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Daily Briefs

Daily Brief India: Punjab National Bank, Tata Motors Ltd and more

By | Daily Briefs, India

In today’s briefing:

  • Punjab National Bank – Weak Returns, High Costs, High Govt Loans, No LDR Expansion, NIM Down QoQ
  • Weekly Wrap – 06 Oct 2023


Punjab National Bank – Weak Returns, High Costs, High Govt Loans, No LDR Expansion, NIM Down QoQ

By Daniel Tabbush

  • Cost at PNB are high and rising, a major drag on its ROA and RORWA, which largely offsets better credit metrics.
  • There are many market positives in India banks, but relative to all large peers, Punjab National Bank (PNB IN)has the lowest RORWA
  • There is no LDR expansion at PNB. NIM is languishing. Its high 20% govt loans/total loans is high, with 2 peers’ even higher, but better returns.

Weekly Wrap – 06 Oct 2023

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics Weekly Wraps provide an overview of all Morning Views comments and reports published by our analyst team in the past week, and also showcase a list of the most-read reports.

In this Insight:

  1. AAC Technologies Holdings
  2. Vedanta Resources
  3. China Vanke
  4. JSW Infrastructure
  5. Medco Energi

and more…


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Daily Brief Japan: Inageya Co Ltd and more

By | Daily Briefs, Japan

In today’s briefing:

  • Aeon (8267) Partial Tender at ¥1610 for Inageya (8182) Aiming for Takeover Next Year
  • Inageya (8182 JP): Aeon’s JPY1,610 Partial Tender Offer


Aeon (8267) Partial Tender at ¥1610 for Inageya (8182) Aiming for Takeover Next Year

By Travis Lundy

  • Aeon Co Ltd (8267 JP) and Inageya Co Ltd (8182 JP) agreed in late April to prepare a plan so Aeon would buy 51% this year.
  • They would combine Inageya with 53+%-owned United Super Markets (3222 JP) aiming for a ¥1trln sales supermarket chain in Kanto. That is due end- calendar 2024.
  • There is a partial offer to buy 33+% of Inageya at a small premium, and inadequate price before merging next year. Cross-holders determine pro-ration.

Inageya (8182 JP): Aeon’s JPY1,610 Partial Tender Offer

By Arun George

  • Aeon Co Ltd (8267 JP) has announced a partial tender offer for Inageya Co Ltd (8182 JP) to make it a consolidated subsidiary. Aeon flagged this intention on 25 April.
  • The tender offer is for a maximum of 15.7 million shares (33.78% ownership ratio) at JPY1,610, a 23.2% premium to the undisturbed price. There is no minimum acceptance condition. 
  • The offer price is reasonable. Longer-term, Aeon aims to make Inageya a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Super Markets (3222 JP) by November 2024.

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Daily Brief Utilities: Nextera Energy, China Power International and more

By | Daily Briefs, Utilities Sector

In today’s briefing:

  • NEE & NEP Selloff Prompted by Higher for Longer Rates Sentiment
  • China Power International (2380 HK): Continuing the Turnaround Trend


NEE & NEP Selloff Prompted by Higher for Longer Rates Sentiment

By Pranay Yadav

  • Higher for longer rate regime makes it difficult for NextEra Energy Partners to raise debt to fund high growth forcing a reduction in growth forecasts.
  • Markets have reacted sharply to slashed forecasts with shares of NEP (-52%) & NEE (-22%). Growth is expected to remain lower in the future.
  • NEE has performed markedly better than NEP. This is reflected by analyst price targets. However, NEE’s long-term growth story has stumbled raising investor concerns.

China Power International (2380 HK): Continuing the Turnaround Trend

By Osbert Tang, CFA

  • Power output for China Power International (2380 HK) is healthy in Jul-Aug, following the solid trend in 1H23. The drop in hydropower has moderated and wind and solar stayed decent.
  • Capacity growth will reach 43% in FY23. With just 7.8% YoY in 1H23, most of the new capacity will be added in 4Q23, accelerating both output and profitability.
  • The parent SPIC’s massive clean energy assets are candidates for potential injection. CPI’s high EPS CAGR of 28.8% means that it well deserves premium valuation multiples. 

