Blue Lotus Non US Internet research, Blue Lotus Research Institute

Ying Pan

Blue Lotus Non US Internet research

China growth and global non-US Internet equities

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Blue Lotus Research is a Hong Kong Type 4 Licensed investment advisory firm focusing on Chinese growth equities and global non-US Internet equities

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>We upgrade Meituan because we believe its success in Hong Kong might be replicable on a global scale. </li>
<li>The upcoming autonomous driving (ADS) revolution has deep and fundamental implications in permanently cutting Meituan’s logistic cost;</li>
<li>We upgrade the stock from SELL to BUY and raise TP to HK$150/share</li>
</ul>


We upgrade Meituan because we believe its success in Hong Kong might be replicable on a global scale. 
The upcoming autonomous driving (ADS) revolution has deep and fundamental implications in permanently cutting Meituan’s logistic cost;
We upgrade the stock from SELL to BUY and raise TP to HK$150/share


[Meituan (3690 HK,BUY,TP HK$150) Rating Change]: A Turning Point Might Have Arrived on Two Catalysts

Greater China Equity Long/Short Analyst

Eric Chen

<ul>
<li>Meituan has navigated through its most challenging period since IPO as competition moderates and reorg comes close to completion. </li>
<li>1Q results should kick off an upward earnings cycle through to the end of 2024 when the company’s efforts to revamp loss-making new initiative businesses gather pace. </li>
<li>That said, lack of clear topline driver remains the key reason for our cautious view about the sustainability of re-rating. Maintain neutral.</li>
</ul>


Meituan has navigated through its most challenging period since IPO as competition moderates and reorg comes close to completion. 
1Q results should kick off an upward earnings cycle through to the end of 2024 when the company’s efforts to revamp loss-making new initiative businesses gather pace. 
That said, lack of clear topline driver remains the key reason for our cautious view about the sustainability of re-rating. Maintain neutral.


Meituan (3690 HK): Lack of Clear Topline Driver Remains a Concern

Asian Hedge Fund Manager, Long Short Equity, Macro

David Mudd

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/didi-chuxing-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27467:1" rel="noopener">DiDi Global (DIDI US)</a> has begun to generate positive EBITDA after several challenging years post-IPO.  With a high degree of operating leverage, the company is poised to grow quickly.
</li>
<li>Didi which maintains a 70% market share in the ride-hailing industry in China is expanding into Tier 3 cities where there is a large untapped opportunity.</li>
<li>The company has indicated that it wants to list in Hong Kong in 2025 providing a catalyst for share price re-rating next year.</li>
</ul>



DiDi Global (DIDI US) has begun to generate positive EBITDA after several challenging years post-IPO.  With a high degree of operating leverage, the company is poised to grow quickly.

Didi which maintains a 70% market share in the ride-hailing industry in China is expanding into Tier 3 cities where there is a large untapped opportunity.
The company has indicated that it wants to list in Hong Kong in 2025 providing a catalyst for share price re-rating next year.


2025 High Conviction Idea - DIDI Global, Smooth Ride to Higher Profits

<ul>
<li>Meituan reported C4Q23 revenue beat our estimate/consensus by 0.7%/1.4%; operating profit beat our estimate/consensus by 37.3%/48.6%, mainly due to order volume surprise, which is unsustainable in our view.</li>
<li>However, we think Meituan’s near term pressures did not change: (1) core biz OPM drop due to rising low-price orders and subsidies; (2) resuming competition from Eleme/Douyin/PDD</li>
<li>We maintain the stock as SELL rating but raise TP by HK$13 to HK$70 to factor in the loss cutting commitment in the community group buying biz.</li>
</ul>


Meituan reported C4Q23 revenue beat our estimate/consensus by 0.7%/1.4%; operating profit beat our estimate/consensus by 37.3%/48.6%, mainly due to order volume surprise, which is unsustainable in our view.
However, we think Meituan’s near term pressures did not change: (1) core biz OPM drop due to rising low-price orders and subsidies; (2) resuming competition from Eleme/Douyin/PDD
We maintain the stock as SELL rating but raise TP by HK$13 to HK$70 to factor in the loss cutting commitment in the community group buying biz.


[Meituan (3690 HK, SELL, TP HK$70) TP Change]: Margin Reflects Persistent Competitive Pressure

Senior Credit Analyst, Lucror Analytics

Trung Nguyen

Senior Credit Analyst

High Yield Experts

Lucror Analytics

Lucror Analytics is a leading credit and ESG research specialist and a provider of technology solutions for differentiated fixed income strategies. Our roots are in bottom-up fundamental credit analysis with a specialization in high yield corporate credits from Europe, Asia and Latin America. We are one of few research specialists integrating ESG considerations with fundamental credit research through a dedicated ESG platform. Our ESG assessment covers five key criteria: Disclosure, E,S, & G Pillars, Controversies, ESG Impact on Credit and ESG Momentum.

