Equity Analyst, LightStream Research

Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA

Equity Analyst

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

Equity Capital Markets

ZTO Express Cayman  / Equity Capital Markets

ZTO Express, a leading express delivery services company in China is looking to raise US$1.56bn (45m shares at a maximum offer price of US$34.58 per share) in its Hong Kong Secondary listing, following in the footsteps of a growing number of US-listed Chinese companies seeking for secondary listings.In our previous insight on the company’s secondary listing <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/zto-secondary-entire-industry-expanding-capacity-while-facing-pricing-pressure-is-not-a-good-thing" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:43313" rel="noopener">ZTO Secondary: Entire Industry Expanding Capacity While Facing Pricing Pressure Is Not a Good Thing</a> , we discussed the company’s business segments and its key financials. We also highlighted that we were concerned about the pricing pressures in the market and its impact on the company’s profitability. In addition, we also discussed the company’s capacity improvement plan and how it is negatively impacting the company’s cashflows.In this follow-up insight, we will be discussing the company’s valuation and how attractive it is compared to the peers.

ZTO Express, a leading express delivery services company in China is looking to raise US$1.56bn (45m shares at a maximum offer price of US$34.58 per share) in its Hong Kong Secondary listing, following in the footsteps of a growing number of US-listed Chinese companies seeking for secondary listings.In our previous insight on the company’s secondary listing ZTO Secondary: Entire Industry Expanding Capacity While Facing Pricing Pressure Is Not a Good Thing , we discussed the company’s business segments and its key financials. We also highlighted that we were concerned about the pricing pressures in the market and its impact on the company’s profitability. In addition, we also discussed the company’s capacity improvement plan and how it is negatively impacting the company’s cashflows.In this follow-up insight, we will be discussing the company’s valuation and how attractive it is compared to the peers.

ZTO Express Secondary: Overvalued and More Expensive than Global Delivery Giants

Asian Equities Analyst, Logistics & Transport, Tracking Traffic

Daniel Hellberg

Asian Equities Analyst, Logistics & Transport

Tracking Traffic

Focusing on Asian logistics, transportation, and travel companies

Equity Bottom-Up

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/dada-nexus-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28961:1" rel="noopener">Dada Nexus Ltd (DADA US)</a> recently reported Q2 results that showed strong YoY revenue growth at its two main business units and solid progress on raising margins. Still, Dada posted a net loss of 457 mn RMB on revenue of 1.32 bn RMB, and its shares in the US have fallen since it reported. An examination of average revenue per order in its Dada Now business line suggests the company actually handles little 'real' on-demand traffic. Instead, by volume it appears Dada Now mostly handles last-mile delivery duties for JD Logistics and traditional (2-4 day) express delivery firms. In this note we remind readers there is more to Dada than its hyped on-demand retail and on-demand delivery -- and less, too. We say this because Dada still appears to have substantial exposure to traditional eCommerce fulfillment, which features slower growth, entrenched rivals, and thin margins.

Dada Nexus Ltd (DADA US) recently reported Q2 results that showed strong YoY revenue growth at its two main business units and solid progress on raising margins. Still, Dada posted a net loss of 457 mn RMB on revenue of 1.32 bn RMB, and its shares in the US have fallen since it reported. An examination of average revenue per order in its Dada Now business line suggests the company actually handles little 'real' on-demand traffic. Instead, by volume it appears Dada Now mostly handles last-mile delivery duties for JD Logistics and traditional (2-4 day) express delivery firms. In this note we remind readers there is more to Dada than its hyped on-demand retail and on-demand delivery -- and less, too. We say this because Dada still appears to have substantial exposure to traditional eCommerce fulfillment, which features slower growth, entrenched rivals, and thin margins. 

