Telco/Internet specialist

Kirk Boodry

Redex Research

Equity Bottom-Up

Softbank shares have returned to the pre-Coupang levels of early February, driven by increasing concerns about the value of the Vision Fund portfolio that remains private.  Number one on the list is the potential for second-order effects from the Greensill bankruptcy which not only cost Vision Fund $1.5bn in lost equity but also includes a further $1.2bn in debt exposure and a potential cash squeeze for other Vision Fund companies that were also clients.

Softbank shares have returned to the pre-Coupang levels of early February, driven by increasing concerns about the value of the Vision Fund portfolio that remains private.  Number one on the list is the potential for second-order effects from the Greensill bankruptcy which not only cost Vision Fund $1.5bn in lost equity but also includes a further $1.2bn in debt exposure and a potential cash squeeze for other Vision Fund companies that were also clients.

Softbank Group - Concerns on the Value of Private Vision Fund Assets Re-Surface

Independent Research, Food Delivery Space, Newmoon Capital

Newmoon Capital

Independent Research, Food Delivery Space

We look for owner-operators in what we believe are either highly defensible assets or soon to be highly defensible assets, trading at a fraction of their future potential.

Private Capital Markets

Judging from the twitter DMs, several of my points from my previous post have gone over the head of some investors, particularly the one around Signature (white label delivery). Deliveroo is at risk of getting disrupted because a large proportion of its orders/sales are from a small selection of chain restaurants — 10 chains represent 35% of ALL UK orders. Some of such chains include Nando’s, Wagamama, and McDonalds. The top 100 chains could easily be more than 50% of the UK business, if not much more. This is the case (if not moreso) for Uber Eats, and less the case for $TKWY.

Judging from the twitter DMs, several of my points from my previous post have gone over the head of some investors, particularly the one around Signature (white label delivery). Deliveroo is at risk of getting disrupted because a large proportion of its orders/sales are from a small selection of chain restaurants — 10 chains represent 35% of ALL UK orders. Some of such chains include Nando’s, Wagamama, and McDonalds. The top 100 chains could easily be more than 50% of the UK business, if not much more. This is the case (if not moreso) for Uber Eats, and less the case for $TKWY.

Deliveroo Part 6 - White Label Killed the Delivery Star

Coupang’s monster IPO is very likely to be the highlight of Vision Fund 1 and provides a solid counterpoint to the WeWork debacle early in the IPO cycle but there remains a significant number of portfolio companies still to come. At Q3 results, Softbank talked about an ongoing parade of companies coming to market with 10-15 annual events but there is a push to get companies to list whilst markets are still receptive and FY21 could see up to 20 companies hit public markets.That is positive for Softbank shares which tend to rise in anticipation of surfaced value, again assuming the IPO market remains open. It also serves to highlight the main risk for Softbank shares as a sustained tech sell-off would lower the value of the Vision Fund portfolio, increase concerns about Northstar and lower expectations for the current crop of IPO hopefuls.<h2>Highlights</h2>Softbank Vision Fund could see up to 20 companies hitting public markets 2021 should favorable conditions continue. Vision Fund says it is encouraging companies to go public whilst conditions are still receptive and Q4 (Mar) can already boast of two listings, a SPAC merger and two more listings in process. Leading candidates to go public include Didi Chuxing and GrabCoupang upside alone doubles total returns and will boost Vision Fund to its best quarter ever.  As of mid-March, Vision Fund’s public portfolio is up $27bn versus $13bn in Q2, $8bn in Q2 and $2bn in Q1. On the aggregate, it more than doubles the Vision Fund total return There may upside in the private portfolio too as Cruise raised funds in January at a 58% premium. It is usually a mug’s game trying to figure out where private valuations will end up but the Cruise stake is large enough to outweigh a lot of smaller changes for other portfolio companies. Cruise raised $2bn in January at a $30bn valuation, a 58% premium to where Softbank invested and a possible $1.3bn unrealized gain ($2.25bn &gt; $3.55bn)Portfolio company View went public through a SPAC merger but at an apparent loss for Vision Fund.  Smart glass maker View’s SPAC merger closed 9 March, the day before the Coupang IPO but it appears Softbank’s original $1.1bn investment is worth barely half that. That is a fraction of the Coupang upside but is a reminder that valuations can go both ways. Other problem investments include Greensill, Katerra, Oyo and OakNorth

