Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Equity Bottom-Up

<p>In this insight, we provide a bullish case for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/didi-chuxing-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27467:1" rel="noopener">DiDi Global (DIDI US)</a>. We argue that there are signs that Xi Jinping is starting to soften the brutal crackdown on China's Internet giants including Didi. At a meeting of Communist Party officials on Monday (18 October), <a href="https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/u-listed-chinese-stocks-track-093844642.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xi Jinping</a> stated that <strong><em>“In recent years, the internet, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain and other technologies have accelerated their innovation and are increasingly integrated into the entire economy and society.” </em></strong></p><p>We believe that this statement is a reflection of a softening stance on the Internet giants in China. Xi understands very well that if the government cracks down on China's tech giants too much, this is likely to crush the technological innovation and research. </p><div class="content-highlight">
<p><strong>Comparable Companies Valuation Analysis - </strong>Based on our revised down sales and earnings estimates of the company, our base case valuation of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/didi-chuxing-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27467:1" rel="noopener">DiDi Global (DIDI US)</a> is implied market cap of $58 billion or target price of $12 per share. This represents a 39% upside to the current price of $8.62.</p>
<p>Given the recent softening stance towards China's Internet tech giants combined with their improving share prices in October, we believe that there is a solid upside for Didi Global and we have a Positive view on this stock at current levels.</p>
<p>Our base case valuation $58 billion market cap is based on EV/S multiple of 1.3x using our estimated sales of 236 billion RMB in 2022, which is 70% discount to the median EV/S valuation multiples of the four comps.</p>
</div>

In this insight, we provide a bullish case for DiDi Global (DIDI US). We argue that there are signs that Xi Jinping is starting to soften the brutal crackdown on China's Internet giants including Didi. At a meeting of Communist Party officials on Monday (18 October), Xi Jinping stated that “In recent years, the internet, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain and other technologies have accelerated their innovation and are increasingly integrated into the entire economy and society.” We believe that this statement is a reflection of a softening stance on the Internet giants in China. Xi understands very well that if the government cracks down on China's tech giants too much, this is likely to crush the technological innovation and research. 
Comparable Companies Valuation Analysis - Based on our revised down sales and earnings estimates of the company, our base case valuation of DiDi Global (DIDI US) is implied market cap of $58 billion or target price of $12 per share. This represents a 39% upside to the current price of $8.62.
Given the recent softening stance towards China's Internet tech giants combined with their improving share prices in October, we believe that there is a solid upside for Didi Global and we have a Positive view on this stock at current levels.
Our base case valuation $58 billion market cap is based on EV/S multiple of 1.3x using our estimated sales of 236 billion RMB in 2022, which is 70% discount to the median EV/S valuation multiples of the four comps.


Didi Global: Xi Jinping Softening the Brutal Crackdown on China's Internet Giants?

IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

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.

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/didi-chuxing-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27467:1" rel="noopener">DiDi Global (DIDI US)</a> is the world's largest mobility technology platform by annual active users and by average daily transactions for the twelve months ended 31 March 2021, according to CIC. DiDi has endured a torrid time since its listing on 30 June to raise net proceeds of $4,331.6 million at $14.00 per ADS. </p><p>The shares are trading 40% below its IPO price as days after its listing, DiDi’s apps were taken down from app stores in China by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). DiDi ran afoul of CAC when it pressed ahead with its listing, despite CAC asking it to put the listing on hold while it conducted a cybersecurity review of its collection and use of personal information. Subsequently, the official Xinhua news agency on 10 October claimed that the CAC probe was aimed at “<em>effectively preventing potential national security risks relating to procurement, data processing and overseas listings.</em>”</p><p>DIDi has been ensnared by regulatory probes into its pricing mechanisms and the way it treats its drivers. DiDi also been subject to rumours in the press that the Chinese government is weighing asserting state control by taking a stake in the company. Press reports have also suggested that DiDi is planning to delist from the US which was later confirmed by DiDi to be false.</p><p>Since the regulatory clampdown, DiDi has not released its 2Q21 results or provided any financial guidance. However, due to the regulatory restrictions, DiDi is losing market share and pricing power to competitors in China. On 6 September, Cao Cao Mobility, a peer, raised RMB3.8 billion ($588 million) from Chinese state-owned funds to accelerate its expansion. DiDi’s average daily user count declined 30% to 10.9 million in August from 15.6 million in June, according to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/aurora-mobile-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27264:1" rel="noopener">Aurora Mobile Ltd (JG US)</a>.</p><p>DiDi continues to polarise opinions with some investors suggesting that the stock can double from current levels while others are wary due to unpredictable regulatory risks. Due to the number of unknowns, we examine DiDi's outlook through scenarios analysis. A key difference between the bull and bear case is the timing for the reinstatement of DiDi’s apps on the app stores which will once again enable DiDi to grow market share and regain pricing power. </p><div class="content-highlight"><p>Our bull-case SoTP valuation points to a 22% upside while our bear-case SoTP valuation points to a -19% downside to the last close price of $8.56 per ADS. Consequently, the shares seem fairly valued and may appeal to investors with a higher risk appetite.  </p></div>