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Daily Brief Energy/Materials: POSCO Holdings, Geopark Ltd, Medco Energi, Vale and more

By | Daily Briefs, Energy & Materials Sector

In today’s briefing:

  • Exploring the Launch of a Posco Group-Focused ETF: Flow Trading Insights
  • GeoPark Limited (NYSE: GPRK): CPO-5 wells back online. Multiple discoveries in Colombia and Ecuador
  • Medco Energi – Earnings Flash – H1 FY 2023 Results – Lucror Analytics
  • Vale – ESG Report – Lucror Analytics


Exploring the Launch of a Posco Group-Focused ETF: Flow Trading Insights

By Sanghyun Park

  • KRX approved the listing of ACE POSCO Group Focus. This fund mirrors the performance of the FnGuide POSCO Group Focus Index. KRX will announce the listing date next week.
  • This index encompasses 6 Posco affiliates and 4 non-Posco stocks. The top 3 constituents, each assigned a 25% weight, are POSCO Holdings, Posco International, and Posco Future M.
  • We should explore various long-short setups for stocks within the local battery sector (long Posco affiliates and short others), starting with the listing of this ACE POSCO Group Focus ETF.

GeoPark Limited (NYSE: GPRK): CPO-5 wells back online. Multiple discoveries in Colombia and Ecuador

By Auctus Advisors

  • • The Indico 6 and Indico 7 wells in the CPO-5 block in Colombia are now back online.
  • Each well is expected to reach 4,000 bbl/d gross production (8,000 bbl/d gross total, 2,400 bbl/d net to GeoPark).
  • The total gross production of both wells could reach 9,000 bbl/d by YE23.

Medco Energi – Earnings Flash – H1 FY 2023 Results – Lucror Analytics

By Leonard Law, CFA

Medco Energi’s H1/23 results were acceptable in our view. The company’s earnings were soft, weighed down by lower O&G selling prices despite higher production volumes. That said, we expect Medco’s earnings to rebound in H2, considering the recent rally in oil prices. Positively, the company’s leverage and liquidity profile remain strong. We believe Medco will be able to accommodate its USD 400-800 mn acquisition in the Middle East without breaching the 2.5x net leverage target.

In addition, we note positively Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara’s (AMMN) successful IPO in July 2023. We note that Medco’s 21% stake in AMMN is worth USD 6.1 bn (based on AMMN’s current market cap of c. USD 29 bn), which is far larger than Medco’s own market cap of USD 2.2 bn.


Vale – ESG Report – Lucror Analytics

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics’ ESG Scores are based on a 3-tiered scale and are adjusted for Controversies (if applicable).
We view Vale’s ESG as “Adequate”, given its “Adequate” scores for all pillars. Controversies are “Material”, while Disclosure is “Strong”.


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Daily Brief Industrials: Ecoeye and more

By | Daily Briefs, Industrials

In today’s briefing:

  • Ecoeye IPO Valuation Analysis


Ecoeye IPO Valuation Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Our base case valuation of Ecoeye IPO is 45,421 won per share, representing 31% higher than the high end of the IPO price range. 
  • Given the solid upside, we have a positive view of Ecoeye IPO. The target P/E multiple of 28.8x is based on a 20% premium to the comps’ average valuation multiple.
  • We believe this premium valuation multiple is appropriate given higher sales growth rate and operating margin for Ecoeye as compared to the comps.

