TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst, Obex Capital Research

Aaron Gabin

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research

Obex Capital Research

“Obex” is Latin for Barriers to Entry. Obex Capital Management’s investment philosophy is driven by an intense focus on which business model’s Barriers to Entry are able to withstand the ever increasing competitive disruption in the TMT and Consumer Sectors.

Equity Bottom-Up

<p>Spotify printed a 1Q21 miss on MAUs and mediocre guidance update for 2021. We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again…Spotify strikes us as one of the worst business models of a large cap TMT company we’ve ever seen. The future bliss of podcasting driven profitability is clearly just that…future bliss. Management has NEVER explained how podcasting will translate into a more profitable business other than through hazy comments about “holistic nature of churn reduction and new users”…it reminds us of Reed Hastings when he promised that one day Netflix would be FCF positive years ago…but at least Netflix had an operating model with inherent operating leverage and pricing power, neither of which is present with Spotify. We can justify downside to $125, but realistically think $200 is a reasonable price target. Stay Short.</p><div class="content-highlight"><p>Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.</p></div>

Spotify printed a 1Q21 miss on MAUs and mediocre guidance update for 2021. We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again…Spotify strikes us as one of the worst business models of a large cap TMT company we’ve ever seen. The future bliss of podcasting driven profitability is clearly just that…future bliss. Management has NEVER explained how podcasting will translate into a more profitable business other than through hazy comments about “holistic nature of churn reduction and new users”…it reminds us of Reed Hastings when he promised that one day Netflix would be FCF positive years ago…but at least Netflix had an operating model with inherent operating leverage and pricing power, neither of which is present with Spotify. We can justify downside to $125, but realistically think $200 is a reasonable price target. Stay Short.Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.

Spotify 1Q21 Earnings: What Is an Audio Platform Worth? 2-3x Sales?

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan-dianping" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a> aims to raise around US$10bn via a combination of an equity placement and convertible bond issuance. </p><p>Along with the US$6.6bn top-up placement, its largest shareholder <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent Holdings (700 HK)</a> will chip in another US$400m. In this note, we will run the deal through our framework and talk about deal dynamics.</p>

Meituan (3690 HK) aims to raise around US$10bn via a combination of an equity placement and convertible bond issuance. Along with the US$6.6bn top-up placement, its largest shareholder Tencent Holdings (700 HK) will chip in another US$400m. In this note, we will run the deal through our framework and talk about deal dynamics.

Meituan Placement - Might Not Do a Tencent but Low-End Looks Enticing

Overseas Chinese Equities, Aequitas Research

Ming Lu

Overseas Chinese Equities

<ul>
<li>On April 15, Tencent began to reorganize its PCG (Platform and Content Group).</li>
<li>Tencent merged Tencent Video and WeSee, but has not merged Tencent News and Kandian so far.</li>
<li>We believe this is a sequel to the reorganization in 2018.</li>
<li>We also believe this further reorganization will help improve margins in 2022.</li>
</ul>


On April 15, Tencent began to reorganize its PCG (Platform and Content Group).
Tencent merged Tencent Video and WeSee, but has not merged Tencent News and Kandian so far.
We believe this is a sequel to the reorganization in 2018.
We also believe this further reorganization will help improve margins in 2022.


Tencent (700 HK): Further Reorganization as Sequel to 2018

<div>
<p>Trip.com plans to raise around US$1.2bn in its secondary listing in Hong Kong. We have looked at the background of the deal in our earlier note, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/trip-com-secondary-listing-probably-needs-to-correct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trip.com Secondary Listing - Probably Needs to Correct</a>.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>In this note, we’ll take a look at the final deal terms and talk about the impact of the raising.</p>
</div>


Trip.com plans to raise around US$1.2bn in its secondary listing in Hong Kong. We have looked at the background of the deal in our earlier note, Trip.com Secondary Listing - Probably Needs to Correct.


In this note, we’ll take a look at the final deal terms and talk about the impact of the raising.


