Equity Bottom-Up

In this briefing:

1. Matahari Department Store (LPPF IJ) – A Retail Conundrum
2. Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP): Writing Off the Past
3. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero): Rather Rich for a Bargain Hunter
4. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…
5. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition

1. Matahari Department Store (LPPF IJ) – A Retail Conundrum

Pt Matahari Department Store (LPPF IJ)‘s FY18 results call was an interesting combination of kitchen sinking, a cautious outlook, combined with some more optimistic strategies on specialty stores with new brands and smaller format stores for regional expansion. The big question is whether these strategies will win out or will the company continue to underwhelm on its growth prospects? 

Pt Matahari Department Store (LPPF IJ) remains a market leader in its space with 159 departments stores across Indonesia selling affordable fashion to the middle classes but it has underwhelmed on a few occasions on its growth and guidance. It is reducing its dividend payout to facilitate the build-out of specialty stores with new brands on board. 

Valuations do now look interesting with the company trading on 6.0x FY19E PER and 5.4x FY20E PER. It generates a forecast ROE of 70% and ROE of 30%, which is extremely high for a retailer. The question is how much analysts will downgrade and whether investors will look through its Lippo connection. After another 9% fall in the share price today after 22% yesterday, a lot does seem to have been factored in already.

2. Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP): Writing Off the Past

Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP) (MHFG) has slashed its forecast for FY3/2019 consolidated net profits from ¥570 billion to just ¥80 billion, citing previously-unbudgeted write-downs on physical branch assets and retail banking software, as well as valuation losses on marking to market part of the group’s foreign bond portfolio, especially on derivative products. Total additional costs to be incurred in FY3/2019 are now expected to be around ¥680 billion.

In effect, MHFG is attempting to ‘clear the decks’ of redundant and uneconomic assets  –  a legacy from its 20^th century role as a branch-based deposit taker and lender  –   and is now positioning itself for 21^st century ‘cashless’ banking centred on electronic transaction and payment systems.  While this is a laudable effort, MHFG is late to do this; rivals Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Group (8306 JP) and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316 JP)  slimmed down their branch networks in FY3/2018, incurring heavy costs in doing so.

We remain skeptical that this signals the end of MHFG’s problems, and continue to recommend an Underweight position in Japanese bank stocks generally.

MHFG’s uneconomic asset problems are far from unique.  This news may just be the first of a succession of similar announcements from other banks over the next 2-3 years as they face not only an ongoing ultra-low interest rate environment but now also the stark economic realities of a declining local population, high overheads as a result of over-manned and under-utilised branches, a clear shift towards Internet banking and the increasing use of ‘cashless’ alternative payment systems by retail customers.

3. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero): Rather Rich for a Bargain Hunter

Bank Rakyat Indonesia Perser (BBRI IJ) seems to be doing a great deal right to perhaps satisfy a punchy valuation.

Profitability is elevated with chunky NIMs and spreads, fee income and insurance are performing well, and OPEX is under control. Capital Adequacy and CIR look healthy.

However, we are concerned about rising interest costs, at a pace in excess of interest income generation.

The bank also seems to be stretching a little in terms of quality income to reach the Net Profit line with “other non-interest interest income” and gains on securities. The bottom line falls a little short of a comprehensive income assessment.

In addition, asset quality remains a thorny issue. The Balance Sheet continues to be much more toxic than the sedate NPL ratio. This relates to the micro focus.

Debt to Equity is on the rise.

Overall, trends are no better than average – as testified by a PH Score of 5.

Trading on a P/Book of 2.6x and an earnings yield of 7.3%, we believe that valuation is somewhat rich irrespective of the bank’s strengths. A franchise valuation of 52% versus a median of 8% in Asia Pacific seals the deal.

4. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…

Accordia Golf Trust (AGT SP) is the second largest golf course operator in Japan that offers stable DPU with assets that are less correlated to the global economic cycle but they have their own challenges; aging demographics that makes the number of games played lower over time, volatile weather in Japan (unlike in Singapore where it’s sunny summer all year long), limited upside impact from automation initiative and golf tax. 

5. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition

• The advertising revenues slowed down significantly in 4Q2018.
• We believe the content transition from politics to entertainment was not as good as the management expected.
• We believe WB will not defeat Tencent’s WeChat.
• We believe the stock price has downside of 9%.

In this briefing:

1. Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP): Writing Off the Past
2. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero): Rather Rich for a Bargain Hunter
3. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…
4. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition
5. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”

1. Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP): Writing Off the Past

Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JP) (MHFG) has slashed its forecast for FY3/2019 consolidated net profits from ¥570 billion to just ¥80 billion, citing previously-unbudgeted write-downs on physical branch assets and retail banking software, as well as valuation losses on marking to market part of the group’s foreign bond portfolio, especially on derivative products. Total additional costs to be incurred in FY3/2019 are now expected to be around ¥680 billion.