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Daily Brief TMT/Internet: Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) – ADR, A10 Networks, Datatec Limited and more

By | Daily Briefs, TMT/Internet

In today’s briefing:

  • TSMC (2330.TT): The Advanced Technology Nodes Are Looking at Upside in 2024F
  • ATEN: Order Delays Continue, PT to $15
  • Datatec – Sustained demand in H124


TSMC (2330.TT): The Advanced Technology Nodes Are Looking at Upside in 2024F

By Patrick Liao

  • It is expected that TSMC will have full capacity utilization of 3nm and 5nm technology nodes starting from 1Q24F.
  • Regarding 3nm technology, the EUV mask layer will be reduced.
  • The total number of iPhone 15 units sold in 2023F is expected over 85 million.

ATEN: Order Delays Continue, PT to $15

By Hamed Khorsand

  • ATEN continues to experience challenges with order timing from some of its largest customers. ATEN lowered Q3 revenue forecast after North American service providers delayed their purchases in the quarter
  • ATEN has spent the entire year trying to add more enterprise customers to offset this volatility and, while successful, it was not enough in the third quarter.
  • ATEN is projecting third quarter revenue between $56.5 million and $58.5 million compared to our estimate of $75.3 million.

Datatec – Sustained demand in H124

By Edison Investment Research

In its H124 trading update, Datatec noted that all divisions reported improved performance versus H123. Westcon’s performance was described as excellent, with a strong performance from Logicalis International and a much-improved performance from Logicalis Latin America, although macroeconomic pressures remain in the region. The company continues to see good demand for its solutions and services and is actively managing supply chain challenges to service customers. We maintain our forecasts pending interim results due on 23 October.


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Daily Brief Industrials: Ecoeye and more

By | Daily Briefs, Industrials

In today’s briefing:

  • Ecoeye IPO Valuation Analysis


Ecoeye IPO Valuation Analysis

By Douglas Kim

  • Our base case valuation of Ecoeye IPO is 45,421 won per share, representing 31% higher than the high end of the IPO price range. 
  • Given the solid upside, we have a positive view of Ecoeye IPO. The target P/E multiple of 28.8x is based on a 20% premium to the comps’ average valuation multiple.
  • We believe this premium valuation multiple is appropriate given higher sales growth rate and operating margin for Ecoeye as compared to the comps.

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Daily Brief Financials: People’s Insurance (PICC), Tian Tu Capital, SBI Holdings and more

By | Daily Briefs, Financials

In today’s briefing:

  • PICC’s (1339 HK) Lifetime Low Implied Stub
  • Tian Tu Capital IPO Trading – Subscription Rates Were Lukewarm
  • SBI Holdings – Pages of Affiliates | Strong Securities | Banks Doing Well | Accelerating Profit


PICC’s (1339 HK) Lifetime Low Implied Stub

By David Blennerhassett

  • People’s Insurance (PICC) (1339 HK) is currently trading at an all-time low implied stub.
  • Stripping out PICC’s 68.98% stake in PICC Property & Casualty H (2328 HK), the market is assigning HK$35.6bn less for its steady and profitable life/health insurance stub ops, year-to-date. 
  • PICC is outperforming the HSI. It’s just that PICC P&C is on a hot streak, possibly driven (pun intended) by EV insurance. 

Tian Tu Capital IPO Trading – Subscription Rates Were Lukewarm

By Clarence Chu

  • Tian Tu Capital (1390587D CH) raised around US$144m in its Hong Kong IPO.
  • Tian Tu Capital (TTC) is a private equity/venture capital investor and fund manager with a focus on Chinese consumer brands and companies.
  • We have covered various aspects of the deal in our previous notes. In this note, we will talk about the demand and trading dynamics.

SBI Holdings – Pages of Affiliates | Strong Securities | Banks Doing Well | Accelerating Profit

By Daniel Tabbush

  • SBI Holdings (8473 JP) may not be the easiest company to analyze with its many pages of affiliates, but at the least, it’s profit momentum is strong.
  • Securities Group profit is key to the company where growth is excellent in earnings and in the number of new accounts, across many businesses.
  • Its two banks in Japan are doing well, growing faster than others, but still SBI Holdings (8473 JP) is more of an alternative financial company to a traditional bank.