DiDi Global (DIDI US) is the world's largest mobility technology platform by annual active users and by average daily transactions for the twelve months ended 31 March 2021, according to CIC. DiDi has endured a torrid time since its listing on 30 June to raise net proceeds of $4,331.6 million at $14.00 per ADS. The shares are trading 40% below its IPO price as days after its listing, DiDi’s apps were taken down from app stores in China by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). DiDi ran afoul of CAC when it pressed ahead with its listing, despite CAC asking it to put the listing on hold while it conducted a cybersecurity review of its collection and use of personal information. Subsequently, the official Xinhua news agency on 10 October claimed that the CAC probe was aimed at “effectively preventing potential national security risks relating to procurement, data processing and overseas listings.”DIDi has been ensnared by regulatory probes into its pricing mechanisms and the way it treats its drivers. DiDi also been subject to rumours in the press that the Chinese government is weighing asserting state control by taking a stake in the company. Press reports have also suggested that DiDi is planning to delist from the US which was later confirmed by DiDi to be false.Since the regulatory clampdown, DiDi has not released its 2Q21 results or provided any financial guidance. However, due to the regulatory restrictions, DiDi is losing market share and pricing power to competitors in China. On 6 September, Cao Cao Mobility, a peer, raised RMB3.8 billion ($588 million) from Chinese state-owned funds to accelerate its expansion. DiDi’s average daily user count declined 30% to 10.9 million in August from 15.6 million in June, according to Aurora Mobile Ltd (JG US).DiDi continues to polarise opinions with some investors suggesting that the stock can double from current levels while others are wary due to unpredictable regulatory risks. Due to the number of unknowns, we examine DiDi's outlook through scenarios analysis. A key difference between the bull and bear case is the timing for the reinstatement of DiDi’s apps on the app stores which will once again enable DiDi to grow market share and regain pricing power. Our bull-case SoTP valuation points to a 22% upside while our bear-case SoTP valuation points to a -19% downside to the last close price of $8.56 per ADS. Consequently, the shares seem fairly valued and may appeal to investors with a higher risk appetite.  

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.

Event-Driven

<p>The Chinese food delivery giant <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan-dianping" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a> was imposed an antitrust fine of US$534m (RMB3.44bn) on Friday (8<sup>th</sup> October) for abusing its dominant market position and also ordered to make changes to its business operations. According to the regulators, Meituan was found guilty of pushing merchants to sign exclusive agreements (known as Picking One from Two) with the company and required them to only cooperate with the company and not with any of its rivals taking advantage of its market dominant position. In early August, several news media outlets reported that the antitrust regulators were planning to impose a fine of about US$1bn on the company, and the fine of RMB3.44bn accounts for 3.0% of Meituan’s FY03/2021 revenues of RMB115bn.</p><p>This all began when China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) launched a probe on Alibaba over its suspected monopolistic practices in December last year. The investigation on Alibaba was concluded on 10th April and the company was fined RMB18.2bn (3.6% of its consolidated FY2020 revenues) for breaching anti-monopoly rules where investigations revealed that Alibaba was abusing its market dominance to prevent other merchants from using other platforms since 2015.</p><p>In our previous insight, we highlighted that Meituan was unlikely to be fined anything more than Alibaba’s antitrust fine and mentioned that Meituan would be imposed a fine of around 3-3.5% of its FY2020 revenues (around RMB3.4-4.0bn).</p>

The Chinese food delivery giant Meituan (3690 HK) was imposed an antitrust fine of US$534m (RMB3.44bn) on Friday (8th October) for abusing its dominant market position and also ordered to make changes to its business operations. According to the regulators, Meituan was found guilty of pushing merchants to sign exclusive agreements (known as Picking One from Two) with the company and required them to only cooperate with the company and not with any of its rivals taking advantage of its market dominant position. In early August, several news media outlets reported that the antitrust regulators were planning to impose a fine of about US$1bn on the company, and the fine of RMB3.44bn accounts for 3.0% of Meituan’s FY03/2021 revenues of RMB115bn.This all began when China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) launched a probe on Alibaba over its suspected monopolistic practices in December last year. The investigation on Alibaba was concluded on 10th April and the company was fined RMB18.2bn (3.6% of its consolidated FY2020 revenues) for breaching anti-monopoly rules where investigations revealed that Alibaba was abusing its market dominance to prevent other merchants from using other platforms since 2015.In our previous insight, we highlighted that Meituan was unlikely to be fined anything more than Alibaba’s antitrust fine and mentioned that Meituan would be imposed a fine of around 3-3.5% of its FY2020 revenues (around RMB3.4-4.0bn).