In effect, MHFG is attempting to ‘clear the decks’ of redundant and uneconomic assets  –  a legacy from its 20^th century role as a branch-based deposit taker and lender  –   and is now positioning itself for 21^st century ‘cashless’ banking centred on electronic transaction and payment systems.  While this is a laudable effort, MHFG is late to do this; rivals Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Group (8306 JP) and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316 JP)  slimmed down their branch networks in FY3/2018, incurring heavy costs in doing so.

We remain skeptical that this signals the end of MHFG’s problems, and continue to recommend an Underweight position in Japanese bank stocks generally.

MHFG’s uneconomic asset problems are far from unique.  This news may just be the first of a succession of similar announcements from other banks over the next 2-3 years as they face not only an ongoing ultra-low interest rate environment but now also the stark economic realities of a declining local population, high overheads as a result of over-manned and under-utilised branches, a clear shift towards Internet banking and the increasing use of ‘cashless’ alternative payment systems by retail customers.

2. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero): Rather Rich for a Bargain Hunter

Bank Rakyat Indonesia Perser (BBRI IJ) seems to be doing a great deal right to perhaps satisfy a punchy valuation.

Profitability is elevated with chunky NIMs and spreads, fee income and insurance are performing well, and OPEX is under control. Capital Adequacy and CIR look healthy.

However, we are concerned about rising interest costs, at a pace in excess of interest income generation.

The bank also seems to be stretching a little in terms of quality income to reach the Net Profit line with “other non-interest interest income” and gains on securities. The bottom line falls a little short of a comprehensive income assessment.

In addition, asset quality remains a thorny issue. The Balance Sheet continues to be much more toxic than the sedate NPL ratio. This relates to the micro focus.

Debt to Equity is on the rise.

Overall, trends are no better than average – as testified by a PH Score of 5.

Trading on a P/Book of 2.6x and an earnings yield of 7.3%, we believe that valuation is somewhat rich irrespective of the bank’s strengths. A franchise valuation of 52% versus a median of 8% in Asia Pacific seals the deal.

3. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…

Accordia Golf Trust (AGT SP) is the second largest golf course operator in Japan that offers stable DPU with assets that are less correlated to the global economic cycle but they have their own challenges; aging demographics that makes the number of games played lower over time, volatile weather in Japan (unlike in Singapore where it’s sunny summer all year long), limited upside impact from automation initiative and golf tax. 

4. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition

• The advertising revenues slowed down significantly in 4Q2018.
• We believe the content transition from politics to entertainment was not as good as the management expected.
• We believe WB will not defeat Tencent’s WeChat.
• We believe the stock price has downside of 9%.

5. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”

* The recovery in 4Q2018 shows that CTRP has already survived the new law and the new competitor in 2018.
* We believe EPS will grow 12% in 2019.
* However, we believe the market has already over-reacted to the news last November that CTRP became the largest online travel agency.
* We set a target price of USD23.80, which is 32% below the market price.

In this briefing:

1. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero): Rather Rich for a Bargain Hunter
2. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…
3. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition
4. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”
5. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far

1. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero): Rather Rich for a Bargain Hunter

Bank Rakyat Indonesia Perser (BBRI IJ) seems to be doing a great deal right to perhaps satisfy a punchy valuation.

Profitability is elevated with chunky NIMs and spreads, fee income and insurance are performing well, and OPEX is under control. Capital Adequacy and CIR look healthy.

However, we are concerned about rising interest costs, at a pace in excess of interest income generation.

The bank also seems to be stretching a little in terms of quality income to reach the Net Profit line with “other non-interest interest income” and gains on securities. The bottom line falls a little short of a comprehensive income assessment.

In addition, asset quality remains a thorny issue. The Balance Sheet continues to be much more toxic than the sedate NPL ratio. This relates to the micro focus.

Debt to Equity is on the rise.

Overall, trends are no better than average – as testified by a PH Score of 5.

Trading on a P/Book of 2.6x and an earnings yield of 7.3%, we believe that valuation is somewhat rich irrespective of the bank’s strengths. A franchise valuation of 52% versus a median of 8% in Asia Pacific seals the deal.

2. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…

Accordia Golf Trust (AGT SP) is the second largest golf course operator in Japan that offers stable DPU with assets that are less correlated to the global economic cycle but they have their own challenges; aging demographics that makes the number of games played lower over time, volatile weather in Japan (unlike in Singapore where it’s sunny summer all year long), limited upside impact from automation initiative and golf tax. 

3. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition

• The advertising revenues slowed down significantly in 4Q2018.
• We believe the content transition from politics to entertainment was not as good as the management expected.
• We believe WB will not defeat Tencent’s WeChat.
• We believe the stock price has downside of 9%.

4. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”

* The recovery in 4Q2018 shows that CTRP has already survived the new law and the new competitor in 2018.
* We believe EPS will grow 12% in 2019.
* However, we believe the market has already over-reacted to the news last November that CTRP became the largest online travel agency.
* We set a target price of USD23.80, which is 32% below the market price.

5. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far

Other than CEO Elon Musk’s tweets, there is not a whole lot that has been announced about the Model Y other than that it will be unveiled at the company’s L.A. Design Studio on March 14.  Here is a brief list of what we know so far about the Model Y:

• Musk indicated during the 4Q earnings analyst call that Models 3&Y will have a 78% shared content ratio (see Tesla (TSLA): 4Q Earnings and First Impressions on the Company’s Strategy ), with media reports quoting Musk also referring to a 75% shared content ratio in other forums (see, e.g., https://electrek.co/2019/02/07/tesla-casting-lines-gigafactory-model-y-production/).
• Musk also had stated during the 4Q earnings call that the Model Y will begin production at the Shanghai Gigafactory 3 which is projected to be completed at the end of 2019.  The company has not confirmed that commercial production of the Y will begin in the U.S. simultaneously.
• There are no changes or additions in Musk’s tweets to previously announced commercialization target dates for the Model Y.  

Tesla’s new product launches historically have been mired in delays.  Assuming management does not repeat its assembly line prototyping mistakes prior to the Model 3 launch there should not be an issue currently with meeting its production target timeline of 1H20.  However, we also believe any such concerns would be legitimate given Tesla’s history.

A Tesla Model Y Teaser Shot

In this briefing:

1. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…
2. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition
3. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”
4. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far
5. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment

1. Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…

Accordia Golf Trust (AGT SP) is the second largest golf course operator in Japan that offers stable DPU with assets that are less correlated to the global economic cycle but they have their own challenges; aging demographics that makes the number of games played lower over time, volatile weather in Japan (unlike in Singapore where it’s sunny summer all year long), limited upside impact from automation initiative and golf tax. 

2. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition

• The advertising revenues slowed down significantly in 4Q2018.
• We believe the content transition from politics to entertainment was not as good as the management expected.
• We believe WB will not defeat Tencent’s WeChat.
• We believe the stock price has downside of 9%.

3. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”

* The recovery in 4Q2018 shows that CTRP has already survived the new law and the new competitor in 2018.
* We believe EPS will grow 12% in 2019.
* However, we believe the market has already over-reacted to the news last November that CTRP became the largest online travel agency.
* We set a target price of USD23.80, which is 32% below the market price.

4. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far

Other than CEO Elon Musk’s tweets, there is not a whole lot that has been announced about the Model Y other than that it will be unveiled at the company’s L.A. Design Studio on March 14.  Here is a brief list of what we know so far about the Model Y:

• Musk indicated during the 4Q earnings analyst call that Models 3&Y will have a 78% shared content ratio (see Tesla (TSLA): 4Q Earnings and First Impressions on the Company’s Strategy ), with media reports quoting Musk also referring to a 75% shared content ratio in other forums (see, e.g., https://electrek.co/2019/02/07/tesla-casting-lines-gigafactory-model-y-production/).
• Musk also had stated during the 4Q earnings call that the Model Y will begin production at the Shanghai Gigafactory 3 which is projected to be completed at the end of 2019.  The company has not confirmed that commercial production of the Y will begin in the U.S. simultaneously.
• There are no changes or additions in Musk’s tweets to previously announced commercialization target dates for the Model Y.  

Tesla’s new product launches historically have been mired in delays.  Assuming management does not repeat its assembly line prototyping mistakes prior to the Model 3 launch there should not be an issue currently with meeting its production target timeline of 1H20.  However, we also believe any such concerns would be legitimate given Tesla’s history.

A Tesla Model Y Teaser Shot

5. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment

The publication of Lyft’s IPO prospectus is a clear positive for Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) . As a pure investment, Rakuten’s return on its Lyft investments could be 273-366% or ¥101-136 per share based on the $20-25bn valuation range reported by the press. There has been a lot of focus on the investment gains Rakuten should accrue but the real upside is a timely boost to liquidity plus accounting cover as mobile investment accelerates.  Whether one believes Rakuten can succeed in mobile or not, it has the capital and paper profits to support a splashy introduction and spending is already accelerating.

In this briefing:

1. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition
2. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”
3. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far
4. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment
5. HSBC – Meteoric Rise in Credit Costs

1. Weibo (WB): Revenues Slowed Down Significantly in 4Q2018, Failed in Transition

• The advertising revenues slowed down significantly in 4Q2018.
• We believe the content transition from politics to entertainment was not as good as the management expected.
• We believe WB will not defeat Tencent’s WeChat.
• We believe the stock price has downside of 9%.

2. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”

* The recovery in 4Q2018 shows that CTRP has already survived the new law and the new competitor in 2018.
* We believe EPS will grow 12% in 2019.
* However, we believe the market has already over-reacted to the news last November that CTRP became the largest online travel agency.
* We set a target price of USD23.80, which is 32% below the market price.

3. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far

Other than CEO Elon Musk’s tweets, there is not a whole lot that has been announced about the Model Y other than that it will be unveiled at the company’s L.A. Design Studio on March 14.  Here is a brief list of what we know so far about the Model Y:

• Musk indicated during the 4Q earnings analyst call that Models 3&Y will have a 78% shared content ratio (see Tesla (TSLA): 4Q Earnings and First Impressions on the Company’s Strategy ), with media reports quoting Musk also referring to a 75% shared content ratio in other forums (see, e.g., https://electrek.co/2019/02/07/tesla-casting-lines-gigafactory-model-y-production/).
• Musk also had stated during the 4Q earnings call that the Model Y will begin production at the Shanghai Gigafactory 3 which is projected to be completed at the end of 2019.  The company has not confirmed that commercial production of the Y will begin in the U.S. simultaneously.
• There are no changes or additions in Musk’s tweets to previously announced commercialization target dates for the Model Y.  

Tesla’s new product launches historically have been mired in delays.  Assuming management does not repeat its assembly line prototyping mistakes prior to the Model 3 launch there should not be an issue currently with meeting its production target timeline of 1H20.  However, we also believe any such concerns would be legitimate given Tesla’s history.

A Tesla Model Y Teaser Shot

4. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment

The publication of Lyft’s IPO prospectus is a clear positive for Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) . As a pure investment, Rakuten’s return on its Lyft investments could be 273-366% or ¥101-136 per share based on the $20-25bn valuation range reported by the press. There has been a lot of focus on the investment gains Rakuten should accrue but the real upside is a timely boost to liquidity plus accounting cover as mobile investment accelerates.  Whether one believes Rakuten can succeed in mobile or not, it has the capital and paper profits to support a splashy introduction and spending is already accelerating.

5. HSBC – Meteoric Rise in Credit Costs

The five-fold rise in HSBC Holdings (5 HK)’s latest quarterly credit costs compared with the first quarter of the year should not surprise our readers.  It was always the case that the bank’s provision expenses were too low, not only in the first quarter of the year, but even through the third quarter. This is where following of lower headline bad loan figures wholly misleads. What really matters now is where credit costs will move in coming quarters and years. We offer long-perspective on this suggesting sizeable costs in 2019, where HSBC is now indicating “normalisation of credit costs going forward.” We note further observations from the bank’s granular disclosures that point toward worsening credit metrics, further supporting the notion of ‘normalisation’ or what we can simply call far higher credit costs. In any case, we do not believe most are expecting a wholesale rise in provision costs at HSBC, from current levels. 

In this briefing:

1. Sell Lenovo: Profit Is an Illusion, Liabilities Are Rising and There Is Little Real Equity Value
2. Thai Telcos Struggle as All Three Seek to Gain Share While Spectrum Risk Looms Again in 2019.
3. Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect – $8.4 Bn Inflows in February (Kweichow Moutai, Aier Eye, Luxshare)
4. Alps Alpine Buyback Proceeding Apace
5. Snippets #19: Marijuana, Mergers, and More

1. Sell Lenovo: Profit Is an Illusion, Liabilities Are Rising and There Is Little Real Equity Value

In Q3, Lenovo (992 HK) reported revenue growth – well ahead of market expectations, improved margins and US$1.9bn of cashflow.  This was a considerable surprise to us – and the market.  However, having analysed the results, most of the reported revenue and profit growth comes from the Fujitsu Ltd (6702 JP) acquisition. The rise in cashflow largely came from working capital, but also benefitted from the structure of the Fujitsu deal. We think real full-year cashflow after investment, US$0.8bn, will yet again, fail to cover finance costs and dividends, and Lenovo will need to borrow another US$400m.

2. Thai Telcos Struggle as All Three Seek to Gain Share While Spectrum Risk Looms Again in 2019.

Chris Hoare met the Thai telcos recently but did not come away particularly enthused. His view is that the market probably remains tough this year. The good news is that the low priced, limited speed with unlimited usage, offers have mostly been withdrawn. It will take 2-3 quarters for this to work through, as these were 12 month plans, but it does suggest improved data monetization as the year progresses. A lack of data monetization was the key reason behind the revenue slowdown in 2H18. However, with data usage now so high (around 10GB/month), and content services unlikely to lead to revenue growth in the foreseeable future, overall revenue recovery is likely to be modest. 

3. Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect – $8.4 Bn Inflows in February (Kweichow Moutai, Aier Eye, Luxshare)

In our Discover SZ/SH Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of northbound trades via the Shanghai Connect and Shenzhen Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by offshore investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the northbound trade into three groups: those with a market capitalization of above USD 5 billion, and those with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion.

We note that offshore investors were buying all GICS sectors, and had a strong preference for Industrials, Consumer Staples, Consumer Discretionary, and Financials names. We estimate that total inflow into the A-share market via northbound trade amounted to USD 8.4 bn in February.

4. Alps Alpine Buyback Proceeding Apace

Late last year, in the final run-up to the vote to determine whether Alpine (6816 JP) investors would subject themselves to a bad share exchange ratio or would choose to oblige Alps (6770 JP) to have another run at it in a different format, Alps announced a shareholder return policy which included buying back ¥40 billion of shares. 

