: Fiscal Measures Against Inflation

By Phil Rush

  • The UK government doubled down on its energy price support, subtracting 0.4pp from our Oct-22 inflation forecast. The risk of the ONS not counting it is now worth 0.8pp.
  • Other measures may follow later, like removing the 5% VAT on electricity bills. Changing the headline VAT rate is a risk attracting significant market attention.
  • A 2.5pp VAT cut would probably take almost 1pp off headline inflation within two months. Some firms may take the opportunity to restore their profit margins.

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

United States: Terra and more

By | Daily Briefs, United States

In today’s briefing:

  • This Week in Crypto – The Luna 2.0 Plan

This Week in Crypto – The Luna 2.0 Plan

By Coinstack

  • TerraForm Labs Prepares Airdrop for LUNA 2.0 Launch – The creators of LUNA and UST have announced plans to airdrop new LUNA tokens to holders as of the date stamp of May 7, 2022.
  • Old LUNA tokens will become called Luna Classic. While this is expected to represent much less than a penny on the dollar of the May 7 value, it gives Terra a chance to recover its ecosystem and builder community over time, which has been known for good UI/UX and ease of use.
  • While many wrote Ethereum off after the 2016 DAO Hack, Ethereum eventually more than recovered. We shall see what happens to Terra.

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Japan: Tsuruha Holdings, Bank of Kyoto, Tokyo Stock Exchange Tokyo Price Index Topix, Otsuka Holdings, Fast Fitness Japan Inc and more

By | Daily Briefs, Japan

In today’s briefing:

  • MSCI Japan Index Rebalance: Short Build Up Continues as We Near Implementation Day
  • Bank of Kyoto (8369) Surprises With a Cross-Holding Sale Plan (Albeit Small)
  • About an Article on TSE Reorganization
  • Otsuka Holdings (4578 JP) 1Q22: Global Products Continued Double-Digit Revenue Growth
  • Fast Fitness Japan (7092): Confusion over Election of Directors

MSCI Japan Index Rebalance: Short Build Up Continues as We Near Implementation Day

By Brian Freitas

  • There are 22 deletions for the MSCI Japan Index at the May SAIR. The changes were expected and there was large short buildup prior to announcement of the changes.
  • Shorts have continued to increase to increase over the last week and there could be a reversal over the next few days as shorts start to cover.
  • Buying the deletions in the next few days and hedging with Tokyo Stock Exchange Tokyo Price Index Topix (TPX INDEX) futures could provide superior risk adjusted returns.

Bank of Kyoto (8369) Surprises With a Cross-Holding Sale Plan (Albeit Small)

By Travis Lundy

  • Bank of Kyoto (8369 JP) has been the poster child for “deep value” Japan traders and occasional wannabe activists. It has a huge equity portfolio which dwarfs market cap. 
  • Every year, twice a year (end of May and early December) Bank of Kyoto (8369 JP) releases a document for a meeting with analysts and press called Information Meeting.
  • This year’s is a little different in that it proposes sales of 10% of its equity portfolio. It’s “small” but worth thinking about. 

About an Article on TSE Reorganization

By Aki Matsumoto

  • I discussed the points of the Nikkei article on the prime market created by the TSE’s market reorganization.
  • Looking at the prime market as a whole, it is not significantly different from the TSE 1st Section. However, there were aspects where individual companies made progress in their efforts.
  • Since prime market has companies with small market capitalizations and depressed valuations, it is desirable to discuss increasing the quality companies that enhance profitability, growth potential and corporate governance.

Otsuka Holdings (4578 JP) 1Q22: Global Products Continued Double-Digit Revenue Growth

By Tina Banerjee

  • Otsuka Holdings (4578 JP) started 2022 on a strong note, with 13% y/y revenue growth in Q1. Growth was driven by four global products, which contributed 36% of total revenue.
  • Otsuka has terminated its global license agreements with Akebia Therapeutics related to vadadustat for the treatment of renal anemia and recorded an impairment loss of ¥24 billion.
  • Despite the impairment losses related to vadadustat, Otsuka reiterated 2022 guidance and expects double-digit growth in operating and net profits.

Fast Fitness Japan (7092): Confusion over Election of Directors

By Mita Securities

  • Fast Fitness Japan announced that 1) on April 25, it had received a letter from three of its major shareholders jointly proposing the election of directors and 2) on May 23, the company’s board of directors decided to oppose the shareholder proposal
  • The shareholder proposal was submitted in response to the board’s April 14 decision regarding director candidates
  • Despite the company’s solid fundamentals, such disruption in the governing structure could be an additional risk factor for the stock price in the near term

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Financials: Bank of Kyoto, Dongzheng Automotive Finance, Tokyo Stock Exchange Tokyo Price Index Topix, Terra and more

By | Daily Briefs, Financials

In today’s briefing:

  • Bank of Kyoto (8369) Surprises With a Cross-Holding Sale Plan (Albeit Small)
  • SAIC Wins the Auction for the 71.04% Stake in Dongzheng, MGO Upcoming
  • About an Article on TSE Reorganization
  • This Week in Crypto – The Luna 2.0 Plan

Bank of Kyoto (8369) Surprises With a Cross-Holding Sale Plan (Albeit Small)

By Travis Lundy

  • Bank of Kyoto (8369 JP) has been the poster child for “deep value” Japan traders and occasional wannabe activists. It has a huge equity portfolio which dwarfs market cap. 
  • Every year, twice a year (end of May and early December) Bank of Kyoto (8369 JP) releases a document for a meeting with analysts and press called Information Meeting.
  • This year’s is a little different in that it proposes sales of 10% of its equity portfolio. It’s “small” but worth thinking about. 

SAIC Wins the Auction for the 71.04% Stake in Dongzheng, MGO Upcoming

By Arun George


About an Article on TSE Reorganization

By Aki Matsumoto

  • I discussed the points of the Nikkei article on the prime market created by the TSE’s market reorganization.
  • Looking at the prime market as a whole, it is not significantly different from the TSE 1st Section. However, there were aspects where individual companies made progress in their efforts.
  • Since prime market has companies with small market capitalizations and depressed valuations, it is desirable to discuss increasing the quality companies that enhance profitability, growth potential and corporate governance.

This Week in Crypto – The Luna 2.0 Plan

By Coinstack

  • TerraForm Labs Prepares Airdrop for LUNA 2.0 Launch – The creators of LUNA and UST have announced plans to airdrop new LUNA tokens to holders as of the date stamp of May 7, 2022.
  • Old LUNA tokens will become called Luna Classic. While this is expected to represent much less than a penny on the dollar of the May 7 value, it gives Terra a chance to recover its ecosystem and builder community over time, which has been known for good UI/UX and ease of use.
  • While many wrote Ethereum off after the 2016 DAO Hack, Ethereum eventually more than recovered. We shall see what happens to Terra.

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma

Equity Capital Markets: Sayona Mining and more

By | Daily Briefs, ECM

In today’s briefing:

  • Sayona Mining Placement – Speculative in Nature but past Deals Have Done Well

Sayona Mining Placement – Speculative in Nature but past Deals Have Done Well

By Clarence Chu

  • Sayona Mining (SYA AU) is looking to raise A$190m (approx US$135m) to restart its North American Lithium (NAL) mine.
  • On Monday (23rd May 2022), Sayona Mining had published a positive pre-feasibility study on the NAL mine, where shares have since corrected 26.8%.
  • The NAL mine is co-owned with US-based Lithium explorer, Piedmont Lithium, where Sayona Mining owns 75% interest, with the remainder 25% owned by Piedmont Lithium.

Before it’s here, it’s on Smartkarma