IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

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Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

Event-Driven

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sydney-airport" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19063:1" rel="noopener">Sydney Airport (SYD AU)</a> is Australia’s largest airport and the only listed airport on ASX. Sydney Airport has received a binding proposal and entered a scheme implementation deed (SID) with the Sydney Aviation Alliance consortium.The offer price is A$8.75 per share is a 52% premium to the unaffected price of A$5.75 (1 July). The offer is also a marginal 3.6% bump to the first revised offer of A$8.45 per share received from the consortium on 16 August.UniSuper will reinvest its 15.01% equity interest for an equivalent equity interest in the consortium’s holding vehicle. The scheme is conditional on shareholder approval, ACCC approval, FIRB approval and EU merger clearance. The scheme meeting is scheduled for 24 January 2022 with an implementation date of 21 February 2022.  <div class="content-highlight">The offer will prove attractive to shareholders who are looking for valuation certainty in an environment where the pace of the recovery in international air travel remains unclear. At the last close price of A$8.46, the gross spread is 3.4% and the annualised spread to the implementation date is 12.3%.</div>

Sydney Airport (SYD AU) is Australia’s largest airport and the only listed airport on ASX. Sydney Airport has received a binding proposal and entered a scheme implementation deed (SID) with the Sydney Aviation Alliance consortium.The offer price is A$8.75 per share is a 52% premium to the unaffected price of A$5.75 (1 July). The offer is also a marginal 3.6% bump to the first revised offer of A$8.45 per share received from the consortium on 16 August.UniSuper will reinvest its 15.01% equity interest for an equivalent equity interest in the consortium’s holding vehicle. The scheme is conditional on shareholder approval, ACCC approval, FIRB approval and EU merger clearance. The scheme meeting is scheduled for 24 January 2022 with an implementation date of 21 February 2022.  The offer will prove attractive to shareholders who are looking for valuation certainty in an environment where the pace of the recovery in international air travel remains unclear. At the last close price of A$8.46, the gross spread is 3.4% and the annualised spread to the implementation date is 12.3%.

Sydney Airport Enters a Scheme Implementation Deed

HK/China Equity Long-Short

Osbert Tang, CFA

Equity Bottom-Up

Shanghai International Airport / Equity Bottom-Up

The 3Q21 result with widened losses at <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/shanghai-international-airport-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6511:1" rel="noopener">Shanghai International Airport (600009 CH)</a> clearly looks unexciting, but there are several factors that distorted both the YoY and QoQ comparison. These include a change in lease accounting, first-time interest expenses from super short-term bills issued, higher costs on pandemic control and a low base in jet fuel sales in last year. Excluding these factors, we consider SIAC's result is reasonable, and we believe it will turn better.The potential opening of China's borders, improvement in operating cash flow, removal of distorted bases for comparison and completion of asset acquisitions are just some of the favourable developments over the next 12 months, in our view. Well-controlled costs amid the tough operating environment are also setting a stage for SIAC to benefit from its high operating leverage when traffic returns in FY22. That said, we should not be too bearish on the name, especially as the share price has already gone off by 34% YTD.

The 3Q21 result with widened losses at Shanghai International Airport (600009 CH) clearly looks unexciting, but there are several factors that distorted both the YoY and QoQ comparison. These include a change in lease accounting, first-time interest expenses from super short-term bills issued, higher costs on pandemic control and a low base in jet fuel sales in last year. Excluding these factors, we consider SIAC's result is reasonable, and we believe it will turn better.The potential opening of China's borders, improvement in operating cash flow, removal of distorted bases for comparison and completion of asset acquisitions are just some of the favourable developments over the next 12 months, in our view. Well-controlled costs amid the tough operating environment are also setting a stage for SIAC to benefit from its high operating leverage when traffic returns in FY22. That said, we should not be too bearish on the name, especially as the share price has already gone off by 34% YTD.

