ASEAN Insight Provider, CrossASEAN Research

Angus Mackintosh

ASEAN Insight Provider

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

Cross Asset Strategy

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Corrigenda: There is an error in this Insight. Please note the correction.
Correction: The <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/singapore-sti-macro-bear-pressure-mounting-with-tactical-relief-from-2-400" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42932" rel="noopener">Singapore STI Macro Bear Pressure Mounting with Tactical Relief from 2,400</a> Insight is improperly attributed to Thomas Monaco. That Insight was published by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/thomas-schroeder" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:381" rel="noopener">Thomas Schroeder</a>.
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The week that was in ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up and credit insights over the past week.
Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section. We also include in the detailed section the past week's relevant discussions in <a href="mailto:ASEAN@Smartkarma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASEAN@Smartkarma.</a>
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<h3>Equity Bottom-Up Insights</h3>
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kalbe-farma-klbf-ij-a-nutritional-spin-off" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42533" rel="noopener">Kalbe Farma (KLBF IJ) - A Nutritional Spin-Off?,</a> CrossASEAN Insight Provider <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/angus-mackintosh" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:937" rel="noopener">Angus Mackintosh</a> revisits South East Asia's largest pharmaceutical company in light of news that the company is considering spinning off its Nutritionals division to raise around US$500m. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/link-net-tbk-pt-link-ij-summer-migration-at-last" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42829" rel="noopener">Link Net Tbk Pt (LINK IJ) - Summer Migration at Last,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/angus-mackintosh" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:937" rel="noopener">Angus Mackintosh</a> revisits Indonesia's highest quality high-speed broadband provider following a call with managment, which focused on its recent results, as well as the decision to build its own pole infrastructure to carry its fibre.  
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/singtel-make-the-call" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42900" rel="noopener">SingTel: Make The Call,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/david-blennerhassett" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:840" rel="noopener">David Blennerhassett</a> zeros in on Singapore's leading telecom provider and finds deep value appearing in the stock.
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/scg-packaging-ipo-initiation-shrink-wrapping" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42967" rel="noopener">SCG Packaging IPO Initiation: Shrink Wrapping,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/arun-george" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:1680" rel="noopener">Arun George</a> takes a first look at the upcoming spin-off from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/siam-cement-pcl-the" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2589:1" rel="noopener">Siam Cement (SCC TB)</a> and IPO of SCG Packaging, which will get a lot of investor focus given ist size and share in of the packaging market in SE Asia. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/sembcorp-last-chance-before" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42886" rel="noopener">Sembcorp - Last Chance Before...</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/travis-lundy" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:25" rel="noopener">Travis Lundy</a> looks at the enormously dilutive rights issue and de-merger of Semcorp Marine. 
 In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/singapore-sti-macro-bear-pressure-mounting-with-tactical-relief-from-2-400" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42932" rel="noopener">Singapore STI Macro Bear Pressure Mounting with Tactical Relief from 2,400,</a> technical analysis specialist <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/thomas-j-monaco" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:1716" rel="noopener">Thomas J. Monaco</a> works his technical magic on the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ftse-straits-times-index-sti" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22902:1" rel="noopener">FTSE Straits Times Index (STI) (STI INDEX).</a>
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/ratch-3q20-earnings-to-improve-from-overseas-performance" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42789" rel="noopener">RATCH: 3Q20 Earnings to Improve from Overseas Performance</a>, our friend at <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/companies/country-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="companies:965" rel="noopener">Country Group</a> report back on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ratch-group-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15338:1" rel="noopener">Ratchaburi Electric (RATCH TB)</a> post its more recent analyst meeting, which left a positive impression.  
