Category

Hong Kong

Brief Hong Kong: Shenwan Hongyuan IPO Preview: Struggling to Stand Out and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Shenwan Hongyuan IPO Preview: Struggling to Stand Out
  2. Guotai Junan Placement: A Reasonable Price for Reasonable Performance
  3. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success
  4. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)
  5. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail

1. Shenwan Hongyuan IPO Preview: Struggling to Stand Out

Roe

Shenwan Hongyuan Hk (218 HK) is a Chinese securities firm which is backed by Chinese state-owned investment firm, Central Huijin, a 57% shareholder. It listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in January 2015 and seeking to raise $1.5 billion through a Hong Kong listing. Shenwan Hongyuan will start book-building on Thursday according to press reports.

Securities firms had a tough 2H18 due to unfavourable stock market conditions and rising competition in China and Hong Kong. In 2019, the share prices of securities firms have markedly risen YTD due to the strong index performance and rising trading volumes. Overall, Shenwan Hongyuan fundamentals are reflective of a mid-tier firm struggling to stand out.

2. Guotai Junan Placement: A Reasonable Price for Reasonable Performance

Bloomberg

Guotai Junan Securities (H) (2611 HK), a Chinese securities firm, has launched a primary placement to raise HK$2.7 billion ($345 million) at a placing price of HK$16.34. The placing price is a 7% discount to the last close price of HK$17.64.

In 2019, the share prices of Chinese securities firms have markedly risen YTD due to the strong index performance and rising trading volumes. We believe Guotai Junan’s fundamentals are reasonable due to its mid-tier revenue growth and top-quartile margins. Overall, we would participate in the placing.

3. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

4. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)

Dcm%20inter

NTT Docomo Inc (9437 JP) recently announced it would sell its 25% stake in Hutchinson Telecom Hong Kong’s ( Hutchison Telecommunications Hk Hld (215 HK)  mobile unit for US$60mn with closing expected at the end of May. This ends a 20-year association with Hutchinson forged in the initial excitement over 3G in 1999 but it hasn’t been a good ride for DoCoMo which lost close to 90% on its Hutchison investments and its other international forays were not much better.  On a related note, the HK mobile sale follows soon after DoCoMo’s exit from its credit card joint venture with Sumitomo Mitsui but we would not read anything into this beyond a rationalization of its non-core investments.

5. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail

Deal%20terms

Guotai Junan Securities (H) (2611 HK) plans to raise around US$350m via placing new H-Shares. We had earlier covered the IPO, you can find our coverage below:

This is a large deal to digest and the shares seem to be trading at a relatively tighter A-H spread versus peers.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: HK Connect Discovery Weekly: PICC, Xinyi Solar (2019-03-08) and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: PICC, Xinyi Solar (2019-03-08)
  2. Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High

1. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: PICC, Xinyi Solar (2019-03-08)

Hscei%20inflow

In our Discover HK Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of southbound trades via the Hong Kong Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by mainland investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the Hong Kong Connect trade into three groups: component stocks in the HSCEI index, stocks with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion, and stocks with a market capitalization between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion.

In this insight, we will highlight PICC and Xinyi Solar.

2. Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High

Recent%20us%20listing

Futu Holdings Ltd (FHL US)‘s IPO was priced at the top-end at US$12/ADS raising a total of US$160m, including the US$70m raised from General Atlantic via a concurrent private placement.

In my earlier insights, I looked at the company’s background,  past financial performance, scored the deal on our IPO framework and compared it to Tiger Brokers: 

In this insight, I will re-visit some of the deal dynamics, comment on share price drivers and provide a table with implied valuations.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High

1. Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High

Recent%20us%20listing

Futu Holdings Ltd (FHL US)‘s IPO was priced at the top-end at US$12/ADS raising a total of US$160m, including the US$70m raised from General Atlantic via a concurrent private placement.

