In this briefing:
- Hengan Intl. (1044 HK): Our Analysis Suggests that Bonitas’ Allegations Have Some Substance
- Alpha Smart – Pre-IPO – PE Investors Recovered 56% of Their Cost in Two Years but Left It in Debt
- BreadTalk (BREAD SP): As Din Tai Fung Opens in London, CEO Puts Out Target to Double Mkt Cap
- Trade Me (TMZ NZ): Hellman & Friedman Could Again Counter-Bid Apax, but Modestly
- PLANB: Solid Outlook for Music Marketing Business Under BNK48 Office
1. Hengan Intl. (1044 HK): Our Analysis Suggests that Bonitas’ Allegations Have Some Substance
Hengan Intl Group (1044 HK), China’s leading sanitary towel and nappy producer, has been targeted by a short seller, Bonitas Research. Hengan has denied Bonitas’ allegations to which Bonitas has responded that Hengan’s response was weak and evasive. The shares have continued to slide suggesting that investors are less than convinced with Hengan’s rebuttal.
The aim of our note is to analyse alternative financial metrics to judge if Bonitas’ allegations are groundless or have some substance. Overall, our analysis suggests that Bonitas’ claims have some substance and investors should not be so quick to dismiss them.
2. Alpha Smart – Pre-IPO – PE Investors Recovered 56% of Their Cost in Two Years but Left It in Debt
Alpha Smart (ALS HK), the parent of Chinese menswear fashion retailer GXG, plans to raise US$300m in its Hong Kong IPO. L Catterton, LVMH’s investment arm, along with another PE investor, owns a 73% stake in the company.
Earnings have been consistently growing with the highest contribution still coming from its flagship brand “GXG”. The recent expansion of the online channel has further aided sales growth, with ASL claiming to be the largest menswear retailer in terms of online sales.
Apart from a large dividend payout which covered half of the acquisition costs for L Capital, nothing much seems to have changed recently. In addition, operating cash flow has not kept pace with earnings due to a consistent increase in inventory. To add to that there are a few related party issues as well including some stores being run by former employees.
3. BreadTalk (BREAD SP): As Din Tai Fung Opens in London, CEO Puts Out Target to Double Mkt Cap
Breadtalk (BREAD SP) has been a great Singapore Inc story since its founding in 2000. The company, under the leadership of George Quek, has grown from a few bakery outlets to hundreds of outlets across Asia. Profitability at Breadtalk has been lackluster but shares remain cheap on an EV/EBITDA basis.
Meanwhile, the group has an aggressive target to achieve 8% NPM by 2020 which not a single sell-side analyst believes they can achieve. Over the past week, the CEO was quoted in a Business Times article saying that he wants to achieve a “1 billion SGD market cap” vs the 480 million SGD market cap currently. While this could be easily dismissed as marketing talk, this target is not unrealistic at all.
With the launch of its first Din Tai Fung outlet in London investors better take notice. One of the drivers of upside surprises might be the rapid roll-out of Din Tai Fung in the UK and the rest of Europe. The CEO is even keen to explore expansion in the US market and has done research trips to Texas, LA and New York.
With the shares having derated from 1.16 SGD in early August to 0.86 SGD recently the valuation (6.8x 2019 EV/EBITDA) is now attractive once again. My Fair Value estimate remains at 1.25 SGD (47% upside).
4. Trade Me (TMZ NZ): Hellman & Friedman Could Again Counter-Bid Apax, but Modestly
Trade Me (TME NZ), the largest online auction platform operating in New Zealand, has entered into a scheme implementation agreement with Apax Partners. Apax Partners has upped its bid for Trade Me from NZ$6.40 to $6.45 a share, to match Hellman & Friedman’s bid.
Hellman & Friedman has until the shareholder vote scheduled for April 2019, to make a binding offer which is superior to Apax Partners, according to press reports. While Hellman & Friedman will likely have one last roll of the dice with an improved bid, we continue to believe that that the formal “winning” bid is unlikely to present a material bump.
5. PLANB: Solid Outlook for Music Marketing Business Under BNK48 Office
We maintain Plan B Media (PLANB TB) with a BUY rating, and the new target price of Bt8.30 derived from 1.5xPEG’2019E, which is the average of Thailand’s consumer discretionary sector or equivalent to 32xPE’19E
The story:
- Revising up net profit in 2018-20E by 2-11% mainly from BNK office
- Music and sports marketing drive earnings momentum north
- Plenty of opportunities to monetize underutilized capacity
Risks: Obstacles for renewing concession contracts with state-owned enterprises along with falling consumer spending and a share-price dilution effect on the back of then generally mandated raise in capital.
