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

Full Truck Alliance   / Equity Capital Markets

<div><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/full-truck-alliance" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33429:1" rel="noopener">Full Truck Alliance (YMM US)</a> (FTA),  China’s largest digital freight platform by gross transaction value, aims to raise up to US$1.6bn via a US listing. It is backed by Softbank and Sequoia.</p></div><div><p>In our earlier notes, we spoke about the positive and negatives aspects of the deal, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/full-truck-alliance-pre-ipo-the-positives-category-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full Truck Alliance Pre-IPO - The Positives - Category Leader</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/full-truck-alliance-pre-ipo-the-negatives-still-a-mixed-bag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full Truck Alliance Pre-IPO - The Negatives - Still a Mixed Bag,</a> as well as valuations in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/full-truck-alliance-pre-ipo-valuation-even-the-previous-round-might-have-been-a-stretch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full Truck Alliance Pre-IPO - Valuation, Even the Previous Round Might Have Been a Stretch</a>.</p></div><div><p>In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and run the deal through our ECM framework. </p></div>

Full Truck Alliance (YMM US) (FTA),  China’s largest digital freight platform by gross transaction value, aims to raise up to US$1.6bn via a US listing. It is backed by Softbank and Sequoia.In our earlier notes, we spoke about the positive and negatives aspects of the deal, Full Truck Alliance Pre-IPO - The Positives - Category Leader and Full Truck Alliance Pre-IPO - The Negatives - Still a Mixed Bag, as well as valuations in Full Truck Alliance Pre-IPO - Valuation, Even the Previous Round Might Have Been a Stretch.In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and run the deal through our ECM framework. 

Full Truck Alliance IPO - Decent Investor Line-Up, at Best a Punt at These Valuations

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

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<p>Our valuation analysis suggests an implied market cap of US$11.5 billion, representing implied price of $28.67 per share. This would represent an upside of 51% from the high end of the IPO price of $19. Given the strong upside, we would take this IPO deal. We based our valuation based on 9.6x EV/S multiple, which is 150% higher than the average EV/S multiple of its peers in 2022. <strong>We have a positive view of the Kanzhun IPO. </strong></p>
<p>Given the much stronger sales growth of the company combined with impressive improvement in operating losses as a percentage of sales, we believe the company should be valued at much higher valuation multiple than its peers and we believe 9.6x EV/S multiple is appropriate. </p>
<p><strong>Despite being a late comer, Kanzhun has become the largest online recruitment platform in China, as measured by average MAU in 2020.</strong> This is a testament of the company's ability to meet the missing needs of the job seekers and companies that are trying to find new employees. Kanzhun's core product is Boss Zhipin, which is China's leading online recruitment platform app. Boss Zhipin allows employers to interact and connect with job seekers directly through chat rather than simply sending and receiving resumes.</p>
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Our valuation analysis suggests an implied market cap of US$11.5 billion, representing implied price of $28.67 per share. This would represent an upside of 51% from the high end of the IPO price of $19. Given the strong upside, we would take this IPO deal. We based our valuation based on 9.6x EV/S multiple, which is 150% higher than the average EV/S multiple of its peers in 2022. We have a positive view of the Kanzhun IPO. 
Given the much stronger sales growth of the company combined with impressive improvement in operating losses as a percentage of sales, we believe the company should be valued at much higher valuation multiple than its peers and we believe 9.6x EV/S multiple is appropriate. 
Despite being a late comer, Kanzhun has become the largest online recruitment platform in China, as measured by average MAU in 2020. This is a testament of the company's ability to meet the missing needs of the job seekers and companies that are trying to find new employees. Kanzhun's core product is Boss Zhipin, which is China's leading online recruitment platform app. Boss Zhipin allows employers to interact and connect with job seekers directly through chat rather than simply sending and receiving resumes.