In my earlier insights, I looked at the company’s background,  past financial performance, scored the deal on our IPO framework and compared it to Tiger Brokers: 

In this insight, I will re-visit some of the deal dynamics, comment on share price drivers and provide a table with implied valuations.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: Guotai Junan Placement: A Reasonable Price for Reasonable Performance and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Guotai Junan Placement: A Reasonable Price for Reasonable Performance
  2. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success
  3. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)
  4. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail
  5. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry

1. Guotai Junan Placement: A Reasonable Price for Reasonable Performance

Pbt%20margin

Guotai Junan Securities (H) (2611 HK), a Chinese securities firm, has launched a primary placement to raise HK$2.7 billion ($345 million) at a placing price of HK$16.34. The placing price is a 7% discount to the last close price of HK$17.64.

In 2019, the share prices of Chinese securities firms have markedly risen YTD due to the strong index performance and rising trading volumes. We believe Guotai Junan’s fundamentals are reasonable due to its mid-tier revenue growth and top-quartile margins. Overall, we would participate in the placing.

2. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

3. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)

Dcm%20hutch

NTT Docomo Inc (9437 JP) recently announced it would sell its 25% stake in Hutchinson Telecom Hong Kong’s ( Hutchison Telecommunications Hk Hld (215 HK)  mobile unit for US$60mn with closing expected at the end of May. This ends a 20-year association with Hutchinson forged in the initial excitement over 3G in 1999 but it hasn’t been a good ride for DoCoMo which lost close to 90% on its Hutchison investments and its other international forays were not much better.  On a related note, the HK mobile sale follows soon after DoCoMo’s exit from its credit card joint venture with Sumitomo Mitsui but we would not read anything into this beyond a rationalization of its non-core investments.

4. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail

Analyst%20ratings%20%281%29

Guotai Junan Securities (H) (2611 HK) plans to raise around US$350m via placing new H-Shares. We had earlier covered the IPO, you can find our coverage below:

This is a large deal to digest and the shares seem to be trading at a relatively tighter A-H spread versus peers.

5. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry

Performance%20comp

Studio City, a spin-off by MLCO US, was listed on October 18th, 2018 and its lock-up will expire next week on April 16th. The company raised USD 359 million in its IPO with the majority of the shares taken up by its shareholders.

In this insight, we will review the company’s operation, shares subject to lock-up expiry and its valuation vs peers. 


Our previous insights on Studio City

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High
  2. Last Week in GER Event-Driven Research: Myob, Rakuten, Delta, Graincorp and Hopewell Holding

1. Futu Holdings IPO Trading Update – Might Be Trading a Little Too High

Recent%20us%20listing

Futu Holdings Ltd (FHL US)‘s IPO was priced at the top-end at US$12/ADS raising a total of US$160m, including the US$70m raised from General Atlantic via a concurrent private placement.

In my earlier insights, I looked at the company’s background,  past financial performance, scored the deal on our IPO framework and compared it to Tiger Brokers: 

In this insight, I will re-visit some of the deal dynamics, comment on share price drivers and provide a table with implied valuations.

2. Last Week in GER Event-Driven Research: Myob, Rakuten, Delta, Graincorp and Hopewell Holding

In this version of the GER weekly EVENTS research wrap, we contend that investors should cash out on the MYOB Group Ltd (MYO AU) deal and assess the NAV discount potential for Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) post the IPO launch of Lyft Inc (0812823D US) – of which Rakuten has a 13% stake. Moreover, we dig into the deals for Delta Electronics Thai (DELTA TB) , Graincorp Ltd A (GNC AU) and Hopewell Holdings (54 HK)

More details can be found below. 

Best of luck for the new week – Rickin, Venkat and Arun

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: Last Week in GER Event-Driven Research: Myob, Rakuten, Delta, Graincorp and Hopewell Holding and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Last Week in GER Event-Driven Research: Myob, Rakuten, Delta, Graincorp and Hopewell Holding

1. Last Week in GER Event-Driven Research: Myob, Rakuten, Delta, Graincorp and Hopewell Holding

In this version of the GER weekly EVENTS research wrap, we contend that investors should cash out on the MYOB Group Ltd (MYO AU) deal and assess the NAV discount potential for Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) post the IPO launch of Lyft Inc (0812823D US) – of which Rakuten has a 13% stake. Moreover, we dig into the deals for Delta Electronics Thai (DELTA TB) , Graincorp Ltd A (GNC AU) and Hopewell Holdings (54 HK)

More details can be found below. 

