Asian Insight Provider - Actionable ideas, CrossASEAN Research

Henry Soediarko

A Long & Short Investment Ideas generator for Asian Equities with 10 years experience in a Hedge fund focused on bottom-up ideas, searching out mispriced ideas and misunderstood investment thesis. Provides on-the-ground insights in various Asian markets with a sway towards ASEAN. Experienced and survived the Asian Financial Crisis in a family business, as well as the Global Financial Crisis in financial markets where lessons learned. It's all about understanding business drivers and navigating business cycles, which has high applicability in generating investment ideas. 

Investment horizon: Mid to Long term

Asian Insight Provider - Actionable ideas

Haidilao (6862 HK): Hot Pots Don't Pivot Easily.

Yihai Intl IPO: Quality Product but Concerns on CG and Valuation

Haidilao (6862): Not a Victim of Swine Flu Thus Still Hot!

Yum China (9987 HK): Simple Fare Trumps the Special Treat (6862 HK). What Now?

Yum China: Reported HK Offer Price at 5% Discount to NY Closing. Room for Upside.

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Equity Bottom-Up

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yihai-int-l-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22803:1" rel="noopener">Yihai Int’L Holding (1579 HK)</a> was trading at par with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/haidilao-international-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27044:1" rel="noopener">Haidilao (6862 HK)</a> although the former has previously been the market’s darling due to its less capital intensive and higher-margin business. But the fall during COVID was worse for Yihai compared to Haidialo as investors rushed to cash out their unrealized profit, ignoring the fact that Yihai’s previously smaller business in providing ready-to-eat food products which is essentially what the market wanted at that time, has grown bigger, and has become the differentiator during the difficult period hence maintaining respectable earnings multiples compared to Haidilao whose earnings multiple has gone through to the roof. Only recently, post the vaccine discovery, Haidilao’s earnings multiple normalized but it is still trading at almost twice as much of Yihai (92 to 50).
On a YTD basis, however, both share prices have been heavily correlated although 1) Haidilao’s revenue growth slowed considerably, 2) Yihai’s diversification away from being Haidilao’s supplier have shown result and 3) the earnings multiples differences are still persistent although it has narrowed. This begs to question that shouldn’t Yihai’s share price trading higher than Haidilao?
Yihai's share price is currently highly correlated to Haidilao although its business has become less and less correlated to the former and has pivoted away from providing condiments to Haidilao to manufacture ready-to-eat food products hence the business nature is more similar to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nissin-foods-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26062:1" rel="noopener">Nissin Foods (1475 HK)</a> although Yihai's share price is still massively underperforming Nissin Food Holdings'.
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/237/131/original/image_48603681281635075064982.png?1635075064" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="237131"></figure>
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source: Reuters
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Yihai Int’L Holding (1579 HK) was trading at par with Haidilao (6862 HK) although the former has previously been the market’s darling due to its less capital intensive and higher-margin business. But the fall during COVID was worse for Yihai compared to Haidialo as investors rushed to cash out their unrealized profit, ignoring the fact that Yihai’s previously smaller business in providing ready-to-eat food products which is essentially what the market wanted at that time, has grown bigger, and has become the differentiator during the difficult period hence maintaining respectable earnings multiples compared to Haidilao whose earnings multiple has gone through to the roof. Only recently, post the vaccine discovery, Haidilao’s earnings multiple normalized but it is still trading at almost twice as much of Yihai (92 to 50).
On a YTD basis, however, both share prices have been heavily correlated although 1) Haidilao’s revenue growth slowed considerably, 2) Yihai’s diversification away from being Haidilao’s supplier have shown result and 3) the earnings multiples differences are still persistent although it has narrowed. This begs to question that shouldn’t Yihai’s share price trading higher than Haidilao?
Yihai's share price is currently highly correlated to Haidilao although its business has become less and less correlated to the former and has pivoted away from providing condiments to Haidilao to manufacture ready-to-eat food products hence the business nature is more similar to Nissin Foods (1475 HK) although Yihai's share price is still massively underperforming Nissin Food Holdings'.


source: Reuters


Yihai International (1579): Diversified Away from Haidilao