<div><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kanzhun-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33368:1" rel="noopener">Kanzhun (BZ US)</a>, an online recruitment platform in China, aims to raise up to US$912m in its US IPO. The company is backed by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a>. Kanzhun runs BOSS Zhipin APP, which allows enterprise users and jobseekers to directly chat, thus, providing more convenience to both.</p></div><div><p>Kanzhun is the largest online recruitment platform in China, as measured by average MAU in 2020, according to the CIC Report. As of Mar 2021, it had 13.0m verified enterprise users, 6.3m verified enterprises, and 85.8m verified job seekers on its platform. For 12 months ended Mar 2021, it had 2.89m paid enterprise customers. Its average MAU (including job seekers and enterprise users) reached 24.0m in 1Q21.</p></div><div>
<p>The company nearly doubled its revenue in 2020 and its 1Q21 revenue was nearly triple that of 1Q20. Furthermore, while it remains loss making, it has been operating cash flow positive since 2020. There is nothing much to complain about the financial performance of the company, however, its disclosures are patchy. </p>
<p>We have covered the deal background in our earlier notes, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kanzhun-pre-ipo-bumble-meets-linkedin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kanzhun Pre-IPO -Bumble meets Linkedin . </a></p>
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Kanzhun (BZ US), an online recruitment platform in China, aims to raise up to US$912m in its US IPO. The company is backed by Tencent (700 HK). Kanzhun runs BOSS Zhipin APP, which allows enterprise users and jobseekers to directly chat, thus, providing more convenience to both.Kanzhun is the largest online recruitment platform in China, as measured by average MAU in 2020, according to the CIC Report. As of Mar 2021, it had 13.0m verified enterprise users, 6.3m verified enterprises, and 85.8m verified job seekers on its platform. For 12 months ended Mar 2021, it had 2.89m paid enterprise customers. Its average MAU (including job seekers and enterprise users) reached 24.0m in 1Q21.
The company nearly doubled its revenue in 2020 and its 1Q21 revenue was nearly triple that of 1Q20. Furthermore, while it remains loss making, it has been operating cash flow positive since 2020. There is nothing much to complain about the financial performance of the company, however, its disclosures are patchy. 
We have covered the deal background in our earlier notes, Kanzhun Pre-IPO -Bumble meets Linkedin . 


Kanzhun IPO - Fast Growth, Strong Investor Support, Cash Flow Positive...

APAC IPOs & Placements

Zhen Zhou, Toh

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/weimob-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27394:1" rel="noopener">Weimob Inc. (2013 HK)</a>  is looking to raise about US$250m in its primary placement to fund R&amp;D, upgrade marketing systems, supplement potential investments, and other general corporate purposes.</p><p>We have previously covered the IPO and 2019 placement in: </p><ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/weimob-pre-ipo-can-be-steamrolled-by-tencent-anytime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weimob Pre-IPO - Can Be Steamrolled by Tencent, Anytime</a></p></li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/weimob-ipo-quick-take-less-saas-more-ads-lower-valuation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weimob IPO Quick Take - Less SaaS, More Ads -&gt; Lower Valuation</a></p></li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/weimob-ipo-trading-update-existing-shareholders-to-the-rescue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weimob IPO Trading Update - Existing Shareholders to the Rescue</a></p></li>
</ul>

Weimob Inc. (2013 HK)  is looking to raise about US$250m in its primary placement to fund R&amp;D, upgrade marketing systems, supplement potential investments, and other general corporate purposes.We have previously covered the IPO and 2019 placement in: 
Weimob Pre-IPO - Can Be Steamrolled by Tencent, Anytime
Weimob IPO Quick Take - Less SaaS, More Ads -&gt; Lower Valuation
Weimob IPO Trading Update - Existing Shareholders to the Rescue


Weimob (微盟) Placement - A Different Beast than Before - Tencent’s Support Helps Too