Best of luck for the new week – Rickin, Venkat and Arun

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Air China and Great Wall Motor (2019-04-04) and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Air China and Great Wall Motor (2019-04-04)
  2. Kingboard Starts Voluntary Unconditional Offer for 88% Held Sub Kingboard Copper Foil
  3. Everbright Mandatory Offer for Ying Li Intl Real Estate – Going Cheap
  4. ECM Weekly (6 April 2019) – Bilibili, Huya, Qutoutiao, Polycab, PNB Metlife, CIMC Vehicle
  5. Battery Technology- The Key To An Electric Vehicle Future

1. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Air China and Great Wall Motor (2019-04-04)

Midcap%20inflow%2004 04

In our Discover HK Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of southbound trades via the Hong Kong Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by mainland investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the Hong Kong Connect trade into three groups: component stocks in the HSCEI index, stocks with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion, and stocks with a market capitalization between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion.

In this insight, we will highlight Air China and Great Wall Motor. 

2. Kingboard Starts Voluntary Unconditional Offer for 88% Held Sub Kingboard Copper Foil

Screenshot%202019 04 06%20at%208.50.45%20pm

April 4th after the close, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Kingboard Laminates Holdings (1888 HK) (which itself is 70.93% owned by Kingboard Holdings (148 HK) (formerly known as “Kingboard Chemical“)) launched a VOLUNTARY UNCONDITIONAL CASH OFFER for Kingboard Copper Foil Hldgs (KCF SP)

This is a “clean-up” as Kingboard Laminates owns 87.96% of Kingboard Copper Foil already. 

It is unconditional in all respects and the Offeror owns 87.96%. The goal is delisting. If they get 17.03% of the minority, they will be able to engineer a delisting. Squeezeout is a bit further out but is far from impossible. 

This looks like a done deal. This one should trade at shouldn’t trade at a premium UNLESS…


Quiddity’s new Quiddity Singapore M&A Guide 2019 is now published with guidelines to the relevant rules, regulations, documentation, and pointers to the Singapore M&A landscape. Watch for more in the series to be published shortly.

3. Everbright Mandatory Offer for Ying Li Intl Real Estate – Going Cheap

Screenshot%202019 04 06%20at%204.15.15%20pm

On 3 April 2019, China Everbright (165 HK)‘s wholly owned subsidiary, State Alpha Limited, purchased 767,052,161 shares representing approximately 30.00% of the Shares in Singapore-listed property developer, Ying Li International Real Estate Ltd (YINGLI SP), from Newest Luck Holdings Limited (the vehicle of Executive Chairman and CEO Mr. Fang Ming) at a share price of SGD 0.140.

Following this transaction, the combined stake of China Everbright and parties acting in concert with it reached 58.91% triggering an obligation to make a mandatory offer for all the shares of Ying Li, a transaction which was announced after the close.

The offer price of SGD 0.140 translates to a premium of 5.9% and 10.9% to Ying Li’s 1-month and 3-month VWAP, respectively but less than a 1% premium to last trade – the company’s shares closed at SGD 0.139 on 3rd April before the announcement. The company asked for a trading halt the next morning and the shares have not traded yet as the large shareholder disclosures have come trickling in on the 4th and the 5th.

The acquirer has stated that it is their present intention to maintain the listing status of the company. However, the acquirer also reserves the right to reevaluate this position if the free float falls below the 10% requirement specified in the listing rules following the completion of the offer. 

This is something like a free put for investors and a very low-priced call option for Everbright. The situation raises obvious questions, and despite the “intention” to maintain the listing status, there are reasons why they would not want to. The details are worth a look.

Quiddity’s new Quiddity Singapore M&A Guide 2019 is now published with guidelines to the relevant rules, regulations, documentation, and pointers to the Singapore M&A landscape. Watch for more in the series to be published shortly.

