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

Airbnb aims to raise up to US$3.1bn in its US listing. Airbnb is a global short-stay offering platform. To put it simply, it connects hosts, who post available accommodation on Airbnb, with guests, who make bookings for the accommodation. It charges a fee for this service.As of 9M20, it had 4 million hosts in more than 220 countries and regions around the world. Since inception, its hosts have welcomed over 825m guest arrivals and have cumulatively earned over $110bn. In 2019, it had 54m active bookers worldwide, who booked 327m nights and experiences on Airbnb.Over 2017-19, the company reported steady growth in earnings led by an increase in the number of bookings. Its overall number of guests and hosts have been growing as well, with most metrics heading in the right direction. I’ve covered various aspects of the deal in my previous note, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/airbnb-ipo-time-for-a-good-break-even-from-the-share-lock-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Airbnb IPO - Time for a good break - even from the  share lock-up</a>. In this note, I’ll take a look at its peers recent performance and talk about valuations.

Airbnb aims to raise up to US$3.1bn in its US listing. Airbnb is a global short-stay offering platform. To put it simply, it connects hosts, who post available accommodation on Airbnb, with guests, who make bookings for the accommodation. It charges a fee for this service.As of 9M20, it had 4 million hosts in more than 220 countries and regions around the world. Since inception, its hosts have welcomed over 825m guest arrivals and have cumulatively earned over $110bn. In 2019, it had 54m active bookers worldwide, who booked 327m nights and experiences on Airbnb.Over 2017-19, the company reported steady growth in earnings led by an increase in the number of bookings. Its overall number of guests and hosts have been growing as well, with most metrics heading in the right direction. I’ve covered various aspects of the deal in my previous note, Airbnb IPO - Time for a good break - even from the  share lock-up. In this note, I’ll take a look at its peers recent performance and talk about valuations.

Airbnb IPO - Peer Comparison and Valuation - Smaller but Nimbler, Possible COVID Winner

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Independent Insight Provider

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Equity Bottom-Up

*RBA Speech – A Positive For Aussie BNPL: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) indicated that the status-quo for the buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) sector is likely to continue into the foreseeable future – which is a significant positive for Tencent Holding’s (700.HK) [Tencent] Afterpay Touch (APT.AU) [Afterpay]. Specifically, BNPL operators can still prevent merchants from passing on transaction fees;*Strong Momentum As We Head Into Holiday Season: Just as we head into the holiday season, Tencent’s Afterpay provided some strong key metrics in its latest media release as discussed in “Tencent Holdings – Father Christmas” note dated December 3, 2020.  What a magnificent six months this has been for Afterpay, and the next six months look to be even more transformational with operations beginning in the European Union, launches of banking products, and potentially the launch of the business in Asia (likely under the tutelage of Tencent); and*More Magic Fairy Dust: Tencent continues to hit it out of the park with its Afterpay stake. In addition to a superb return on investment of 400% over the past six months since the stake announcement, this alliance with Australia’s premier financial technology Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) company is paying dividends to Tencent in numerous other ways.

*RBA Speech – A Positive For Aussie BNPL: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) indicated that the status-quo for the buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) sector is likely to continue into the foreseeable future – which is a significant positive for Tencent Holding’s (700.HK) [Tencent] Afterpay Touch (APT.AU) [Afterpay]. Specifically, BNPL operators can still prevent merchants from passing on transaction fees;*Strong Momentum As We Head Into Holiday Season: Just as we head into the holiday season, Tencent’s Afterpay provided some strong key metrics in its latest media release as discussed in “Tencent Holdings – Father Christmas” note dated December 3, 2020.  What a magnificent six months this has been for Afterpay, and the next six months look to be even more transformational with operations beginning in the European Union, launches of banking products, and potentially the launch of the business in Asia (likely under the tutelage of Tencent); and*More Magic Fairy Dust: Tencent continues to hit it out of the park with its Afterpay stake. In addition to a superb return on investment of 400% over the past six months since the stake announcement, this alliance with Australia’s premier financial technology Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) company is paying dividends to Tencent in numerous other ways.

*Decent Operating Results: Lufax Holdings (LU.US) [Lufax] reported 3Q20 results of CNY 2.2 bn, declining CNY 929 mn (30.1%) on a linked quarter basis. However, when we exclude the CNY 1.3 bn restructuring charge and gains of CNY 144 mn, Lufax’ operating results amounted to CNY 3.3 bn – increasing CNY 228 mn (7.3%) over the same period;  and*Regulatory Risk Is Prevalant: An evolution of the regulatory environment remains a significant challenge to Lufax, and more likely than not will require further business adjustments and ad pressure to the bottom-line, including: lower interest rate caps;  higher capital requirements; improved risk-taking controls; along with other consumer protection measures. That being said, much of the regulatory uncertainty is more from policy window guidance rather than from new regulations themselves.

*Decent Operating Results: Lufax Holdings (LU.US) [Lufax] reported 3Q20 results of CNY 2.2 bn, declining CNY 929 mn (30.1%) on a linked quarter basis. However, when we exclude the CNY 1.3 bn restructuring charge and gains of CNY 144 mn, Lufax’ operating results amounted to CNY 3.3 bn – increasing CNY 228 mn (7.3%) over the same period;  and*Regulatory Risk Is Prevalant: An evolution of the regulatory environment remains a significant challenge to Lufax, and more likely than not will require further business adjustments and ad pressure to the bottom-line, including: lower interest rate caps;  higher capital requirements; improved risk-taking controls; along with other consumer protection measures. That being said, much of the regulatory uncertainty is more from policy window guidance rather than from new regulations themselves. 