Coupang’s monster IPO is very likely to be the highlight of Vision Fund 1 and provides a solid counterpoint to the WeWork debacle early in the IPO cycle but there remains a significant number of portfolio companies still to come. At Q3 results, Softbank talked about an ongoing parade of companies coming to market with 10-15 annual events but there is a push to get companies to list whilst markets are still receptive and FY21 could see up to 20 companies hit public markets.That is positive for Softbank shares which tend to rise in anticipation of surfaced value, again assuming the IPO market remains open. It also serves to highlight the main risk for Softbank shares as a sustained tech sell-off would lower the value of the Vision Fund portfolio, increase concerns about Northstar and lower expectations for the current crop of IPO hopefuls.HighlightsSoftbank Vision Fund could see up to 20 companies hitting public markets 2021 should favorable conditions continue. Vision Fund says it is encouraging companies to go public whilst conditions are still receptive and Q4 (Mar) can already boast of two listings, a SPAC merger and two more listings in process. Leading candidates to go public include Didi Chuxing and GrabCoupang upside alone doubles total returns and will boost Vision Fund to its best quarter ever.  As of mid-March, Vision Fund’s public portfolio is up $27bn versus $13bn in Q2, $8bn in Q2 and $2bn in Q1. On the aggregate, it more than doubles the Vision Fund total return There may upside in the private portfolio too as Cruise raised funds in January at a 58% premium. It is usually a mug’s game trying to figure out where private valuations will end up but the Cruise stake is large enough to outweigh a lot of smaller changes for other portfolio companies. Cruise raised $2bn in January at a $30bn valuation, a 58% premium to where Softbank invested and a possible $1.3bn unrealized gain ($2.25bn &gt; $3.55bn)Portfolio company View went public through a SPAC merger but at an apparent loss for Vision Fund.  Smart glass maker View’s SPAC merger closed 9 March, the day before the Coupang IPO but it appears Softbank’s original $1.1bn investment is worth barely half that. That is a fraction of the Coupang upside but is a reminder that valuations can go both ways. Other problem investments include Greensill, Katerra, Oyo and OakNorth

Softbank Group - Vision Fund’s Race to Liquidity

It has been a roller-coaster week for Vision Fund performance with Coupang pricing its IPO at a premium to already heady valuations whilst at the opposite end of the spectrum fintech investee Greensill has completed a rather quick move to insolvency. Markets seems to have taken both in stride as Softbank shares continues to hover above the ¥10,000 level whilst the corresponding discount to underlying public values remains at c. 20%. Since Softbank reported Q3 results, tech shares in the US have weakened and Vision Fund portfolio companies are down 14%/$7bn. Whilst expectations of further IPOs (Grab and or Didi) are supportive, share price performance will rely heavily on US tech sentiment going forward. HighlightsCoupang has reportedly priced its IPO at $35, which is well ahead of our fair value but not surprising in a frothy market. Coupang’s recent growth acceleration and move towards profitability make the stock attractive despite the premium valuation. The reported price implies a 3.1x EV/FY21e sales which is much higher than a direct peer group that includes Amazon (2.8x sales).Greensill has collapsed with Vision Fund exposure of up to $2bn. That is a lot of money but Coupang upside will outshine the impact on Vision Fund performance when quarterly numbers come out. What is worrisome is that this marks the second time a Softbank-backed financial firm has failed following Wirecard last summer. In addition, Greensill reportedly provided funding to four or five Vision Fund companies (Katerra, Oyo, View, Fair, Guazi) and without any disclosure it is not known whether Greensill’s demise would have a knock-on effect.Vision Fund’s public portfolio is down 14% since Q3 results. The volatility in tech valuations in the US has had an impact on Vision Fund’s public portfolio which is down 14% (or $6.9bn) since 9 February led by a 28% decline in DoorDash and a 19% decline in Beike (in VF 2).  That excludes any losses that may come at the cash management subsidiary Northstar which had $22bn invested in liquid tech assets at the end of Dec. AT Q3 results, Softbank said a $1bn loss at the end of the quarter had inverted to a c. $1bn gain by 9 February and that easily could have inflected again.