4. ECM Weekly (6 April 2019) – Bilibili, Huya, Qutoutiao, Polycab, PNB Metlife, CIMC Vehicle

Total deals since inception accuracy rate since inception  chartbuilder

Aequitas Research puts out a weekly update on the deals that have been covered by Smartkarma Insight Providers recently, along with updates for upcoming IPOs.

Placements activity picked up momentum this week as evidenced by the number of follow-on offerings launched by a handful of US-listed Chinese tech companies. It all started with Qutoutiao Inc (QTT US) ‘s follow-on offering, then followed by Bilibili Inc (BILI US)‘s equity + convertible note placement, and ending the week with HUYA Inc (HUYA US)‘s follow-on offering and Baozun Inc. (BZUN US)‘s convertible bond and placement. 

On the other hand, Ruhnn Holding Ltd (RUHN US)‘s debut this week had been a total disaster. It closed 37% below its IPO price on the first day. This is the worst first-day performance among Chinese ADRs (deal size >US$100m) in the past six months.

Back in Hong Kong, Dongzheng Automotive Finance (2718 HK) also broke its IPO price on the first day after relaunching at a much lower price. As per our trading update note, considering that there will be greenshoe support, we thought that the risk to reward could be favorable for a trade (from its first day mid-day price of HK$2.57). 

As for placements, Ronshine China Holdings (3301 HK) seems to have made its equity raise a yearly affair. The company is back to tap the equity market through a top-up placement and it has done the same in 2017 and 2018. The initial deal size was small, US$122m, but was upsized later on. The share price traded well post-placement, closing 9.5% above its deal price of HK$10.95 on Thursday.

For upcoming IPOs, we heard that Leong Hup International (LEHUP MK) has started pre-marketing and Sumeet Singh had already shared his early thoughts on the company in Leong Hup Pre-IPO – Hard to Pinpoint What’s Going to Be the Revenue Driver Going Forward.

We are also waiting for Shenwan Hongyuan Hk (218 HK) and CIMC Vehicle Group Co Ltd (1706044D HK) to launch their IPO since they already been approved on the HKEX. Ke Yan, CFA, FRM had also analyzed the two companies in his notes:

Map Aktif Adiperkasa PT (MAPA IJ) will be closing its bookbuild for its follow-on offering next Tuesday (pricing on Wednesday). We heard that books are already covered as of Thursday.

Accuracy Rate:

Our overall accuracy rate is 72.4% for IPOs and 63.5% for Placements 

(Performance measurement criteria is explained at the end of the note)

New IPO filings

  • Changliao AKA 派派(Hong Kong, ~US$100m)

Below is a snippet of our IPO tool showing upcoming events for the next week. The IPO tool is designed to provide readers with timely information on all IPO related events (Book open/closing, listing, initiation, lock-up expiry, etc) for all the deals that we have worked on. You can access the tool here or through the tools menu.

Source: Aequitas Research, Smartkarma

News on Upcoming IPOs

This week Analysis on Upcoming IPO

NameInsight
Hong Kong
AB InbevAb InBev Asia Pre-IPO – A Brief History of the Asia Pacific Operations – Eeking Out Growth in China
AscentageAscentage Pharma (亚盛医药) IPO: Too Early for an IPO
Ant FinancialAnt Financial IPO Early Thought: Understand Fintech Empire, Growth & Risk Factors
CIMC VehCIMC Vehicle (中集车辆): Market Leader of Semi-Trailers but Little Growth Ahead
ByteDance

ByteDance (字节跳动) IPO: How Jinri Toutiao Paves The Way for a Bigger Empire (Part 1)

ByteDance

ByteDance (字节跳动) IPO: Tiktok the No.1 Short Video App for a Good Reason (Part 2)

East EduChina East Education (中国东方教育) Pre-IPO – The Company Known for Its Culinary School
China TobacChina Tobacco International (IPO): The Monopolist Will Not Recover
China TobacChina Tobacco Intl (HK) IPO: Proxy For the Chinese Cigarette Consumption
ESRESR Cayman Pre-IPO – A Giant in the Making
ESR

ESR Cayman Pre-IPO – Earnings and Segment Analysis 

ESR

ESR Cayman Pre-IPO- First Stab at Valuation

Frontage

Frontage Holding (方达控股) IPO: More Disclosure Needed to Understand Moat and Growth Prospect