Lufax Holdings – Good Number Right Out Of The Gate

Airbnb aims to raise around US$2.5bn in its US listing. Airbnb is a global short-stay offering platform. To put it simply, iIt connects hosts, who post available accommodation on Airbnb, with guests, who make bookings for the accommodation. It charges a fee for this service.As of 9M20, it had 4 million hosts in more than 220 countries and regions around the world. Since inception, its hosts have welcomed over 825m guest arrivals and have cumulatively earned over $110bn. In 2019, it had 54m active bookers worldwide, who booked 327m nights and experiences on Airbnb.Over 2017-19, the company reported steady growth in earnings led by an increase in the number of bookings. Its overall number of guests and hosts have been growing as well, with most metrics heading in the right direction. While COVID-19 did take a harsh toll on the company, its quarterly results paint a better picture as compared to its 9M20 numbers. Even during COVID, there have been certain pockets, like domestic and long stay travel which have continued to grow, thus, highlighting the company’s resilience. Having said that, Airbnb has failed to explain the reason for the downwards pressure on its 2019 margins. At the same time, the cohorts data highlights the ample other options available to its guests and the severe competition in the industry.

Airbnb aims to raise around US$2.5bn in its US listing. Airbnb is a global short-stay offering platform. To put it simply, iIt connects hosts, who post available accommodation on Airbnb, with guests, who make bookings for the accommodation. It charges a fee for this service.As of 9M20, it had 4 million hosts in more than 220 countries and regions around the world. Since inception, its hosts have welcomed over 825m guest arrivals and have cumulatively earned over $110bn. In 2019, it had 54m active bookers worldwide, who booked 327m nights and experiences on Airbnb.Over 2017-19, the company reported steady growth in earnings led by an increase in the number of bookings. Its overall number of guests and hosts have been growing as well, with most metrics heading in the right direction. While COVID-19 did take a harsh toll on the company, its quarterly results paint a better picture as compared to its 9M20 numbers. Even during COVID, there have been certain pockets, like domestic and long stay travel which have continued to grow, thus, highlighting the company’s resilience. Having said that, Airbnb has failed to explain the reason for the downwards pressure on its 2019 margins. At the same time, the cohorts data highlights the ample other options available to its guests and the severe competition in the industry. 

Airbnb IPO - Time for a Good Break - Even from the Share Lock-Up

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.

Snowflake had a good quarter…it was a bit above expectations that were well telegraphed from the IPO, and their guidance was only inline (though likely conservative)….so what does one do with a stock that is the single richest multiple in the stock market (100x+ sales)? Buy a lot more? We can’t pretend to understand why this stock was up 16% today. And we can’t pretend to understand why the market values its revenues at 3x!!! the rest of high valuation software. We don’t short on valuation alone. But we certainly couldn’t justify owning Snowflake. <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>

Snowflake had a good quarter…it was a bit above expectations that were well telegraphed from the IPO, and their guidance was only inline (though likely conservative)….so what does one do with a stock that is the single richest multiple in the stock market (100x+ sales)? Buy a lot more? We can’t pretend to understand why this stock was up 16% today. And we can’t pretend to understand why the market values its revenues at 3x!!! the rest of high valuation software. We don’t short on valuation alone. But we certainly couldn’t justify owning Snowflake. 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.

Snowflake 3Q21: Our Revenues Are Worth More Than Your Revenues

United States

Alphabet, Inc. operates as a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides web-based search, advertisements, maps, software applications, mobile operating systems, consumer content, enterprise solutions, commerce, and hardware products.

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Alphabet (GOOG US)

Airbnb IPO - Peer Comparison and Valuation - Smaller but Nimbler, Possible COVID Winner

Airbnb aims to raise up to US$3.1bn in its US listing. Even at the revised price range, the stock is still at a discount to booking.com.

Sumeet Singh

Tencent Holdings – After The Speech

TENCENT HOLDINGS: Reserve Bank of Australia indicated that the status-quo for BNPL is likely to continue – which is a significant positive for...

Thomas J. Monaco

Lufax Holdings – Good Number Right Out Of The Gate

LUFAX HOLDINGS: Lufax operating results were solid. However, the regulatory environment remains a significant challenge.

Thomas J. Monaco

Snowflake 3Q21: Our Revenues Are Worth More Than Your Revenues

Snowflake's first public quarter was a raging success according to the stock market, who boosted a 100x P/S company by 16% just for meeting...

Aaron Gabin

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Airbnb IPO - Peer Comparison and Valuation - Smaller but Nimbler, Possible COVID Winner

Airbnb aims to raise up to US$3.1bn in its US listing. Even at the revised price range, the stock is still at a discount to booking.com.

Sumeet Singh

Tencent Holdings – After The Speech

TENCENT HOLDINGS: Reserve Bank of Australia indicated that the status-quo for BNPL is likely to continue – which is a significant positive for...

Thomas J. Monaco

Lufax Holdings – Good Number Right Out Of The Gate

LUFAX HOLDINGS: Lufax operating results were solid. However, the regulatory environment remains a significant challenge.

Thomas J. Monaco

Airbnb IPO - Time for a Good Break - Even from the Share Lock-Up

Airbnb aims to raise around US$2.5bn in its US listing. There is lots to like about the company, apart from it lack of lock-up on some shareholders.

Sumeet Singh

Snowflake 3Q21: Our Revenues Are Worth More Than Your Revenues

Snowflake's first public quarter was a raging success according to the stock market, who boosted a 100x P/S company by 16% just for meeting...

Aaron Gabin