It is to be noted that this meant that the combined entity was going to be left with less cash than the total deemed necessary by the two companies just a very short while before. Why? Because Alps – with the strong governance it has – obviously had the right amount – and Alpine also had the right amount (it needed substantial equity-funded cash as “working capital” because otherwise it would run a serious danger of business disruption and deterioration. So despite this severe business risk, the two companies effectively announced they would disburse 90% of Alpine’s cash on hand to shareholders POST-MERGER through the special dividend offered to sweeten the pot to get the merger through, and the ¥40 billion buyback. 

The merger, of course, went through, and the ¥28.4 billion* buyback is proceeding apace.

5. Snippets #19: Marijuana, Mergers, and More

Five interesting trends/developments that could impact Thai equities in the recent period:

• Legalization of medicinal marijuana. Thailand legalized medicinal use of marijuana at end of February and has already received immense interest from potential growers. At some point, pharma and healthcare companies could be beneficiaries of this trend.
• Rumbles in the airline industry. Asia Aviation (AAV TB) , parent company of Thai Air Asia, acquires a stake in competitor Nok Air. This is one of the few signs of industry consolidation in this sector.
• MOU signed between TMB and Thanachart. The deal may take longer than initially expected, but the two sides have agreed on some basics such as 70% equity financing and deal size of roughly Bt130-140bn.
• Read-through from US Election 2020. Some of the Democrat policies advocated by candidates in 2020 could turn out to be positive for Asian equities.
• BGrimm acquires Glow SPP1 for a bargain price of Bt3.3bn, or 55% of the expected price, opening the way for the GPSC-Glow merger, potentially the largest deal of 2019.

In this briefing:

1. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”
2. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far
3. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment
4. HSBC – Meteoric Rise in Credit Costs
5. Quick Read of 2019 Government Work Report – Bulls and Bears

1. Ctrip (CTRP): Overcame Two Difficulties in Q4, But Market Over-Reacted to “Global No. 1”

* The recovery in 4Q2018 shows that CTRP has already survived the new law and the new competitor in 2018.
* We believe EPS will grow 12% in 2019.
* However, we believe the market has already over-reacted to the news last November that CTRP became the largest online travel agency.
* We set a target price of USD23.80, which is 32% below the market price.

2. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far

Other than CEO Elon Musk’s tweets, there is not a whole lot that has been announced about the Model Y other than that it will be unveiled at the company’s L.A. Design Studio on March 14.  Here is a brief list of what we know so far about the Model Y:

• Musk indicated during the 4Q earnings analyst call that Models 3&Y will have a 78% shared content ratio (see Tesla (TSLA): 4Q Earnings and First Impressions on the Company’s Strategy ), with media reports quoting Musk also referring to a 75% shared content ratio in other forums (see, e.g., https://electrek.co/2019/02/07/tesla-casting-lines-gigafactory-model-y-production/).
• Musk also had stated during the 4Q earnings call that the Model Y will begin production at the Shanghai Gigafactory 3 which is projected to be completed at the end of 2019.  The company has not confirmed that commercial production of the Y will begin in the U.S. simultaneously.
• There are no changes or additions in Musk’s tweets to previously announced commercialization target dates for the Model Y.  

Tesla’s new product launches historically have been mired in delays.  Assuming management does not repeat its assembly line prototyping mistakes prior to the Model 3 launch there should not be an issue currently with meeting its production target timeline of 1H20.  However, we also believe any such concerns would be legitimate given Tesla’s history.

A Tesla Model Y Teaser Shot

3. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment

The publication of Lyft’s IPO prospectus is a clear positive for Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) . As a pure investment, Rakuten’s return on its Lyft investments could be 273-366% or ¥101-136 per share based on the $20-25bn valuation range reported by the press. There has been a lot of focus on the investment gains Rakuten should accrue but the real upside is a timely boost to liquidity plus accounting cover as mobile investment accelerates.  Whether one believes Rakuten can succeed in mobile or not, it has the capital and paper profits to support a splashy introduction and spending is already accelerating.

4. HSBC – Meteoric Rise in Credit Costs

The five-fold rise in HSBC Holdings (5 HK)’s latest quarterly credit costs compared with the first quarter of the year should not surprise our readers.  It was always the case that the bank’s provision expenses were too low, not only in the first quarter of the year, but even through the third quarter. This is where following of lower headline bad loan figures wholly misleads. What really matters now is where credit costs will move in coming quarters and years. We offer long-perspective on this suggesting sizeable costs in 2019, where HSBC is now indicating “normalisation of credit costs going forward.” We note further observations from the bank’s granular disclosures that point toward worsening credit metrics, further supporting the notion of ‘normalisation’ or what we can simply call far higher credit costs. In any case, we do not believe most are expecting a wholesale rise in provision costs at HSBC, from current levels. 

5. Quick Read of 2019 Government Work Report – Bulls and Bears

The Premier Li Keqiang had just conducted an annual Government Work Report in the two session conference (两会) in Beijing this morning. In this insight, we will briefly walk through key points of his report and identify bulls and bears in the market.