Trip.com Secondary Listing Quick Take - Doing the Bare Minimum - Needs Some More Correction

Equity Analyst, LightStream Research

Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA

Equity Analyst

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

<p>Hong Kong Stock Exchange has become the beneficiary of tightening listing requirements and accounting rules for foreign companies by the US regulatory authorities. Chinese companies that are listed in the US are forced to comply with US accounting standards and as a result, a large number of US-listed Chinese companies have sought secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last two years.</p><p>Autohome, Baidu and Bilibili conducted secondary listings earlier this year and several other companies including <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/trip-com-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:180:1" rel="noopener">Trip.com (TCOM US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-music-entertainment" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27255:1" rel="noopener">Tencent Music (TME US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/vipshop-holdings-ltd-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1088:1" rel="noopener">Vipshop Holdings (VIPS US)</a>  are said to be in the process of securing secondary listings in Hong Kong due to the fear of being delisted from the US Exchange.</p><p>As these companies rush for secondary listings in Hong Kong, in a series of reports, we analyse 10 of the secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last 2-years. These 10 companies include <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/autohome-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20234:1" rel="noopener">Autohome Inc (Adr) (ATHM US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gds-holdings-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23649:1" rel="noopener">GDS Holdings (ADR) (GDS US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zai-lab-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:25877:1" rel="noopener">Zai Lab Ltd (ZLAB US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/baozun-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24184:1" rel="noopener">Baozun Inc. (BZUN US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zto-express" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23628:1" rel="noopener">ZTO Express (ZTO US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/huazhu-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17527:1" rel="noopener">Huazhu Group (HTHT US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-com-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:446:1" rel="noopener">JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/netease-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17203:1" rel="noopener">NetEase Inc (NTES US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/beigene" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23712:1" rel="noopener">BeiGene (BGNE US)</a> .</p>

Hong Kong Stock Exchange has become the beneficiary of tightening listing requirements and accounting rules for foreign companies by the US regulatory authorities. Chinese companies that are listed in the US are forced to comply with US accounting standards and as a result, a large number of US-listed Chinese companies have sought secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last two years.Autohome, Baidu and Bilibili conducted secondary listings earlier this year and several other companies including Trip.com (TCOM US) , Tencent Music (TME US) and Vipshop Holdings (VIPS US)  are said to be in the process of securing secondary listings in Hong Kong due to the fear of being delisted from the US Exchange.As these companies rush for secondary listings in Hong Kong, in a series of reports, we analyse 10 of the secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last 2-years. These 10 companies include Autohome Inc (Adr) (ATHM US) , GDS Holdings (ADR) (GDS US) , Zai Lab Ltd (ZLAB US) , Baozun Inc. (BZUN US) , ZTO Express (ZTO US) , Huazhu Group (HTHT US) , JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US) , NetEase Inc (NTES US) , Alibaba Group (BABA US) and BeiGene (BGNE US) .

ADR/HKEX Analysis: Lower Trading Volumes on HKEX Show Limited Liquidity Compared to the US

China

Tencent Music Entertainment operates an online music entertainment platform in China. The Company offers platform that comprises of online music, recording, music-centric live streaming enabling users to discover, listen, sing, watch, perform, and socialize music.

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Tencent Music (TME US)

Spotify 1Q21 Earnings: What Is an Audio Platform Worth? 2-3x Sales?

Spotify printed a 1Q21 miss on MAUs and mediocre guidance update for 2021. Spotify is one of the worst business models of a large cap TMT company...

Aaron Gabin

Meituan Placement - Might Not Do a Tencent but Low-End Looks Enticing

Meituan aims to raise around US$10bn via a combination of an equity placement and convertible bond issuance. In this note, we will run the deal...

Sumeet Singh

Tencent (700 HK): Further Reorganization as Sequel to 2018

Tencent began to reorganize its PCG (Platform and Content Group) We believe this is a sequel to the reorganization in 2018. We also believe this...

Ming Lu

Trip.com Secondary Listing Quick Take - Doing the Bare Minimum - Needs Some More Correction

Trip.com plans to raise around US$1.2bn in its secondary listing in Hong Kong. In this note, we’ll take a look at the final deal terms and talk...

Sumeet Singh

ADR/HKEX Analysis: Lower Trading Volumes on HKEX Show Limited Liquidity Compared to the US

Given relatively lower levels of trading volumes in HK compared to the US Exchanges, it is questionable whether the ADR/HKEX listed companies are...

Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA

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