Shanghai International Airport (600009 CH): We Shouldn't Be Too Bearish

We think that share price of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/air-china-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8239:1" rel="noopener">Air China Ltd (H) (753 HK)</a> has yet to reflect the prospects of recovering international passenger traffic in FY22, despite its 15pp outperformance against the HSCEI YTD. There are news lately on plans to reopen borders by many overseas countries including the US and Australia. It is also speculated that China will do so as well in early 2022 after its vaccination rate hit 85%, vs. 78% currently.Its passenger traffic in Sep has recovered MoM when compared with the local case impacted Aug. Meanwhile, cargo stayed resilient and it will also benefit from the strength in airfreight rate. We think Air China should be appreciated for its capacity management as it has not aggressively expanded capacity despite YoY traffic rebound. This is evidenced by a flat passenger load factor and a 2.7pp expansion in cargo load factor for 9M21.

We think that share price of Air China Ltd (H) (753 HK) has yet to reflect the prospects of recovering international passenger traffic in FY22, despite its 15pp outperformance against the HSCEI YTD. There are news lately on plans to reopen borders by many overseas countries including the US and Australia. It is also speculated that China will do so as well in early 2022 after its vaccination rate hit 85%, vs. 78% currently.Its passenger traffic in Sep has recovered MoM when compared with the local case impacted Aug. Meanwhile, cargo stayed resilient and it will also benefit from the strength in airfreight rate. We think Air China should be appreciated for its capacity management as it has not aggressively expanded capacity despite YoY traffic rebound. This is evidenced by a flat passenger load factor and a 2.7pp expansion in cargo load factor for 9M21.  

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Chinese airlines are expected to face sustained turbulence given the adverse impact of scattered outbreak of local COVID-19 cases, with the most recent ones being Fujian. We see risks for this round of spread to negatively affect the cross-province travel appetite during the mid-Autumn mini-break and potentially the all-important National Day Golden Week in Oct. With poor Aug traffic figures out (over 50% YoY drop in domestic passenger traffic for both <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-southern-airlines-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1078:1" rel="noopener">China Southern Airlines (1055 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/air-china-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8239:1" rel="noopener">Air China Ltd (H) (753 HK)</a>), Sep is also unlikely to be an easy month.We expect 3Q21 results to be under pressure, and we maintain that a long <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/air-china-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8239:1" rel="noopener">Air China Ltd (H) (753 HK)</a>, short <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-southern-airlines-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1078:1" rel="noopener">China Southern Airlines (1055 HK)</a> trade can position well amid the current environment. We see too much positive expectations have been built in CSA; meanwhile, Air China will have an easier base for comparison in 4Q21 and the reduction in losses at <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cathay-pacific-airways-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:243:1" rel="noopener">Cathay Pacific Airways (293 HK)</a> will continue to help its bottom line in 2H21.

Chinese airlines are expected to face sustained turbulence given the adverse impact of scattered outbreak of local COVID-19 cases, with the most recent ones being Fujian. We see risks for this round of spread to negatively affect the cross-province travel appetite during the mid-Autumn mini-break and potentially the all-important National Day Golden Week in Oct. With poor Aug traffic figures out (over 50% YoY drop in domestic passenger traffic for both China Southern Airlines (1055 HK) and Air China Ltd (H) (753 HK)), Sep is also unlikely to be an easy month.We expect 3Q21 results to be under pressure, and we maintain that a long Air China Ltd (H) (753 HK), short China Southern Airlines (1055 HK) trade can position well amid the current environment. We see too much positive expectations have been built in CSA; meanwhile, Air China will have an easier base for comparison in 4Q21 and the reduction in losses at Cathay Pacific Airways (293 HK) will continue to help its bottom line in 2H21.