Meituan Fined RMB3.44bn; Expect Short-Term Gains with Positive Shift in Sentiment

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

<div>
<p>TDCX Inc, a Singapore-headquartered digital customer experience (CX) provider, raised around US$338m in its US IPO.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>TDCX provides outsourcing services to clients in new economy sectors and traditional blue-chip clients undergoing digital transformation. As of Jun 21, it served 43 global clients and with 114 active campaigns. The firm has offices located in 10 geographies across Asia, Europe and Latin America, namely, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Japan, Spain, India, Columbia and Romania.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>We have covered various aspects of the deal in our earlier note <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/tdcx-inc-pre-ipo-tearsheet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TDCX Inc. Pre-IPO Tearsheet</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/tdcx-inc-pre-ipo-past-growth-looks-good-the-rest-is-iffy-including-the-founders-s-325m-payout" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TDCX Inc. Pre-IPO - Past Growth Looks Good, the Rest Is Iffy, Including the Founders S$325m Payout</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/tdcx-inc-pre-ipo-largest-client-is-growing-faster-and-trading-cheaper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TDCX Inc. Pre-IPO - Largest Client Is Growing Faster and Trading Cheaper</a>.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>In this note, we will talk about the trading dynamics.</p>
</div>


TDCX Inc, a Singapore-headquartered digital customer experience (CX) provider, raised around US$338m in its US IPO.


TDCX provides outsourcing services to clients in new economy sectors and traditional blue-chip clients undergoing digital transformation. As of Jun 21, it served 43 global clients and with 114 active campaigns. The firm has offices located in 10 geographies across Asia, Europe and Latin America, namely, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Japan, Spain, India, Columbia and Romania.


We have covered various aspects of the deal in our earlier note TDCX Inc. Pre-IPO Tearsheet, TDCX Inc. Pre-IPO - Past Growth Looks Good, the Rest Is Iffy, Including the Founders S$325m Payout and TDCX Inc. Pre-IPO - Largest Client Is Growing Faster and Trading Cheaper.


In this note, we will talk about the trading dynamics.


Research on Tech Companies

Evelyn Zhang

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li> More difficult for companies to obtain and accumulate data;</li>
<li>Digital advertising alliance will be impacted, precision advertising ROI will decline</li>
<li>Mobility service provider like Didi, Ctrip will no longer able to offer differentiate pricing through user profile, also restricted for containing  on national geographic information security</li>
<li>Public Cloud market will transfer from current internet cloud provider to state-owned cloud, benefit infrastructure and service providers</li>
<li>Facial Recognition AI such as in-car camera for autonomous driving assistance will be impacted</li>
<li>Short video content platform will have restrictions on the use of recommendation algorithms, which may cause a decline in user time, and the ecommerce product recommendation accuracy</li>
<li>Internet companies with more than 1mn users that have plans to list in US will have to reconsider</li>
</ul>


 More difficult for companies to obtain and accumulate data;
Digital advertising alliance will be impacted, precision advertising ROI will decline
Mobility service provider like Didi, Ctrip will no longer able to offer differentiate pricing through user profile, also restricted for containing  on national geographic information security
Public Cloud market will transfer from current internet cloud provider to state-owned cloud, benefit infrastructure and service providers
Facial Recognition AI such as in-car camera for autonomous driving assistance will be impacted
Short video content platform will have restrictions on the use of recommendation algorithms, which may cause a decline in user time, and the ecommerce product recommendation accuracy
Internet companies with more than 1mn users that have plans to list in US will have to reconsider


Law & Order: What the New Data Security Laws Mean for China's Tech Sector?

China

DiDi Chuxing Inc operates passenger transportation platforms. The Company provides mobility solutions, cloud computing, and other application based services. DiDi Chuxing serves customers worldwide.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

DiDi Global (DIDIY US)

Didi Global: Xi Jinping Softening the Brutal Crackdown on China's Internet Giants?

In this insight, we provide a bullish case for DiDi Global. We argue that there are signs that Xi Jinping is starting to soften the brutal...

Douglas Kim

DiDi Global: Time to Book a Ride?

Our bull-case SoTP valuation points to a 22% upside while our bear-case SoTP valuation points to a -19% downside. The shares seem fairly valued and...

Arun George

Meituan Fined RMB3.44bn; Expect Short-Term Gains with Positive Shift in Sentiment

Meituan was imposed an antitrust fine of US$534m (RMB3.44bn) on Friday and we expect the company’s shares to see gains in the short-term as there...

Shifara Samsudeen, ACMA, CGMA

TDCX Inc. IPO Trading - Won't Be Buyers

TDCX Inc, a Singapore-headquartered digital customer experience (CX) provider, raised around US$338m in its US IPO. In this note we will talk...

Sumeet Singh

Law & Order: What the New Data Security Laws Mean for China's Tech Sector?

China's recent new sweeping data security and protection laws have set the tech sector in turmoil, We examin what are the impact way forward.

Evelyn Zhang

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)