Frontage

Frontage Holding (方达控股) IPO: Updates from 2018 Numbers

Hujiang Edu

Hujiang Education (沪江教育) Pre-IPO – Spending More than It Earns

Jinxin

Jinxin Fertility (锦欣生殖) Pre-IPO: Strong Foothold in Sichuan but Weak Sentiment for Sector

MicuRxMicuRx Pharma (盟科医药) IPO: Betting on Single Drug in the Not so Attractive Antibiotic Segment
SH Henlius

Shanghai Henlius (复宏汉霖) IPO: Not an Impressive Biosimilar Portfolio 

TubatuTubatu Group Pre-IPO – Performing Better than Qeeka but Growing Much Slower, US$1bn a Stretch
TubatuTubatu Group Pre-IPO – Online -> Online + Offline -> Online -> ?
ShenwanShenwan Hongyuan (申万宏源) A+H: A Commoditized Broker Business
Viva BioViva Biotech (维亚生物) IPO: When CRO Becomes Early Stage Biotech Investor
Viva BioViva Biotech (维亚生物) IPO: Warning Signs from 2018 Numbers (Part 2)
South Korea
KMH ShillaKMH Shilla Leisure IPO Preview (Part 1) – Highly Profitable Operator of Public Golf Courses in Korea
KMH ShillaKMH Shilla Leisure IPO Preview (Part 2) – Valuation Analysis
Plakor

Plakor IPO Preview (Part 1)

PagerDuty

PagerDuty IPO Preview

SNK

SNK Corp (950180 KS)

ZinusZinus IPO Preview (Part 1) – An Amazing Comeback Story (#1 Mattress Brand on Amazon)
India
Anmol IndAnmol Industries Pre-IPO Quick Take – No Growth, Generous Payments to Founders
Bharat Hotels

Bharat Hotels Pre-IPO – Catching up with Peers 

CMS InfoCMS Info Systems Pre-IPO Review – When a PE Sells to Another PE… Only One Gets the Timing Right
Crystal CropCrystal Crop Protection Pre-IPO – DRHP Raises More Questions than in Answers
Flemingo Flemingo Travel Retail Pre-IPO – Its a Different Business in Every Country
NSENSE IPO Preview- Not Only Fast..its Risky and Expensive
NSENational Stock Exchange Pre-IPO Review – Bigger, Better, Stronger but a Little Too Fast for Some
MazagonMazagon Dock IPO Preview: A Monopoly Submarine Yard in India with Captive Navy Spending
Mrs. BectorMrs. Bectors Food Specialities Pre-IPO Quick Take – Sales for Its Main Segment Have Been Sta

Lodha

Lodha Developers Pre-IPO – Second Time Lucky but Not Really that Much Affordable
LodhaLodha Developers IPO: Large Presence in Affordable Segment Saves Lodha the Blushes in a Sluggish Mkt
IndiaMartIndiaMART Pre-IPO – Getting and Retaining Subscribers Seems to Be Difficult
PNB MetPNB Metlife Pre-IPO Quick Take – Doesn’t Stack up Well Versus Its Larger Peers
Malaysia
QSRQSR Brands Pre-IPO – As Healthy as Fast Food
LeongHupLeong Hup Pre-IPO – Hard to Pinpoint What’s Going to Be the Revenue Driver Going Forward
The U.S
YunjiYunji (云集) Pre-IPO Review – Poor Disclosure on Data

5. Battery Technology- The Key To An Electric Vehicle Future

Pic%2032

This Insight has been produced jointly by William Keating at Ingenuity and Mio Kato, CFA and Aqila Ali at LightStream Research.

The Insight is structured as follows:

  • A. Key  Conclusions
  • B. Report Highlights
  • C.History of Electric Vehicles
  • E. History of Rechargeable Battery Technologies And An In-Depth Analysis on Li-ion Batteries
  • F. Batteries Beyond Li-ion
  • G. Supply Constraints for Key Raw Materials
  • H. The Competitive Landscape

A. Key  Conclusions

Global sales of EV’s reached 2m units in 2018. As a base case scenario, we expect a combination of improving EV battery cost-effectiveness, increasingly challenging emissions standards and ongoing incentives by various governments to propel unit sales to 8m units annually by 2025. Against this, we consider battery material price increases, a reduction of EV incentives in the US and China and political and environmental risks from the mining of metals used in batteries as downside risks which could delay the growth of the EV market.