While the theme of cost reduction benefits manufacturing companies, it will negative for some infrastructure service providers, such as telecom companies.

The full text in Chinese can be accessed here.

In this briefing:

1. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far
2. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment
3. HSBC – Meteoric Rise in Credit Costs
4. Quick Read of 2019 Government Work Report – Bulls and Bears
5. Sell Lenovo: Profit Is an Illusion, Liabilities Are Rising and There Is Little Real Equity Value

1. Tesla (TSLA): Model Y to Be Unveiled in L.A. On March 14 – What We Know So Far

Other than CEO Elon Musk’s tweets, there is not a whole lot that has been announced about the Model Y other than that it will be unveiled at the company’s L.A. Design Studio on March 14.  Here is a brief list of what we know so far about the Model Y:

• Musk indicated during the 4Q earnings analyst call that Models 3&Y will have a 78% shared content ratio (see Tesla (TSLA): 4Q Earnings and First Impressions on the Company’s Strategy ), with media reports quoting Musk also referring to a 75% shared content ratio in other forums (see, e.g., https://electrek.co/2019/02/07/tesla-casting-lines-gigafactory-model-y-production/).
• Musk also had stated during the 4Q earnings call that the Model Y will begin production at the Shanghai Gigafactory 3 which is projected to be completed at the end of 2019.  The company has not confirmed that commercial production of the Y will begin in the U.S. simultaneously.
• There are no changes or additions in Musk’s tweets to previously announced commercialization target dates for the Model Y.  

Tesla’s new product launches historically have been mired in delays.  Assuming management does not repeat its assembly line prototyping mistakes prior to the Model 3 launch there should not be an issue currently with meeting its production target timeline of 1H20.  However, we also believe any such concerns would be legitimate given Tesla’s history.

A Tesla Model Y Teaser Shot

2. Rakuten: Lyft IPO Provides Timely Support for Mobile Deployment

The publication of Lyft’s IPO prospectus is a clear positive for Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) . As a pure investment, Rakuten’s return on its Lyft investments could be 273-366% or ¥101-136 per share based on the $20-25bn valuation range reported by the press. There has been a lot of focus on the investment gains Rakuten should accrue but the real upside is a timely boost to liquidity plus accounting cover as mobile investment accelerates.  Whether one believes Rakuten can succeed in mobile or not, it has the capital and paper profits to support a splashy introduction and spending is already accelerating.

3. HSBC – Meteoric Rise in Credit Costs

The five-fold rise in HSBC Holdings (5 HK)’s latest quarterly credit costs compared with the first quarter of the year should not surprise our readers.  It was always the case that the bank’s provision expenses were too low, not only in the first quarter of the year, but even through the third quarter. This is where following of lower headline bad loan figures wholly misleads. What really matters now is where credit costs will move in coming quarters and years. We offer long-perspective on this suggesting sizeable costs in 2019, where HSBC is now indicating “normalisation of credit costs going forward.” We note further observations from the bank’s granular disclosures that point toward worsening credit metrics, further supporting the notion of ‘normalisation’ or what we can simply call far higher credit costs. In any case, we do not believe most are expecting a wholesale rise in provision costs at HSBC, from current levels. 

4. Quick Read of 2019 Government Work Report – Bulls and Bears

The Premier Li Keqiang had just conducted an annual Government Work Report in the two session conference (两会) in Beijing this morning. In this insight, we will briefly walk through key points of his report and identify bulls and bears in the market.

While the theme of cost reduction benefits manufacturing companies, it will negative for some infrastructure service providers, such as telecom companies.

The full text in Chinese can be accessed here.

5. Sell Lenovo: Profit Is an Illusion, Liabilities Are Rising and There Is Little Real Equity Value

In Q3, Lenovo (992 HK) reported revenue growth – well ahead of market expectations, improved margins and US$1.9bn of cashflow.  This was a considerable surprise to us – and the market.  However, having analysed the results, most of the reported revenue and profit growth comes from the Fujitsu Ltd (6702 JP) acquisition. The rise in cashflow largely came from working capital, but also benefitted from the structure of the Fujitsu deal. We think real full-year cashflow after investment, US$0.8bn, will yet again, fail to cover finance costs and dividends, and Lenovo will need to borrow another US$400m.

In this briefing:

1. 58.com (WUBA): Weak Membership Growth Suggests More Volatile Performance, 17% Downside
2. JKN: 4Q18 Earnings Grew Both YoY and QoQ
3. 7-Eleven in India: Standard Franchise Model Would Require Minor Tweaks in India
4. BIMB: Market Gives Thumbs-Up to Results
5. Blue Bird (BIRD IJ) – Transport Wizzard with a Twist – On the Ground in J-Town

1. 58.com (WUBA): Weak Membership Growth Suggests More Volatile Performance, 17% Downside

* We believe that the stagnancy in membership was due to the new competitor Ke.com and will make total revenues more volatile in the future.