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/b-work-good-dividend-yield-makes-an-attractive-investment" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42782" rel="noopener">B-WORK: Good Dividend Yield Makes an Attractive Investment,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/dr-andrew-stotz-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:756" rel="noopener">Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA</a> revisits <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bualuang-office-leasehold-real-estate-investment-trust" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26187:1" rel="noopener">Bualuang Office Leasehold Real Estate Investment Trust (B-WORK TB)</a> and takes a positive view. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/rbf-the-excessive-outperformance-may-come-to-a-halt" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42788" rel="noopener">RBF: The Excessive Outperformance May Come to a Halt,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/dr-andrew-stotz-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:756" rel="noopener">Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA</a> upgrades his recommendation on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/r-b-food-supply-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28949:1" rel="noopener">R&amp;B Food Supply PCL (RBF TB)</a> to HOLD from SELL based on raising his target price of THB9.25 from THB8.70, implying a downside of 9% from the current price. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/sti-acquisition-benefits-are-not-fully-priced-in-strong-buy" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42785" rel="noopener">STI: Acquisition Benefits Are Not Fully Priced In, Strong BUY,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/dr-andrew-stotz-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:756" rel="noopener">Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA</a> revisits <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/stonehenge-inter-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27353:1" rel="noopener">Stonehenge Inter (STI TB)</a> with a BUY recommendation based on his target of THB10.10, implying an upside of 31% from the current share price. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/dod-strong-performance-deserves-a-re-rating" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42676" rel="noopener">DOD: Strong Performance Deserves a Re-Rating,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/dr-andrew-stotz-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:756" rel="noopener">Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA</a> upgrades his recommendation on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/dod-biotech-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26179:1" rel="noopener">DOD Biotech PCL (DOD TB)</a> to BUY from HOLD based on raising his target price to Bt10.70 from Bt7.55, implying an upside of 26% from the current price. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/vranda-the-calm-before-challenging-times" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42781" rel="noopener">VRANDA: The Calm Before Challenging Times,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/dr-andrew-stotz-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:756" rel="noopener">Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA</a> has a SELL recommendation on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/veranda-resort-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29176:1" rel="noopener">Veranda Resort PCL (VRANDA TB)</a> based on a target price of THB4.30, implying a downside of 26% from the current share price. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/ace-results-are-not-stunning-stay-on-hold" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42784" rel="noopener">ACE: Results Are Not Stunning, Stay on HOLD,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/dr-andrew-stotz-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:756" rel="noopener">Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA</a> upgrades his recommendation on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/absolute-clean-energy-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29155:1" rel="noopener">Absolute Clean Energy PCL (ACE TB)</a> to HOLD from SELL based on raising his target price to THB3.49 from THB2.64, implying an upside of 8% from the current price. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/spa-weak-demand-continues-to-pressure-2h20-earnings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42813" rel="noopener">SPA: Weak Demand Continues to Pressure 2H20 Earnings,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/dr-andrew-stotz-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:756" rel="noopener">Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA</a> downgrades <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/siam-wellness-group-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3765:1" rel="noopener">Siam Wellness Group (SPA TB)</a> from BUY to HOLD rating and cut his target price by 31% to THB6.6 to factor in weakening earnings momentum in 2H20. 
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/gunkul-new-60mw-power-plant-to-drive-2h20-earnings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:42820" rel="noopener">GUNKUL: New 60MW Power Plant to Drive 2H20 Earnings,</a> <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/companies/country-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="companies:965" rel="noopener">Country Group</a> maintain a BUY rating on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gunkul-engineering-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15272:1" rel="noopener">Gunkul Engineering (GUNKUL TB)</a> with a target price of THB3.24 derived using DCF method (WACC 7.8% and TG 1%) implying 11.4x FY20E PER or 0.5x relative PER to Thai utility sector. 
<h3>Sector and Thematic Insights</h3>
In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/telecom-review-sept-2020-ais-and-asiasoft-get-aggressive-on-gaming" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:41022" rel="noopener">Telecom Review (Sept 2020): AIS and AsiaSoft Get Aggressive on Gaming,</a> our Thai guru <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/athaporn-arayasantiparb-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:766" rel="noopener">Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA</a> takes a look at gaming, specifically related to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/advanced-info-service-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:947:1" rel="noopener">Advanced Info Service (ADVANC TB)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/asiasoft-corp-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5429:1" rel="noopener">Asiasoft Corp (AS TB)</a> in Thailand.