It has been a roller-coaster week for Vision Fund performance with Coupang pricing its IPO at a premium to already heady valuations whilst at the opposite end of the spectrum fintech investee Greensill has completed a rather quick move to insolvency. Markets seems to have taken both in stride as Softbank shares continues to hover above the ¥10,000 level whilst the corresponding discount to underlying public values remains at c. 20%. Since Softbank reported Q3 results, tech shares in the US have weakened and Vision Fund portfolio companies are down 14%/$7bn. Whilst expectations of further IPOs (Grab and or Didi) are supportive, share price performance will rely heavily on US tech sentiment going forward. HighlightsCoupang has reportedly priced its IPO at $35, which is well ahead of our fair value but not surprising in a frothy market. Coupang’s recent growth acceleration and move towards profitability make the stock attractive despite the premium valuation. The reported price implies a 3.1x EV/FY21e sales which is much higher than a direct peer group that includes Amazon (2.8x sales).Greensill has collapsed with Vision Fund exposure of up to $2bn. That is a lot of money but Coupang upside will outshine the impact on Vision Fund performance when quarterly numbers come out. What is worrisome is that this marks the second time a Softbank-backed financial firm has failed following Wirecard last summer. In addition, Greensill reportedly provided funding to four or five Vision Fund companies (Katerra, Oyo, View, Fair, Guazi) and without any disclosure it is not known whether Greensill’s demise would have a knock-on effect.Vision Fund’s public portfolio is down 14% since Q3 results. The volatility in tech valuations in the US has had an impact on Vision Fund’s public portfolio which is down 14% (or $6.9bn) since 9 February led by a 28% decline in DoorDash and a 19% decline in Beike (in VF 2).  That excludes any losses that may come at the cash management subsidiary Northstar which had $22bn invested in liquid tech assets at the end of Dec. AT Q3 results, Softbank said a $1bn loss at the end of the quarter had inverted to a c. $1bn gain by 9 February and that easily could have inflected again.   

Softbank Group - Vision Fund Ups and Downs: Coupang and Greensill

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.

DoorDash’s first earnings call confirmed many of the concerns from our initiation. The key point for 2021? We think estimates that came up to reflect the easy COVID comp for 1Q21 will fall the rest of the year as COVID recedes, which will result in the rising customer acquisition costs cited in 4Q and 2021 meeting falling LTVs as customers return to dining out. DoorDash is likely to continually underperform expectations.Why do we think DoorDash is worth maybe half its current valuation?We’ll leave it to “NEUTRAL” rated Goldman Sachs to sum it up, “With the stock trading near 20x 2022E EV/Gross Profit vs. GSe 28% 3-year Gross Profit CAGR compared to the peer average of 10x on 30% growth we believe much of that opportunity is reflected in the current valuation. Therefore, we remain Neutral rated, while our 12-month price target goes to $145 from $135 to reflect revised estimates and current comp multiples.”As always, if you can’t explain why one company is worth 2x more then all its peers…it’s a neutral.<div class="content-highlight">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.</div>

DoorDash’s first earnings call confirmed many of the concerns from our initiation. The key point for 2021? We think estimates that came up to reflect the easy COVID comp for 1Q21 will fall the rest of the year as COVID recedes, which will result in the rising customer acquisition costs cited in 4Q and 2021 meeting falling LTVs as customers return to dining out. DoorDash is likely to continually underperform expectations.Why do we think DoorDash is worth maybe half its current valuation?We’ll leave it to “NEUTRAL” rated Goldman Sachs to sum it up, “With the stock trading near 20x 2022E EV/Gross Profit vs. GSe 28% 3-year Gross Profit CAGR compared to the peer average of 10x on 30% growth we believe much of that opportunity is reflected in the current valuation. Therefore, we remain Neutral rated, while our 12-month price target goes to $145 from $135 to reflect revised estimates and current comp multiples.”As always, if you can’t explain why one company is worth 2x more then all its peers…it’s a neutral.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.

DoorDash 4Q20 Earnings: This Is a Business Worth $50B?

United States

Uber Technologies Inc provides ride hailing services. The Company develops applications for road transportation, navigation, ride sharing, and payment processing solutions. Uber Technologies serves customers worldwide.

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Uber Technologies (UBER US)

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DoorDash 4Q20 Earnings: This Is a Business Worth $50B?

DoorDash's 4Q20 earnings confirmed our bearish thesis. The company is continuing to spend higher and higher amounts on customer acquisition due to...

Aaron Gabin

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