Surprisingly, the EV battery technology that will drive us towards that 8m unit goal is still very much a work in progress. While Lithium Ion is the by far the dominant technology, there are striking differences between variants of the technology, battery pack design, battery management systems and manufacturing scale between the leading contenders. Furthermore, while there’s nothing on the horizon to completely displace Lithium Ion within the next decade, it remains unclear whether the technology will be the one to achieve the $100/kWh price target that would make the EV cost-neutral compared to its internal combustion predecessors. 

Quite apart from the technology,  the EV battery segment faces other significant challenges including increasing costs for core materials such as Cobalt, increasing safety concerns as the mix of that very same cobalt is reduced in the cathode, the growing risk of litigation amidst a fiercely competitive environment and last but not least, the appetite of various governments to maintain a favourable subsidy framework. 

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success
  2. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)
  3. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail
  4. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry
  5. OUE Commercial REIT & Hospitality Trust Merger Proposed

1. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

2. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)

Dcm%20inter

NTT Docomo Inc (9437 JP) recently announced it would sell its 25% stake in Hutchinson Telecom Hong Kong’s ( Hutchison Telecommunications Hk Hld (215 HK)  mobile unit for US$60mn with closing expected at the end of May. This ends a 20-year association with Hutchinson forged in the initial excitement over 3G in 1999 but it hasn’t been a good ride for DoCoMo which lost close to 90% on its Hutchison investments and its other international forays were not much better.  On a related note, the HK mobile sale follows soon after DoCoMo’s exit from its credit card joint venture with Sumitomo Mitsui but we would not read anything into this beyond a rationalization of its non-core investments.

3. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail

Analyst%20ratings%20%281%29

Guotai Junan Securities (H) (2611 HK) plans to raise around US$350m via placing new H-Shares. We had earlier covered the IPO, you can find our coverage below:

This is a large deal to digest and the shares seem to be trading at a relatively tighter A-H spread versus peers.

4. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry

Valuation%20comp%20apr%209th

Studio City, a spin-off by MLCO US, was listed on October 18th, 2018 and its lock-up will expire next week on April 16th. The company raised USD 359 million in its IPO with the majority of the shares taken up by its shareholders.

In this insight, we will review the company’s operation, shares subject to lock-up expiry and its valuation vs peers. 


Our previous insights on Studio City

5. OUE Commercial REIT & Hospitality Trust Merger Proposed

Screenshot%202019 04 08%20at%203.00.06%20pm

After a WSJ article on Sunday suggesting as much, Monday morning 8 April 2018 saw the announcement of a Proposed Merger between OUE Commercial Real Estate Investment Tr (OUECT SP) and OUE Hospitality Trust (OUEHT SP) whereby OUEHT unitholders would receive a combination of cash and OUECT shares (S$0.04075 + 1.3853 shares of OUECT) for every share of OUEHT held. Investors in each would receive any “permitted distributions” (dividends, etc) declared by the respective managers in respect of the period from 1 Jan 2019 up to the day immediately before the date on which Trust Scheme becomes effective.

This would create a REIT with S$6.8bn of assets, a pro-forma market cap of ~S$2.9bn, and a free-float of S$1.1bn (up by 57%). OUE Group would continue to own 48.3% of the total. 

The benefits to investors would be increased scale (2.2mm square feet of commercial net lettable area, + 1,640 hotel rooms), more borrowing capacity, increased diversification as asset concentration would be lowered, and because the scope of NewREIT would be broader, it would allow REIT managers more flexibility. The above-mentioned points are advertised as being the fodder for a re-rating. The idea of possible index inclusion is mooted as well. 