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Equity Bottom-Up

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<p>On the 28 February, e-commerce and payment solutions provider <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-youzan-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11467:1" rel="noopener">China Youzan Limited (8083 HK)</a> <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/gem/2021/0228/2021022800069.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a pre-conditional Offer by way of a Scheme to take its GEM-listed shares private, then list 51.7%-held Youzan Technology on Hong Kong's mainboard. Shareholders are offered HK$0.1352/share in cash plus an in-specie distribution of 0.05077265 Youzan Technology shares for every China Youzan share held.</p>
<p>All in, the indicative Offer price was HK$2.3088/share, a 30.2% <em>discount</em> to last close. China Youzan was up 283% in the past year, and 44% YTD prior to the offer. </p>
<p>In <em><a href="https://skr.ma/qgiJ9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China Youzan (8083 HK): Proposal Towards Relisting Youzan Tech</a></em>, I recommended avoiding the stock, with a view to re-entering if it closed in on the implied fair value using peer multiples, or ~HK$2.20/share. </p>
<p>On the 6  May, Disinterested Scheme Shareholders <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/gem/2021/0506/2021050602278.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> at the First SGM a rollover arrangement and other side-agreements - not the take-private proposal as has been incorrectly reported by some media sources. The Scheme Document is expected to be posted on or before the 15 June. </p>
<p>Shares closed today at $2.09/share, down 5.4%, and down 37% since the delisting proposal. </p>
<p>This is <em>starting</em> to look more attractive.</p>
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On the 28 February, e-commerce and payment solutions provider China Youzan Limited (8083 HK) announced a pre-conditional Offer by way of a Scheme to take its GEM-listed shares private, then list 51.7%-held Youzan Technology on Hong Kong's mainboard. Shareholders are offered HK$0.1352/share in cash plus an in-specie distribution of 0.05077265 Youzan Technology shares for every China Youzan share held.
All in, the indicative Offer price was HK$2.3088/share, a 30.2% discount to last close. China Youzan was up 283% in the past year, and 44% YTD prior to the offer. 
In China Youzan (8083 HK): Proposal Towards Relisting Youzan Tech, I recommended avoiding the stock, with a view to re-entering if it closed in on the implied fair value using peer multiples, or ~HK$2.20/share. 
On the 6  May, Disinterested Scheme Shareholders approved at the First SGM a rollover arrangement and other side-agreements - not the take-private proposal as has been incorrectly reported by some media sources. The Scheme Document is expected to be posted on or before the 15 June. 
Shares closed today at $2.09/share, down 5.4%, and down 37% since the delisting proposal. 
This is starting to look more attractive.


China Youzan (8083 HK): Reality Check As Shares Rollover

China

Weimob Inc. provides targetedmarketing services. The Company offers product display, orderintake and payment processing, customer relationship management, and social media marketing services. Weimob provides services in China.

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Weimob Inc. (2013 HK)

Full Truck Alliance IPO - Decent Investor Line-Up, at Best a Punt at These Valuations

Full Truck Alliance (YMM US), China’s largest digital freight platform by gross transaction value, aims to raise up to US$1.6bn via a US listing....

Sumeet Singh

Kanzhun IPO Valuation Analysis

Our valuation analysis of Kanzhun suggests an implied market cap of US$11.5 billion, representing implied price of $28.67 per share. We would take...

Douglas Kim

Kanzhun IPO - Fast Growth, Strong Investor Support, Cash Flow Positive...

Kanzhun (BZ US), an online recruitment platform in China, aims to raise up to US$912m in its US IPO. The company is backed by Tencent (700 HK).

Sumeet Singh

Weimob (微盟) Placement - A Different Beast than Before - Tencent’s Support Helps Too

Weimob Inc. (2013 HK) is looking to raise about US$250m in its primary placement to fund R&D, upgrade marketing systems, supplement potential...

Zhen Zhou, Toh

China Youzan (8083 HK): Reality Check As Shares Rollover

Buying China Youzan means you are buying the Youzan Tech IPO at an Implied EV/sales multiple. That's around a 10% premium to peers currently. The...

David Blennerhassett

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