Smartkarma Daily Briefs

For our next Corporate Webinar, we are glad to welcome Kuaishou Technology’s Head of Capital Market and Investor Relations, Matthew Huaxia Zhao.

In the upcoming webinar, Matthew will share a short company presentation after which, he will engage in a fireside chat with Smartkarma Insight Provider, Eric Wen . The Corporate Webinar will include a live Q&A session.

The Corporate Webinar will be hosted on Tuesday, 12 December 2023, 17:00 SGT.

About Kuaishou Technology

Kuaishou is a leading content community and social platform with its mission to be the most customer-obsessed company in the world. Kuaishou has relentlessly been focusing on serving its customers and creating value for them through the continual innovation and optimization of its products and services. At Kuaishou, any user can chronicle and share their life experiences through short videos and live streams and showcase their talents. Working closely with content creators and businesses together, Kuaishou provides product and service offerings that address various user needs that arise naturally, including entertainment, online marketing services, e-commerce, online games, online knowledge-sharing, and more.

• Electric-vehicle (EV) startup Nio Inc. looks set to begin building its cars independently, announcing plans to acquire two manufacturing assets shortly after a subsidiary was added to a government database for companies approved to produce vehicles.
• Nio on Tuesday entered into “definitive agreements” to buy equipment and assets from two “advanced manufacturing” bases from state-owned automaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp. Ltd. (JAC) (600418.SH +1.67%) for approximately 3.16 billion yuan ($443 million), excluding tax, according to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing accompanying its third quarter results the same day.
• JAC has been producing all of Nio’s cars on a contract basis since 2018.

• Is TSMC Leaving Samsung in the Dust with its New 3nm Process Technology?
• Our Pick Himax a Top Loser… Apple Lens Supplier, Yageo Peer, and Taiwan AI Chip Designer Top Winners
• Positive Sign for Apple Revenue — Hon Hai November Revenue Higher Than Expected, Guides for Better December

• Buoyed by strong post-pandemic domestic consumption and the return of inbound visitors to Japan, Sapporo Holdings (2501 JP) has been firing on all cylinders in recent quarters.
• Business fundamentals for next year look strong, with the company positioned to benefit the most from Japan’s liquor tax revisions.
• Additionally, activist investor 3D Investment Partners could successfully advance their proposals to divest the Real Estate business.

• The European Commission has confirmed it aims to make a preliminary decision on the proposed Korean Air/Asiana merger by 14 February.
• Plans to sell Asiana Cargo may struggle to find a buyer, while the US has also highlighted concerns regarding the merger, and Japan has yet to provide approval.
• We continue to highlight there is a strong argument for Korean Air continuing alone, as Asiana continues to struggle to achieve profitability, with a stretched balance sheet.

• Of the six Malaysian banks screened, we keep value play RHB Bank on the buy list and switch our prior CIMB for Maybank
• RHB Bank is our top pick for its undemanding PE and PBV whilst being second from top in post-provision profitability; its high CET1 ratio has not held back its ROE
• We drop CIMB from the buy list for its weaker credit quality and low NPL coverage; we upgrade quality pick Maybank to buy for its attractive valuations

Deliveroo’s (ROO’s) November capital markets day (CMD) saw its leadership team present initiatives aimed at progressing the customer value proposition (CVP) to drive revenue growth and improve profitability. ROO’s strategy is to unlock growth through greater market penetration and by growing customer loyalty via a hyperlocal approach, hosting both national and local brands on its platform. The shares are down 65% since the IPO in 2021, with trading affected by the weaker consumer environment amongst other factors. ROO trades at a discount to its peers, although delivery on financial targets and the tailwind of an improving consumer environment could enable the discount to narrow.

While we believe H223 represents a pause in growth at paragon’s ongoing automotive operations, we are cutting our near-term EBITDA margin contribution from the Electronics segment. As a result, we lower our FY23e and FY24e sales estimates by 2% and 3% and EBITDA by 25% and 17% respectively, reducing our DCF valuation to €9.4/share.

• Aspira Women’s Health announced today that it has completed the design of the EndoCheck test based on the analysis of samples received from The University of Oxford in October.
• This data shows EndoCheck to be a high-performing blood test for localized endometriosis, including ovarian endometriosis masses known as endometrioma.
• Endometrioma is a localized form of endometriosis that has formed an ovarian mass. It is one of the most common types of endometriosis.

• A positive surprise – Q1-3 FY12/2023 results highlighted the positive demand environment for AZN’s services, with Inheritance consulting sales growing 47.1% YoY driven by new customer acquisitions.
• The company’s aim to improve the quality of earnings is demonstrated by improvements in underlying profitability with the sales mix shifting towards Wealth Consulting, while Real Estate Solutions provides cross-selling opportunities and strong access to engage with new customers.
• The company has revised its FY12/2023 earnings estimates and on track to book record-high earnings, and has currently maintained its FY dividend forecast of ¥41 per share.