The OUECT presentation says that the merger is “DPU accretive to unitholders” (+2.1% on a 2018 pro-forma basis) while the OUEHT presentation says that the merger is “value accretive to stapled securityholders” (+18.7% NAV uplift per stapled security). 

Details of how this all works below.


Separately, two other Singapore deals announced at the end of last week include:

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully) and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)
  2. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail
  3. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry
  4. OUE Commercial REIT & Hospitality Trust Merger Proposed
  5. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Air China and Great Wall Motor (2019-04-04)

1. NTT DoCoMo: Sale of HTHK Mobile Stake Is the End of an Era (Thankfully)

Dcm%20inter

NTT Docomo Inc (9437 JP) recently announced it would sell its 25% stake in Hutchinson Telecom Hong Kong’s ( Hutchison Telecommunications Hk Hld (215 HK)  mobile unit for US$60mn with closing expected at the end of May. This ends a 20-year association with Hutchinson forged in the initial excitement over 3G in 1999 but it hasn’t been a good ride for DoCoMo which lost close to 90% on its Hutchison investments and its other international forays were not much better.  On a related note, the HK mobile sale follows soon after DoCoMo’s exit from its credit card joint venture with Sumitomo Mitsui but we would not read anything into this beyond a rationalization of its non-core investments.

2. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail

Deal%20terms

Guotai Junan Securities (H) (2611 HK) plans to raise around US$350m via placing new H-Shares. We had earlier covered the IPO, you can find our coverage below:

This is a large deal to digest and the shares seem to be trading at a relatively tighter A-H spread versus peers.

3. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry

Gp

Studio City, a spin-off by MLCO US, was listed on October 18th, 2018 and its lock-up will expire next week on April 16th. The company raised USD 359 million in its IPO with the majority of the shares taken up by its shareholders.

In this insight, we will review the company’s operation, shares subject to lock-up expiry and its valuation vs peers. 


Our previous insights on Studio City

4. OUE Commercial REIT & Hospitality Trust Merger Proposed

Screenshot%202019 04 08%20at%203.06.44%20pm

After a WSJ article on Sunday suggesting as much, Monday morning 8 April 2018 saw the announcement of a Proposed Merger between OUE Commercial Real Estate Investment Tr (OUECT SP) and OUE Hospitality Trust (OUEHT SP) whereby OUEHT unitholders would receive a combination of cash and OUECT shares (S$0.04075 + 1.3853 shares of OUECT) for every share of OUEHT held. Investors in each would receive any “permitted distributions” (dividends, etc) declared by the respective managers in respect of the period from 1 Jan 2019 up to the day immediately before the date on which Trust Scheme becomes effective.

This would create a REIT with S$6.8bn of assets, a pro-forma market cap of ~S$2.9bn, and a free-float of S$1.1bn (up by 57%). OUE Group would continue to own 48.3% of the total. 

The benefits to investors would be increased scale (2.2mm square feet of commercial net lettable area, + 1,640 hotel rooms), more borrowing capacity, increased diversification as asset concentration would be lowered, and because the scope of NewREIT would be broader, it would allow REIT managers more flexibility. The above-mentioned points are advertised as being the fodder for a re-rating. The idea of possible index inclusion is mooted as well. 

The OUECT presentation says that the merger is “DPU accretive to unitholders” (+2.1% on a 2018 pro-forma basis) while the OUEHT presentation says that the merger is “value accretive to stapled securityholders” (+18.7% NAV uplift per stapled security). 

Details of how this all works below.


Separately, two other Singapore deals announced at the end of last week include:

5. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Air China and Great Wall Motor (2019-04-04)

Smid%20cap%20outflow%2004 04

In our Discover HK Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of southbound trades via the Hong Kong Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by mainland investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the Hong Kong Connect trade into three groups: component stocks in the HSCEI index, stocks with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion, and stocks with a market capitalization between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion.

In this insight, we will highlight Air China and Great Wall Motor. 