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Daily Brief Health Care: Eoflow , Samsung Biologics , TSE Tokyo Price Index TOPIX and more

By | Daily Briefs, Healthcare

In today’s briefing:

  • EOFLOW/Medtronic Tender: Proposed Preliminary Injunction Is a Problem
  • Eoflow: Ozempic and Wegovy Reducing Need for Disposable Insulin Injection Devices + Ongoing Lawsuit?
  • Samsung Biologics (207940 KS): Raises 2023 Sales Guidance Second Time This Year; Buy the Dip
  • Policy Shareholdings, if Reduced, Should Be Used for Profitable Investments


EOFLOW/Medtronic Tender: Proposed Preliminary Injunction Is a Problem

By Arun George

  • The US judge has proposed a preliminary injunction which prevents Eoflow (294090 KS) from using Insulet Corp (PODD US)’s trade secrets and disclosing them to any third party.
  • Eoflow and other defendants must respond by 5 October. The court hearing is set for 16 October. The potential trial is to be discussed in Spring of 2024.
  • Medtronic Plc (MDT US) faces a difficult choice. If the injunction is enforced, Medtronic would acquire a ring-fenced asset exposed to potential court-determined liabilities. 

Eoflow: Ozempic and Wegovy Reducing Need for Disposable Insulin Injection Devices + Ongoing Lawsuit?

By Douglas Kim

  • Eoflow’s share price has dropped 27% lower than the proposed tender offer price of 30,000 won. Two major factors have negatively impacted Eoflow (294090 KS)’s share price.
  • First, in September 2023, there were new data that suggested that popular weight loss drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy could reduce the need for insulin injections with patients with diabetes.
  • Second, the ongoing lawsuit by Insulet continues to remain a major headache. Eoflow is not a KISS (“Keep It Simple Stupid”) stock.

Samsung Biologics (207940 KS): Raises 2023 Sales Guidance Second Time This Year; Buy the Dip

By Tina Banerjee

  • Samsung Biologics (207940 KS) expects 2023 revenue to grow by more than 20% YoY compared to 15–20% YoY growth expectations earlier, due to better-than-expected utilization of Plant 4.
  • For the first time in the company’s history, Samsung Biologics has won contracts worth nearly KRW3T during the first half of 2023, with eight contracts worth more than KRW100B each.
  • Anticipating strong demand, Samsung Biologics is building its fifth manufacturing plant with 180KL capacity, which is expected to be completed by April 2025.

Policy Shareholdings, if Reduced, Should Be Used for Profitable Investments

By Aki Matsumoto

  • TSE market reorganization triggered the reduction of policy shareholdings, and now the test will be whether policy shareholdings can be reduced in order to raise ROE, which is sluggishly growing.
  • Companies that maintain excessive policy shareholdings should provide a rational explanation of their holding policies and the reasons for each shareholding in their corporate governance reports and annual securities reports.
  • Improving OP Margin, which is highly correlated with ROE, is a shortcut to raising ROE. Policy shareholdings, should not be accumulated in cash on hand, but used for profitable investments.

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Daily Brief Consumer: Fast Retailing, Xinyi Glass Holdings, Boustead Plantations, Tesla Motors, Connect, Tata Motors Ltd, Organto Foods, Adeia and more

By | Consumer, Daily Briefs

In today’s briefing:

  • FAST RETAIL (9983) | 3 Reasons Why Guidance Could Miss
  • Xinyi Glass (868 HK):  More Resilient Than Perceived
  • Boustead Plantations (BPLANT MK): LTAT Emerges as a White Knight
  • Tesla’s Problem Is Fading Demand, Not Disruptive Factory “Updates”
  • Smiths News – Resilient performance despite headwinds
  • Morning Views Asia: AAC Technologies Holdings, Tata Motors ADR
  • OGO: Expanding into Asia & North America
  • ADEA: Adjusting to Customer Dispute


FAST RETAIL (9983) | 3 Reasons Why Guidance Could Miss

By Mark Chadwick

  • Fast Retail Full-Year Expectations: Anticipate strong FY results, but potential FY8/24 guidance headwinds include weather impacts and yen weakness.
  • Management Guidance Risks: The key risk would seem to be China outlook; Japan/Europe’s heatwave impact on fall season; potential for gross margin pressures.
  • Valuation: Despite growth prospects, concerns over cyclicality and valuation relative to peers persist.