* We assume total revenues will slow down, but the operating margin will be stable in 2019.

* We compare WUBA’s expected P/E for 2019 with other vertical platforms in China and conclude 17% downside.

2. JKN: 4Q18 Earnings Grew Both YoY and QoQ

The company’s 4Q18 net profit was at Bt46m (+298%YoY and +8%QoQ). The result was in line with our 2018 forecast and accounted for 97% of our full-year forecast.

• A YoY surge in earnings was due to a 30% increase in revenue to Bt360m, mainly from export revenue (50% revenue contribution in 3Q18 from 0% in 4Q17). A QoQ gain was caused a reduction in extra expenses for holding an annual event ‘JKN mega showcase’ in early August.
• 2019 earnings outlook is still decent on the back of 1.) higher revenue contribution from export market especially South East Asia (26% of revenue in 2018), 2.) CNBC studio commencement in 2Q19, and, 3.) revenue recognition from new channel subscribers (No.5, Thairath, Spring news, True4U, Nation and MONO)

We maintain our forecast and BUY rating for JKN with a target price of Bt8.80 based on 14.8xPE’19E mean of the Asia ex-Japan Consumer Discretionary Sector.

3. 7-Eleven in India: Standard Franchise Model Would Require Minor Tweaks in India

• 7-Eleven partners up with Future Retail in an effort to enter the growing Indian Market
• Indian E-Commerce giants pose a significant threat to 7-Eleven’s plans
• 7-Eleven’s recent shift focuses more on developing markets.
• Lack of profitability in India could require changes to the standard franchise agreement in order to attract franchisees

On 28th February 2019, Seven & I Holdings (3382 JP), the operator of the world’s largest convenience store chain 7-Eleven, announced that the company has signed a master franchise agreement with Kishore Biyani’s Future Retail, the operator of the Indian large format store chain Big Bazaar, to expand the 7-Eleven convenience stores into India. Future Retail and Seven & I Holdings expect the first 7-Eleven convenience store in India to be opened in Mumbai in 2019.

4. BIMB: Market Gives Thumbs-Up to Results

Malaysia has a tailwind of a new administration, vowing to overturn many aspects of its predecessor – including cancelling mega infra projects and reducing the “real” National debt.

The economy is relatively buoyant and is slated to generate an average of 4.75% GDP growth over 2018-2022. Private consumption will remain the main driver of growth, still the domestic economy continues to face downside risks stemming from any further escalation in trade tensions and commodity related shocks. Inflation has mellowed, supported by the cut in GST, but will still, once these effects diminish, be modest, at around 2%. Unemployment is low and there is a current account surplus.

Bimb Holdings (BIMB MK) or BHB commands two subsidiaries, Bank Islam and Takaful Malaysia. Bank Islam is a niche consumer-centred lender with a focus on mortgages: the largest component of the loan book and growing at a double-digit pace. Loans are therefore >5 years while funding tends to be <1 year. The insurance operation is BIMB’s most profitable revenue stream though. There is a concerted focus on the brand, on strategic bank partnerships, and on digitalisation. Both subsidiaries are rooted in Shariah-compliance. (Islamic Finance is a fast-growing market share in Malaysia). We do not rule out corporate reorganisation initiatives to unlock further value. The main shareholder is Lembaga Tabung Haji, a religious pilgrim fund board.

While BIMB is less sensitive to government actions on sovereign guarantees for infra projects, the bank is mainly exposed to consumer credit trends and cycle. Malaysia has a high level (by Asian standards) of household (excluding mortgages) indebtedness, dominated by credit cards, auto finance, and personal loans. Some areas of consumer banking reflect a stretched DSR, underpinning a moderately high risk by credit-to-GDP gap. The corporate sector is not excessively leveraged. BIMB though commands strong asset quality, provisioning, and capitalisation levels.

5. Blue Bird (BIRD IJ) – Transport Wizzard with a Twist – On the Ground in J-Town

A visit in Jakarta to the Blue Bird (BIRD IJ) office was well-timed as the company is close to the conclusion of two corporate actions, as well as an interesting extension to its relationship with Go-Jek Indonesia (1379371D IJ).

Both acquisitions are synergistic with its existing business and represent long-term opportunities rather than an immediate significant boost to earnings.

The company’s underlying fundamentals continue to improve with fleet utilisation up versus last year in 4Q18, as was the average revenue per taxi.

The company continues to see the benefits of its tie-up with Go-Jek, which will soon morph into something even more significant.

Blue Bird (BIRD IJ) remains an interesting way to play the rising levels of affluence amongst the rising middle classes in Indonesia. the company is close to completing two corporate actions including a new venture into the car auction business with Mitsubishi UFJ and the acquisition of an intercity bus company. It is also close to signing an extension and expansion of its relationship with Go-Jek, which will help to cement its position in the online ride-hailing space. Underlying fundamentals continue to improve both in terms of fleet utilisation and average revenue per taxi. According to Capital IQ consensus, the company trades on  14.9x FY19E PER and 13.7x FY20E PER, with forecast EPS growth of +16.2% and +8.9% for FY19E and FY20E respectively. The near-term completion of two corporate actions and an extension of its agreement with Go-Jek Indonesia (1379371D IJ) should provide positive catalysts for the share price coupled with improving ridership, average revenue per taxi, and fleet utilisation.