Corrigenda: There is an error in this Insight. Please note the correction.
Correction: The Singapore STI Macro Bear Pressure Mounting with Tactical Relief from 2,400 Insight is improperly attributed to Thomas Monaco. That Insight was published by Thomas Schroeder.



The week that was in ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up and credit insights over the past week.
Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section. We also include in the detailed section the past week's relevant discussions in ASEAN@Smartkarma.

Equity Bottom-Up Insights
In Kalbe Farma (KLBF IJ) - A Nutritional Spin-Off?, CrossASEAN Insight Provider Angus Mackintosh revisits South East Asia's largest pharmaceutical company in light of news that the company is considering spinning off its Nutritionals division to raise around US$500m. 
In Link Net Tbk Pt (LINK IJ) - Summer Migration at Last, Angus Mackintosh revisits Indonesia's highest quality high-speed broadband provider following a call with managment, which focused on its recent results, as well as the decision to build its own pole infrastructure to carry its fibre.  
In SingTel: Make The Call, David Blennerhassett zeros in on Singapore's leading telecom provider and finds deep value appearing in the stock.
In SCG Packaging IPO Initiation: Shrink Wrapping, Arun George takes a first look at the upcoming spin-off from Siam Cement (SCC TB) and IPO of SCG Packaging, which will get a lot of investor focus given ist size and share in of the packaging market in SE Asia. 
In Sembcorp - Last Chance Before... Travis Lundy looks at the enormously dilutive rights issue and de-merger of Semcorp Marine. 
 In Singapore STI Macro Bear Pressure Mounting with Tactical Relief from 2,400, technical analysis specialist Thomas J. Monaco works his technical magic on the FTSE Straits Times Index (STI) (STI INDEX).
In RATCH: 3Q20 Earnings to Improve from Overseas Performance, our friend at Country Group report back on Ratchaburi Electric (RATCH TB) post its more recent analyst meeting, which left a positive impression.  
In B-WORK: Good Dividend Yield Makes an Attractive Investment, Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA revisits Bualuang Office Leasehold Real Estate Investment Trust (B-WORK TB) and takes a positive view. 
In RBF: The Excessive Outperformance May Come to a Halt, Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA upgrades his recommendation on R&amp;B Food Supply PCL (RBF TB) to HOLD from SELL based on raising his target price of THB9.25 from THB8.70, implying a downside of 9% from the current price. 
In STI: Acquisition Benefits Are Not Fully Priced In, Strong BUY, Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA revisits Stonehenge Inter (STI TB) with a BUY recommendation based on his target of THB10.10, implying an upside of 31% from the current share price. 
In DOD: Strong Performance Deserves a Re-Rating, Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA upgrades his recommendation on DOD Biotech PCL (DOD TB) to BUY from HOLD based on raising his target price to Bt10.70 from Bt7.55, implying an upside of 26% from the current price. 
In VRANDA: The Calm Before Challenging Times, Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA has a SELL recommendation on Veranda Resort PCL (VRANDA TB) based on a target price of THB4.30, implying a downside of 26% from the current share price. 
In ACE: Results Are Not Stunning, Stay on HOLD, Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA upgrades his recommendation on Absolute Clean Energy PCL (ACE TB) to HOLD from SELL based on raising his target price to THB3.49 from THB2.64, implying an upside of 8% from the current price. 
In SPA: Weak Demand Continues to Pressure 2H20 Earnings, Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA downgrades Siam Wellness Group (SPA TB) from BUY to HOLD rating and cut his target price by 31% to THB6.6 to factor in weakening earnings momentum in 2H20. 
In GUNKUL: New 60MW Power Plant to Drive 2H20 Earnings, Country Group maintain a BUY rating on Gunkul Engineering (GUNKUL TB) with a target price of THB3.24 derived using DCF method (WACC 7.8% and TG 1%) implying 11.4x FY20E PER or 0.5x relative PER to Thai utility sector. 
Sector and Thematic Insights
In Telecom Review (Sept 2020): AIS and AsiaSoft Get Aggressive on Gaming, our Thai guru Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA takes a look at gaming, specifically related to Advanced Info Service (ADVANC TB) and Asiasoft Corp (AS TB) in Thailand. 

The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkama - Kalbe Spin-Off, SingTel's Deep Value, and Thailand's Gamers

Asean-focused. Ex-Head of Thai Research

Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA

Asean (Thailand) Focused Independent Research

M Corp Review

M Corp is led by Athaporn Arayasantiparb who served as Head of Research for UOB and ANZ in Thailand and was an award-winning telecoms analyst at UBS in 2010 (AsiaMoney Thailand category) and Regional Strategist for DMG in Singapore. Prior to that, he also served as Kasikornbank credit analyst and scholar. He has a total work experience of 17 years, of which 14 were in research and 4 in research management roles. He started his career as an engineer for PTT and currently manages family investments. He holds an MBA from Stern (NYU) and CFA Charter since 2006. Apart from IPO Radar, which focuses on future listings, MCorp Review also provides six on-going thematic series ranked by frequency in descending order, namely: 1) Silicon Stories (technology) 2) Sathorn Series (financial services) 3) Thai-Coons (billionaire origin stories) 4) Reality Check (data-driven, investigative) 5) Thai Media Spotlight; and 6) Thai Macro Watch (global market drivers).