Xinyi Glass (868 HK):  More Resilient Than Perceived

By Steve Zhou, CFA

  • Xinyi Glass Holdings (868 HK)‘s stable auto glass business is often overlooked, making up 39% of the company’s gross profit in 1H23.
  • Given the current valuation of 7x 2023E PE and 1.3x 2023E PB, the risk reward is skewed to the upside, and downside is protected with the stable auto glass business. 
  • The company’s management has been aggressively increasing stake in the company in the last 2 months, gobbling up 11 million shares.

Boustead Plantations (BPLANT MK): LTAT Emerges as a White Knight

By Arun George

  • Boustead Plantations (BPLANT MK) shares have been on a rollercoaster ride. As Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK MK) pulls its offer, LTAT has emerged as an unlikely white knight. 
  • LTAT aims to launch a general offer at RM1.55 per share, in line with KLK’s aborted MGO price. The government will backstop LTAT’s funding for the offer. 
  • LTAT is vague on approvals and timing. Regulatory approvals should be a formality as LTAT is the Armed Forces pension fund. At the last close, the gross spread was 10.7%. 

Tesla’s Problem Is Fading Demand, Not Disruptive Factory “Updates”

By Vicki Bryan

  • Factory shutdowns for “updates” doesn’t explain Tesla’s huge Q3 miss on deliveries.
  • Why? Because bloated excess inventory was enough to cover the 20k “miss” some 3-5x. 
  • A better explanation: Tesla’s accelerating demand erosion, which I have been tracking since last year in every major market.

Smiths News – Resilient performance despite headwinds

By Edison Investment Research

Smiths News’ recent trading update highlights continued growth in adjusted operating profit, which is anticipated to be at least in line with market expectations of £38.3m (Edison: £38.1m). This represents a marginal increase of 0.5% year-on-year, despite the substantial inflationary impacts seen in the past two years. We expect additional publisher contract renewals to be secured in the next year, which should further bolster the company’s cash-generative business model and underpin the sustainability of the business in the long term. Our forecasts are unchanged, as is our valuation of 89p/share, which represents substantial upside.


Morning Views Asia: AAC Technologies Holdings, Tata Motors ADR

By Charles Macgregor

Lucror Analytics Morning Views comprise our fundamental credit analysis, opinions and trade recommendations on high yield issuers in the region, based on key company-specific developments in the past 24 hours. Our Morning Views include a section with a brief market commentary, key market indicators and a macroeconomic and corporate event calendar.


OGO: Expanding into Asia & North America

By Atrium Research

  • What you need to know: • Organto announced that it has expanded into Asia with an international retailer and plans to grow this market over the coming years • OGO also announced that it plans to expand into North America in late 2023 (initially with the U.S. ).
  • This includes its plans to expand into North America, expansion into Asia, increasing its debt facilities, and consolidating its common shares.
  • North America Expansion This morning, Organto announced that it plans to expand its platform into North America, initially the U.S. market.

ADEA: Adjusting to Customer Dispute

By Hamed Khorsand

  • ADEA revised its full year outlook after electing to sue long-time customer Shaw Communications for breach of contract
  • Shaw was acquired by Rogers Communications (RCI). ADEA claims Shaw is no longer paying ADEA even though the two companies had signed a license renewal in 2019
  • We are reducing our 2023 revenue forecast to approximately $387.7 million with operating income of $250.8 million

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