In this briefing:

1. Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect – $8.4 Bn Inflows in February (Kweichow Moutai, Aier Eye, Luxshare)
2. Alps Alpine Buyback Proceeding Apace
3. Snippets #19: Marijuana, Mergers, and More
4. HK Connect Discovery – February Snapshot (Tencent, COFCO Meat)
5. Rakuten (4755) Lyft Lifts Shares Price but There Is Much Further to Go.

1. Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect – $8.4 Bn Inflows in February (Kweichow Moutai, Aier Eye, Luxshare)

In our Discover SZ/SH Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of northbound trades via the Shanghai Connect and Shenzhen Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by offshore investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the northbound trade into three groups: those with a market capitalization of above USD 5 billion, and those with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion.

We note that offshore investors were buying all GICS sectors, and had a strong preference for Industrials, Consumer Staples, Consumer Discretionary, and Financials names. We estimate that total inflow into the A-share market via northbound trade amounted to USD 8.4 bn in February.

2. Alps Alpine Buyback Proceeding Apace

Late last year, in the final run-up to the vote to determine whether Alpine (6816 JP) investors would subject themselves to a bad share exchange ratio or would choose to oblige Alps (6770 JP) to have another run at it in a different format, Alps announced a shareholder return policy which included buying back ¥40 billion of shares. 

It is to be noted that this meant that the combined entity was going to be left with less cash than the total deemed necessary by the two companies just a very short while before. Why? Because Alps – with the strong governance it has – obviously had the right amount – and Alpine also had the right amount (it needed substantial equity-funded cash as “working capital” because otherwise it would run a serious danger of business disruption and deterioration. So despite this severe business risk, the two companies effectively announced they would disburse 90% of Alpine’s cash on hand to shareholders POST-MERGER through the special dividend offered to sweeten the pot to get the merger through, and the ¥40 billion buyback. 

The merger, of course, went through, and the ¥28.4 billion* buyback is proceeding apace.

3. Snippets #19: Marijuana, Mergers, and More

Five interesting trends/developments that could impact Thai equities in the recent period:

• Legalization of medicinal marijuana. Thailand legalized medicinal use of marijuana at end of February and has already received immense interest from potential growers. At some point, pharma and healthcare companies could be beneficiaries of this trend.
• Rumbles in the airline industry. Asia Aviation (AAV TB) , parent company of Thai Air Asia, acquires a stake in competitor Nok Air. This is one of the few signs of industry consolidation in this sector.
• MOU signed between TMB and Thanachart. The deal may take longer than initially expected, but the two sides have agreed on some basics such as 70% equity financing and deal size of roughly Bt130-140bn.
• Read-through from US Election 2020. Some of the Democrat policies advocated by candidates in 2020 could turn out to be positive for Asian equities.
• BGrimm acquires Glow SPP1 for a bargain price of Bt3.3bn, or 55% of the expected price, opening the way for the GPSC-Glow merger, potentially the largest deal of 2019.

4. HK Connect Discovery – February Snapshot (Tencent, COFCO Meat)

This is a monthly version of our HK Connect Weekly note, in which I highlight Hong Kong-listed companies leading the southbound flow weekly. Over the past month, we have seen the outflow continue from January. In February, we have seen Chinese investors were selling Tencent in February after buying Tencent in January. Chinese investors were also buying domestic automotive manufacturers and Macau gaming sectors.

Our February Coverage of Hong Kong Connect southbound flow

• HK Connect Discovery Weekly: China Tower, Geely, COFCO Meat (2019-02-15)
• HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Geely, Great Wall Motor and Sands China (2019-02-22)

5. Rakuten (4755) Lyft Lifts Shares Price but There Is Much Further to Go.

Assuming a sum of the parts valuation the shares are cheap. We can assume the fintech business is worth perhaps Y800-900bn (based on 10x ebit, similar to Credit Saison), the domestic e-commerce operation (which makes an operating profit of about Y70bn on revenue of Y450bn) is worth perhaps Y1.2tr (assuming a valuation of 3x sales vs. 3.5x for Amazon). There are other parts of the business which detract and there are others, including a Y350bn plus investment portfolio which add but overall, all this compares with a market cap of a mere Y1.3tr. This suggests the market is thinking that Rakuten is more than throwing its MNO investment of Y600bn away. Given the Governments desire to reduce prices in the mobile market, and its desire for 4 operators, we would suggest this is overly negative. The recent announcement that Lyft will seek an IPO has lifted the share price given its 10% stake in this name (rumoured valuation of $23bn vs. $15bn currently), but we suspect the shares have much further to run. The market knows earnings will be depressed for the next 2 years or so but does not anticipate any recovery thereafter it would appear.