Chinese Airlines: Cruising Within Sustained Turbulence

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sydney-airport" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19063:1" rel="noopener">Sydney Airport (SYD AU)</a> is Australia’s largest airport and the only listed airport on ASX. Sydney Airport has granted a consortium (Sydney Aviation Alliance) non-exclusive due diligence access based on a further revised indicative proposal of A$8.75 cash per share. The revised indicative offer is A$8.75 per share is a 52% premium to the unaffected price of A$5.75 (1 July). The revised indicative offer is also a marginal 3.6% bump to the first revised offer of A$8.45 per share received from the consortium on 16 August.Pushing for a better price is part of the M&amp;A game. The Board were said to be seeking a price around A$9.00 per share, according to press reports. However, the Board faced increasing shareholder pushback to engage with the consortium and facilitate due diligence. The consortium viewed A$9.00 per share as excessive but shareholder feedback suggested that the price of A$8.75 per share would get the Board onside. UniSuper, the largest independent shareholder, will rollover its shares instead of receiving cash under the scheme and will be required to vote as a separate class on the scheme. The Board intends to recommend the revised offer subject to a binding scheme implementation agreement and no superior offer. The due diligence which is expected to take four weeks should be relatively straightforward due to the consortium’s expertise in airport infrastructure. The deal requires regulatory approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Foreign Investment Review Board. The ACCC will commence a review of the proposed transaction “in due course” and the review should take about three months to complete. The shareholder vote for approval is likely to be held in 1Q22. <div class="content-highlight">Overall, we think that the further revised indicative offer is attractive and marginally above the pre-COVID-19 rights adjusted share price high reached in December 2019. The offer will prove attractive to shareholders who are looking for valuation certainty in an environment where the pace of the recovery in international air travel remains unclear. At the last close price of A$8.23, the shares are trading at a 6.3% gross spread to the indicative offer.</div>

Sydney Airport (SYD AU) is Australia’s largest airport and the only listed airport on ASX. Sydney Airport has granted a consortium (Sydney Aviation Alliance) non-exclusive due diligence access based on a further revised indicative proposal of A$8.75 cash per share. The revised indicative offer is A$8.75 per share is a 52% premium to the unaffected price of A$5.75 (1 July). The revised indicative offer is also a marginal 3.6% bump to the first revised offer of A$8.45 per share received from the consortium on 16 August.Pushing for a better price is part of the M&amp;A game. The Board were said to be seeking a price around A$9.00 per share, according to press reports. However, the Board faced increasing shareholder pushback to engage with the consortium and facilitate due diligence. The consortium viewed A$9.00 per share as excessive but shareholder feedback suggested that the price of A$8.75 per share would get the Board onside. UniSuper, the largest independent shareholder, will rollover its shares instead of receiving cash under the scheme and will be required to vote as a separate class on the scheme. The Board intends to recommend the revised offer subject to a binding scheme implementation agreement and no superior offer. The due diligence which is expected to take four weeks should be relatively straightforward due to the consortium’s expertise in airport infrastructure. The deal requires regulatory approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Foreign Investment Review Board. The ACCC will commence a review of the proposed transaction “in due course” and the review should take about three months to complete. The shareholder vote for approval is likely to be held in 1Q22. Overall, we think that the further revised indicative offer is attractive and marginally above the pre-COVID-19 rights adjusted share price high reached in December 2019. The offer will prove attractive to shareholders who are looking for valuation certainty in an environment where the pace of the recovery in international air travel remains unclear. At the last close price of A$8.23, the shares are trading at a 6.3% gross spread to the indicative offer.

Sydney Airport’s Further Revised Offer Gets the Board’s Approval

China

Beijing Capital International Airport Company Limited operates both aeronautical and non-aeronautical business in the Beijing airport.  The Company provides aircraft movement and passenger service facilities, safety and security services, fire-fighting services, and ground handling services.  In addition, Beijing Capital operates duty free and other retail shops and leases properties.

Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) (694 HK)

Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA)

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Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) (694 HK)

Sydney Airport Enters a Scheme Implementation Deed

Sydney Airport has entered a SID with the Sydney Aviation Alliance at A$8.75 per share. At the last close, the gross spread is 3.4% and the...

Arun George

Shanghai International Airport (600009 CH): We Shouldn't Be Too Bearish

Distorting factors have made Shanghai International Airport's 3Q21 result weak on YoY and QoQ. However, a deep look showed that it is performing...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Air China (753 HK): Come Fly with Me

Air China is well positioned to gain from increase in overseas border openings. Also, China's possible removal of quarantine requirements for...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Chinese Airlines: Cruising Within Sustained Turbulence

After a devastating Aug, Sep will still be clouded by recent cases in Fujian. We think Long Air China, short CSA strategy should capture CSA's...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Sydney Airport’s Further Revised Offer Gets the Board’s Approval

Sydney Airport has granted DD to a Sydney Aviation Alliance based on a revised price of A$8.75. The offer is attractive and at the last price of...

Arun George

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