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Hong Kong: Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail and more

By | Hong Kong

In this briefing:

  1. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail
  2. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry
  3. OUE Commercial REIT & Hospitality Trust Merger Proposed
  4. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Air China and Great Wall Motor (2019-04-04)
  5. Kingboard Starts Voluntary Unconditional Offer for 88% Held Sub Kingboard Copper Foil

1. Guotai Junan Securities Placement Quick Take – Might Be Too Big to Sail

Analyst%20ratings%20%281%29

Guotai Junan Securities (H) (2611 HK) plans to raise around US$350m via placing new H-Shares. We had earlier covered the IPO, you can find our coverage below:

This is a large deal to digest and the shares seem to be trading at a relatively tighter A-H spread versus peers.

2. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry

Performance%20comp

Studio City, a spin-off by MLCO US, was listed on October 18th, 2018 and its lock-up will expire next week on April 16th. The company raised USD 359 million in its IPO with the majority of the shares taken up by its shareholders.

In this insight, we will review the company’s operation, shares subject to lock-up expiry and its valuation vs peers. 


Our previous insights on Studio City

3. OUE Commercial REIT & Hospitality Trust Merger Proposed

Screenshot%202019 04 08%20at%203.06.44%20pm

After a WSJ article on Sunday suggesting as much, Monday morning 8 April 2018 saw the announcement of a Proposed Merger between OUE Commercial Real Estate Investment Tr (OUECT SP) and OUE Hospitality Trust (OUEHT SP) whereby OUEHT unitholders would receive a combination of cash and OUECT shares (S$0.04075 + 1.3853 shares of OUECT) for every share of OUEHT held. Investors in each would receive any “permitted distributions” (dividends, etc) declared by the respective managers in respect of the period from 1 Jan 2019 up to the day immediately before the date on which Trust Scheme becomes effective.

This would create a REIT with S$6.8bn of assets, a pro-forma market cap of ~S$2.9bn, and a free-float of S$1.1bn (up by 57%). OUE Group would continue to own 48.3% of the total. 

The benefits to investors would be increased scale (2.2mm square feet of commercial net lettable area, + 1,640 hotel rooms), more borrowing capacity, increased diversification as asset concentration would be lowered, and because the scope of NewREIT would be broader, it would allow REIT managers more flexibility. The above-mentioned points are advertised as being the fodder for a re-rating. The idea of possible index inclusion is mooted as well. 

The OUECT presentation says that the merger is “DPU accretive to unitholders” (+2.1% on a 2018 pro-forma basis) while the OUEHT presentation says that the merger is “value accretive to stapled securityholders” (+18.7% NAV uplift per stapled security). 

Details of how this all works below.


Separately, two other Singapore deals announced at the end of last week include:

4. HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Air China and Great Wall Motor (2019-04-04)

Hscei%20inflow%2004 04

In our Discover HK Connect series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of southbound trades via the Hong Kong Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine. We will discuss the stocks that experienced the most inflow and outflow by mainland investors in the past seven days.

We split the stocks eligible for the Hong Kong Connect trade into three groups: component stocks in the HSCEI index, stocks with a market capitalization between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion, and stocks with a market capitalization between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion.

In this insight, we will highlight Air China and Great Wall Motor. 

5. Kingboard Starts Voluntary Unconditional Offer for 88% Held Sub Kingboard Copper Foil

Screenshot%202019 04 06%20at%208.50.45%20pm

April 4th after the close, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Kingboard Laminates Holdings (1888 HK) (which itself is 70.93% owned by Kingboard Holdings (148 HK) (formerly known as “Kingboard Chemical“)) launched a VOLUNTARY UNCONDITIONAL CASH OFFER for Kingboard Copper Foil Hldgs (KCF SP)

This is a “clean-up” as Kingboard Laminates owns 87.96% of Kingboard Copper Foil already. 

It is unconditional in all respects and the Offeror owns 87.96%. The goal is delisting. If they get 17.03% of the minority, they will be able to engineer a delisting. Squeezeout is a bit further out but is far from impossible. 

This looks like a done deal. This one should trade at shouldn’t trade at a premium UNLESS…


Quiddity’s new Quiddity Singapore M&A Guide 2019 is now published with guidelines to the relevant rules, regulations, documentation, and pointers to the Singapore M&A landscape. Watch for more in the series to be published shortly.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.