Dada-Nexus: More -- And Less -- Than Meets the Eye

<ul>
<li>Boqii is one of the largest pet-focused platforms in China who offers a one-stop destination for pet parents to get everything they need for their pets including pet food, toys, vitamins and toiletries. The company operates an online platform as well as an offline retail network.</li>
<li>The company has filed for an IPO in the US and has a placeholder indication to raise US$115m and plans to use part of the IPO proceeds on further enhancing content, R&amp;D, big data technology and develop private label brands.</li>
<li>China’s pet economy is still in its infant stages as the market is significantly underpenetrated and this presents a huge potential for industry participants. The young millennials are driving the growth in the market and the pet goods retail market is shifting largely towards online channels in the country.</li>
<li>Boqii earns a majority of its revenue through online platforms (self-operated Boqii Mall and other third-party platforms) and at the same time, the third-party platforms bring in almost two-third of the company’s revenues.</li>
<li>The online pet good retail market in China is highly competitive and are dominated by large and established online retail platforms, including generic e-commerce platforms.</li>
<li>In this insight, we examine the company’s business model, the industry and the revenue channels. Boqii is the largest pet-focused online retail platform in China and the company has taken several initiatives including M&amp;A deals to expand its presence in the market. The company is operating in a growing market and it seems that the company has a strong business model.</li>
<li>In a follow-up insight, we will be discussing the company’s financials (revenue, margins and balance sheet) in detail.</li>
</ul>


Boqii is one of the largest pet-focused platforms in China who offers a one-stop destination for pet parents to get everything they need for their pets including pet food, toys, vitamins and toiletries. The company operates an online platform as well as an offline retail network.
The company has filed for an IPO in the US and has a placeholder indication to raise US$115m and plans to use part of the IPO proceeds on further enhancing content, R&amp;D, big data technology and develop private label brands.
China’s pet economy is still in its infant stages as the market is significantly underpenetrated and this presents a huge potential for industry participants. The young millennials are driving the growth in the market and the pet goods retail market is shifting largely towards online channels in the country.
Boqii earns a majority of its revenue through online platforms (self-operated Boqii Mall and other third-party platforms) and at the same time, the third-party platforms bring in almost two-third of the company’s revenues.
The online pet good retail market in China is highly competitive and are dominated by large and established online retail platforms, including generic e-commerce platforms.
In this insight, we examine the company’s business model, the industry and the revenue channels. Boqii is the largest pet-focused online retail platform in China and the company has taken several initiatives including M&amp;A deals to expand its presence in the market. The company is operating in a growing market and it seems that the company has a strong business model.
In a follow-up insight, we will be discussing the company’s financials (revenue, margins and balance sheet) in detail.


Boqii IPO: Another Pet Humanization Stock in a Booming Market Led by Large E-Commerce Platforms

Q2 results for China's six listed express companies are finally in, and while most companies continued to report depressed profitability, outcomes varied significantly. Several firms pursued volume growth aggressively in the period, sacrificing pricing in order to maximize the number of parcels flowing through their networks; others appeared to do just the opposite. In the Q2 numbers, there is little evidence either approach actually worked consistently well. 
Looking at the volume versus pricing 'tradeoff' over the last two years, there is also little evidence that using pricing to boost volumes actually increases profitability. Indeed, most of the six express companies we track reported Q220 gross profits at or below Q218 levels, despite the companies more than doubling parcel volumes during the period. 
In our view, most Chinese express companies are 'price takers' that offer commodity-like services which are hard to differentiate from what their peers offer. In the long-run, we believe attempts to control pricing by pursuing only select cargoes are unlikely to succeed, and that companies should focus almost purely on securing greater volume and beating down unit costs. Alas, even this approach is likely to result in significantly lower margins over time, in our view.
In this note we review Q220 results, then look back farther to see individual company performance in terms of volume growth, pricing change, and change in gross profit. We also note growing CapEx demands and show how each company's shares have performed so far in 2020. In the medium-term, we expect profitability and cash flow at most express companies to continue to suffer. 
Under the scenario we describe in this note, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/maanshan-dingtai-rare-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:4128:1" rel="noopener">S.F. Holding (002352 CH)</a> continues to stand out. SF's time-definite products and its offerings in cold-chain, international, and local on-demand express truly differentiate it from the other five listed express companies. We believe SF can continue to increase its share of express sector profits and retain our BUY rating.