Recognizing the importance and value-add of Factor Investing in fixed income, Lucror developed the Smart Quant Navigator (SQN), an intuitive platform that helps clients devise and implement factor-based strategies ranging from pure quant to active fundamental, with integrated ESG.

Our company has been at the forefront of developments in the fixed income markets, identifying opportunities and consistently delivering new products and value-adding solutions to clients. Lucror has close relationships with the largest and most reputable asset managers, family offices, hedge funds, investment and wealth managers globally.

Credit

Meituan has released FY 2023 numbers that were excellent in our view, with significantly improved profitability and solid cash generation. The financial risk profile has strengthened further, with a large and growing net cash position coupled with robust leverage and coverage ratios. Liquidity is sound. We expect FY 2024 to be a better year for the company. We revise our Credit Bias on Meituan to “Positive” from "Stable", given the material increase in profitability and strong cash-flow generation following the pandemic. That said, we do not expect ratings upgrades in the near future.

  Meituan has released FY 2023 numbers that were excellent in our view, with significantly improved profitability and solid cash generation. The financial risk profile has strengthened further, with a large and growing net cash position coupled with robust leverage and coverage ratios. Liquidity is sound. We expect FY 2024 to be a better year for the company.   We revise our Credit Bias on Meituan to “Positive” from "Stable", given the material increase in profitability and strong cash-flow generation following the pandemic. That said, we do not expect ratings upgrades in the near future. 

Meituan - Earnings Flash - FY 2023 Results - Lucror Analytics

China

Meituan operates as a web based shopping platform for locally found consumer products and retail services. The Company offers deals of the day by selling vouchers on local services and entertainment, dining, delivery, and other services. Meituan provides its services throughout China.

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Meituan (3690 HK)

[Meituan (3690 HK,BUY,TP HK$150) Rating Change]: A Turning Point Might Have Arrived on Two Catalysts

We upgrade Meituan because we believe its success in Hong Kong might be replicable on a global scale. Evidence has also emerged that domestic...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Meituan (3690 HK): Lack of Clear Topline Driver Remains a Concern

While we expect 1Q24 to kick off an upward earnings cycle for Meituan, lack of clear topline driver remains a concern given its valuation premium...

Eric Chen

2025 High Conviction Idea - DIDI Global, Smooth Ride to Higher Profits

Didi Global has become EBITDA positive and is expanding rapidly into Tier 3 cities where it has an technical and market share advantage. The...

David Mudd

[Meituan (3690 HK, SELL, TP HK$70) TP Change]: Margin Reflects Persistent Competitive Pressure

Meituan beats revenue and profit estimates, but unsustainable order volume surprise. Near-term pressures remain, stock maintained as SELL with...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Meituan - Earnings Flash - FY 2023 Results - Lucror Analytics

Meituan has released FY 2023 numbers that were excellent in our view, with significantly improved profitability and solid cash generation. The...

Lucror Analytics

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

[Meituan (3690 HK,BUY,TP HK$150) Rating Change]: A Turning Point Might Have Arrived on Two Catalysts

We upgrade Meituan because we believe its success in Hong Kong might be replicable on a global scale. Evidence has also emerged that domestic...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Meituan (3690 HK): Lack of Clear Topline Driver Remains a Concern

​While we expect 1Q24 to kick off an upward earnings cycle for Meituan, lack of clear topline driver remains a concern given its valuation premium...

Eric Chen

2025 High Conviction Idea - DIDI Global, Smooth Ride to Higher Profits

Didi Global has become EBITDA positive and is expanding rapidly into Tier 3 cities where it has an technical and market share advantage. The...

David Mudd

[Meituan (3690 HK, SELL, TP HK$70) TP Change]: Margin Reflects Persistent Competitive Pressure

​Meituan beats revenue and profit estimates, but unsustainable order volume surprise. Near-term pressures remain, stock maintained as SELL with...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Meituan - Earnings Flash - FY 2023 Results - Lucror Analytics

Meituan has released FY 2023 numbers that were excellent in our view, with significantly improved profitability and solid cash generation. The...

Lucror Analytics

While we expect 1Q24 to kick off an upward earnings cycle for Meituan, lack of clear topline driver remains a concern given its valuation premium...

Meituan beats revenue and profit estimates, but unsustainable order volume surprise. Near-term pressures remain, stock maintained as SELL with...