Event-Driven

The recent merger with Line Man values Wongnai at US$110m and hence Ookbee at US$40m. In this review, we check out the other known VC investments of Intuch as well as Digital Gaming, a recent gaming platform in which AIS has invested with its partner at Singtel. Here's what we found:<ul>
<li>
Value accretion. The value added are immaterial, less than Bt1/sh for Intuch, but gives us a glimpse of the rather opaque VC business. Of these, the best project is arguably the microlender Peer Power, which charges interest rates in the 6-22% range.</li>
<li>
Gaming. While we are generally bullish on gaming, we estimate that Digital Gaming destroyed some value for AIS given the acquisition price. The indirect impact on Intuch is negligible.</li>
<li>
Limitations of assumption. Given the very limited information and Intuch's own non-controlling stake nature (only 25%), we make our assumptions conservative. As the case of Wongnai shows, there is room for positive surprise.</li>
<li>
A good mix conceptually. The important thing about Intuch's VC arm, apart from its size, is that it has a decent track record, and don't forget that with Bt200m budget annually, they will make more of these investments.</li>
</ul>

The recent merger with Line Man values Wongnai at US$110m and hence Ookbee at US$40m. In this review, we check out the other known VC investments of Intuch as well as Digital Gaming, a recent gaming platform in which AIS has invested with its partner at Singtel. Here's what we found:

Value accretion. The value added are immaterial, less than Bt1/sh for Intuch, but gives us a glimpse of the rather opaque VC business. Of these, the best project is arguably the microlender Peer Power, which charges interest rates in the 6-22% range.

Gaming. While we are generally bullish on gaming, we estimate that Digital Gaming destroyed some value for AIS given the acquisition price. The indirect impact on Intuch is negligible.

Limitations of assumption. Given the very limited information and Intuch's own non-controlling stake nature (only 25%), we make our assumptions conservative. As the case of Wongnai shows, there is room for positive surprise.

A good mix conceptually. The important thing about Intuch's VC arm, apart from its size, is that it has a decent track record, and don't forget that with Bt200m budget annually, they will make more of these investments.


Reality Check XXVI: How Much Are the Other Intuch VC Investments Worth?

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Last Week in Event SPACE: Toshiba, Softbank, Cardinal Resources, Sembcorp, Intouch, SingTel, 58.Com

CEO, A. Stotz Investment Research

Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA

Quantamental Investing to beat Benchmarks

A. Stotz Investment Research

We pick stocks. We construct portfolios. All our effort is focused on how to better pick stocks and construct portfolios. We serve fund management companies, family offices, and high net worth individuals.

Equity Bottom-Up

We have a SELL recommendation on CHAYO with our target price of Bt6.90, implying a downside of 16% from the current price. We derive our target price from the PB/ROE of Thai Diversified Financials and apply a 15% small-cap discount.
Investment thesis:
<ul>
<li>Rising level of bad loans in Thailand can boost core business</li>
<li>Economic uncertainty helps to expand the customer base for debt collection</li>
<li>Debt collection to further benefit from increasing mobile usage</li>
<li>High growth is priced in, warrant exercise to fund growth</li>
</ul>
Interim: The 2Q20 results were mainly in line with our expectations, slightly higher provisioning. We still think that CHAYO lags on enormous growth opportunities.
Risks: Increased competition in acquiring non-performing loans, loss from unsecured debt management, adverse regulatory changes, and potential litigation issues arising from debt collection service. A risk to our recommendation is that sentiment drives the share price considerably higher.