Q2 results for China's six listed express companies are finally in, and while most companies continued to report depressed profitability, outcomes varied significantly. Several firms pursued volume growth aggressively in the period, sacrificing pricing in order to maximize the number of parcels flowing through their networks; others appeared to do just the opposite. In the Q2 numbers, there is little evidence either approach actually worked consistently well. 
Looking at the volume versus pricing 'tradeoff' over the last two years, there is also little evidence that using pricing to boost volumes actually increases profitability. Indeed, most of the six express companies we track reported Q220 gross profits at or below Q218 levels, despite the companies more than doubling parcel volumes during the period. 
In our view, most Chinese express companies are 'price takers' that offer commodity-like services which are hard to differentiate from what their peers offer. In the long-run, we believe attempts to control pricing by pursuing only select cargoes are unlikely to succeed, and that companies should focus almost purely on securing greater volume and beating down unit costs. Alas, even this approach is likely to result in significantly lower margins over time, in our view.
In this note we review Q220 results, then look back farther to see individual company performance in terms of volume growth, pricing change, and change in gross profit. We also note growing CapEx demands and show how each company's shares have performed so far in 2020. In the medium-term, we expect profitability and cash flow at most express companies to continue to suffer. 
Under the scenario we describe in this note, S.F. Holding (002352 CH) continues to stand out. SF's time-definite products and its offerings in cold-chain, international, and local on-demand express truly differentiate it from the other five listed express companies. We believe SF can continue to increase its share of express sector profits and retain our BUY rating. 

A Price Vs. Volume Tradeoff? Not For Firms Offering Commodity-Like Chinese Express Services

Event-Driven

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yto-express" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20319:1" rel="noopener">YTO Express (600233 CH)</a> announced the former will increase its stake in the latter, from around 10.5% to 22.5%. BABA will purchase shares from YTO's co-founders, who will retain a controlling stake in the express company.
Although YTO's Q2 earnings results were slightly better than we expected, core margins remain depressed, and we do not believe the company's current level of profitability can sustain its medium-term investment plans. 
YTO has performed well over the past week or so on surprisingly firm Q2 results and it rose another 10% on the latest news regarding investment from BABA. However, given ongoing pressure on profitability, and the performance of rival <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zhejiang-idc-fluid-control-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18695:1" rel="noopener">Sto Express (002468 CH)</a> after it announced increased investment by BABA in early 2019, we would take advantage of recent strength to SHORT YTO. Within China's express segment, we continue to favor the fundamentals of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/maanshan-dingtai-rare-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:4128:1" rel="noopener">S.F. Holding (002352 CH)</a>; a LONG SF Holding / SHORT YTO pair makes sense to us here.

Alibaba Group (BABA US) and YTO Express (600233 CH) announced the former will increase its stake in the latter, from around 10.5% to 22.5%. BABA will purchase shares from YTO's co-founders, who will retain a controlling stake in the express company.
Although YTO's Q2 earnings results were slightly better than we expected, core margins remain depressed, and we do not believe the company's current level of profitability can sustain its medium-term investment plans. 
YTO has performed well over the past week or so on surprisingly firm Q2 results and it rose another 10% on the latest news regarding investment from BABA. However, given ongoing pressure on profitability, and the performance of rival Sto Express (002468 CH) after it announced increased investment by BABA in early 2019, we would take advantage of recent strength to SHORT YTO. Within China's express segment, we continue to favor the fundamentals of S.F. Holding (002352 CH); a LONG SF Holding / SHORT YTO pair makes sense to us here.

Increased Investment from Alibaba a Blessing for YTO Express? Revisit STO Express & Think Again...

China

Dada Nexus Limited operates a platform for local on-demand retail and delivery. The Company provides a digital solution leveraging the crowdsourcing model to address the challenge of frequent fluctuations brought forward by the nature of on-demand orders and to match the surging demand for delivery capacity with efficient supply. Dada Nexus serves customers in China.

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Dada Nexus (DADA US)

ZTO Express Secondary: Overvalued and More Expensive than Global Delivery Giants

ZTO Express, a leading express delivery services company in China is looking to raise US$1.56bn (45m shares at a maximum offer price of US$34.58...

Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA

Dada-Nexus: More -- And Less -- Than Meets the Eye

Point 1:

Tracking Traffic

Boqii IPO: Another Pet Humanization Stock in a Booming Market Led by Large E-Commerce Platforms

Boqii is one of the largest pet-focused platforms in China who offers a one-stop destination for pet parents to get everything they need for their...

Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA

A Price Vs. Volume Tradeoff? Not For Firms Offering Commodity-Like Chinese Express Services

Results varied Which approach worked? Market is rewa

Tracking Traffic

Increased Investment from Alibaba a Blessing for YTO Express? Revisit STO Express & Think Again...

Alibaba Group (BABA US) and YTO Express (600233 CH) announced the former will increase its stake in the latter, from around 10.5% to 22.5%. BABA...

Tracking Traffic

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52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

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