We have a SELL recommendation on CHAYO with our target price of Bt6.90, implying a downside of 16% from the current price. We derive our target price from the PB/ROE of Thai Diversified Financials and apply a 15% small-cap discount.
Investment thesis:

Rising level of bad loans in Thailand can boost core business
Economic uncertainty helps to expand the customer base for debt collection
Debt collection to further benefit from increasing mobile usage
High growth is priced in, warrant exercise to fund growth

Interim: The 2Q20 results were mainly in line with our expectations, slightly higher provisioning. We still think that CHAYO lags on enormous growth opportunities.
Risks: Increased competition in acquiring non-performing loans, loss from unsecured debt management, adverse regulatory changes, and potential litigation issues arising from debt collection service. A risk to our recommendation is that sentiment drives the share price considerably higher.

CHAYO: Remarkable Growth, but Would Need More

AIS recently invested in the online gaming industry. We took the opportunity to visit the country's largest mobile operator and second largest online gaming company. This is a what we found:<ul>
<li>AIS reported 3.3% earnings QoQ increase despite a 2.4% decline in revenues when its stores were closed as a result of the pandemic due to a combination of: 1) marketing &amp; administrative cost reduction and 2) increase in contribution from broadband subscribers.</li>
<li>While the largest operator still expects a 1-5% decline in revenues and EBITDA, they are not exactly standing still, diversifying into games, cloud, insurance, and online marketing, while trying to make the most of the spectrum they recently won.</li>
<li>AsiaSoft reported a 6-fold increase in profits on the back of Bt450m revenues (more than double of last year), 60% of which came from outside Thailand! We were literally shocked with the results  (+197% revenue growth in Singapore for eg.) and will go all-in on this stock now.</li>
<li>We are not too alarmed by COM7's 8% QoQ and 5% YoY earnings decline given the store closure. Rather, it shows resilience and resourcefulness that they shifted some sales to online channels and sold at cost or even loss to garner cash flows needed for survival. Generating Bt271m of profits at all in Q2'20 was a feat in itself and is likely due to its contract with True Shop for management.</li>
</ul>

AIS recently invested in the online gaming industry. We took the opportunity to visit the country's largest mobile operator and second largest online gaming company. This is a what we found:
AIS reported 3.3% earnings QoQ increase despite a 2.4% decline in revenues when its stores were closed as a result of the pandemic due to a combination of: 1) marketing &amp; administrative cost reduction and 2) increase in contribution from broadband subscribers.
While the largest operator still expects a 1-5% decline in revenues and EBITDA, they are not exactly standing still, diversifying into games, cloud, insurance, and online marketing, while trying to make the most of the spectrum they recently won.
AsiaSoft reported a 6-fold increase in profits on the back of Bt450m revenues (more than double of last year), 60% of which came from outside Thailand! We were literally shocked with the results  (+197% revenue growth in Singapore for eg.) and will go all-in on this stock now.
We are not too alarmed by COM7's 8% QoQ and 5% YoY earnings decline given the store closure. Rather, it shows resilience and resourcefulness that they shifted some sales to online channels and sold at cost or even loss to garner cash flows needed for survival. Generating Bt271m of profits at all in Q2'20 was a feat in itself and is likely due to its contract with True Shop for management.


Telecom Review (Sept 2020): AIS and AsiaSoft Get Aggressive on Gaming

Thailand

Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited is granted a 25-year concession expiring the year 2015 by the Telephone Organization of Thailand to provide cellular phone services.  The Company provides analog mobile phone services through the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT900) network, and digital phone services through the Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM) network.

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Advanced Info Service (ADVANC-R TB)

The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkama - Kalbe Spin-Off, SingTel's Deep Value, and Thailand's Gamers

The week that was in ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South...

Angus Mackintosh

Reality Check XXVI: How Much Are the Other Intuch VC Investments Worth?

<p>The recent acquisition of </p>

Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA

Last Week in Event SPACE: Toshiba, Softbank, Cardinal Resources, Sembcorp, Intouch, SingTel, 58.Com

Last Week in Event SPACE ... Plus, other events, CCASS movements and Mood Spins. (This insight covers specific insights & comments...

David Blennerhassett

CHAYO: Remarkable Growth, but Would Need More

The 2Q20 results were in line with our expectations, slightly higher provisioning. We still think that CHAYO lags on enormous growth opportunities.

A. Stotz Investment Research

Telecom Review (Sept 2020): AIS and AsiaSoft Get Aggressive on Gaming

AIS reported a minor earnings decline in Q2'20, while AsiaSoft reported a six-fold increase in profits. AIS recently expanded into the game niche.

Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA

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