Telco/Internet specialist

Kirk Boodry

Redex Research

Equity Bottom-Up

<p><a target="_blank"></a>Coupang is by far the leader in one of the most compelling markets for eCommerce globally and one of the most attractive of the Vision Fund portfolio companies. But it is expensive: the $30 max offer price implies a 5x appreciation in value from its last private funding round in 2018 and a FY21 EV/sales multiple of 2.6x almost on par with Amazon which is a global leader in both eCommerce and cloud.  We value Coupang below the range at $26 using a 9-year DCF driven by 17% revenue CAGR and an 8% terminal OP margin.    </p><p>This report includes our initial forecasts, valuation, a summary of the investment highlights and a list of questions we would ask on the roadshow.</p><h2><strong>Highlights</strong></h2><p><strong>Coupang dominates a very attractive eCommerce market. </strong> Korea scores high on two measures of eCommerce predictive success, Internet penetration and population density and Coupang is by-far the leading provider. It helps that global competition has been unable to gain traction whilst traditional retailers are smaller scale relative to other markets.</p><p><strong>eCommerce demand has accelerated as Covid-19 accelerates augments a secular shift in retail sales to online platforms. </strong> Revenue growth expanded from 71% in Q4 19 to 100% in Q4 20 but expanding growth was a feature through 2019 as well. eCommerce penetration of c. 25% may have nearly doubled in FY20 although some of that demand shift may revert as the impact of Covid-19 fades.</p><p><strong>The company is flirting with profitability. </strong>Operating margins have moved from -30% in FY16 to -4% in FY20 with corresponding improvement in EBITDA (-30% to -3%).  In our model, we assume Coupang breaks even in FY21 although higher share-based compensation and/or higher spending as it puts IPO proceeds to work could extend that.</p><p><strong>But it is still burning a lot of cash.  </strong>Coupang might be close to break-even operationally but it has largely spent the money it received from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-group-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:315:1" rel="noopener">Softbank Group (9984 JP)</a>  in 2018. Over the last three years, $2.7bn has gone out the door including c. $800mn in FY20 alone (our measure of operating cash flow).</p><p><strong>Comparable valuations and relative changes to valuation highlight the premium valuation. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/coupang" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28425:1" rel="noopener">Coupang (CPNG US)</a> </strong> max offer price values the company similarly to Amazon on FY21 EV/sales (2.7x v 2.8x) but the latter is a global leader and not just in eCommerce but cloud too. Similarly, Coupang’s value appreciation from its last private funding and March 2020 lows has outpaced peer group, sometimes significantly.</p>

Coupang is by far the leader in one of the most compelling markets for eCommerce globally and one of the most attractive of the Vision Fund portfolio companies. But it is expensive: the $30 max offer price implies a 5x appreciation in value from its last private funding round in 2018 and a FY21 EV/sales multiple of 2.6x almost on par with Amazon which is a global leader in both eCommerce and cloud.  We value Coupang below the range at $26 using a 9-year DCF driven by 17% revenue CAGR and an 8% terminal OP margin.    This report includes our initial forecasts, valuation, a summary of the investment highlights and a list of questions we would ask on the roadshow.HighlightsCoupang dominates a very attractive eCommerce market.  Korea scores high on two measures of eCommerce predictive success, Internet penetration and population density and Coupang is by-far the leading provider. It helps that global competition has been unable to gain traction whilst traditional retailers are smaller scale relative to other markets.eCommerce demand has accelerated as Covid-19 accelerates augments a secular shift in retail sales to online platforms.  Revenue growth expanded from 71% in Q4 19 to 100% in Q4 20 but expanding growth was a feature through 2019 as well. eCommerce penetration of c. 25% may have nearly doubled in FY20 although some of that demand shift may revert as the impact of Covid-19 fades.The company is flirting with profitability. Operating margins have moved from -30% in FY16 to -4% in FY20 with corresponding improvement in EBITDA (-30% to -3%).  In our model, we assume Coupang breaks even in FY21 although higher share-based compensation and/or higher spending as it puts IPO proceeds to work could extend that.But it is still burning a lot of cash.  Coupang might be close to break-even operationally but it has largely spent the money it received from Softbank Group (9984 JP)  in 2018. Over the last three years, $2.7bn has gone out the door including c. $800mn in FY20 alone (our measure of operating cash flow).Comparable valuations and relative changes to valuation highlight the premium valuation. Coupang (CPNG US)  max offer price values the company similarly to Amazon on FY21 EV/sales (2.7x v 2.8x) but the latter is a global leader and not just in eCommerce but cloud too. Similarly, Coupang’s value appreciation from its last private funding and March 2020 lows has outpaced peer group, sometimes significantly.

Coupang IPO and Softbank Group - A Vision Fund Jewel Emerges but It Is Pricey

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets, JapanConsuming

Michael Causton

Expert on Japan Retail and Consumer Markets

Real Insight on Japanese Consumer Markets

JapanConsuming

JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports on retail sectors, seminars on key trends and telephone consulting to investors on trends and retailers.

JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. 

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<p>The following is a review of how physical retailers are progressing online and includes a unique ranking of the TOP 50 Online Retailers by sales, platforms sold on and growth.</p>
<p>Japanese retailers were famously behind peers in other markets to tackle e-commerce but many have caught up and become world class such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fast-retailing-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:751:1" rel="noopener">Fast Retailing (9983 JP)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nitori-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20386:1" rel="noopener">Nitori Holdings (9843 JP). </a></p>
<p>More worrying for those lagging behind such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/seven-i-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1041:1" rel="noopener">Seven &amp; I Holdings (3382 JP)</a>, estimates suggest that online will have some role in 50% of purchasing transactions by 2025.</p>
<p>Despite retailers' efforts, the big three online malls, Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping still control half of the e-commerce market for merchandise.</p>

The following is a review of how physical retailers are progressing online and includes a unique ranking of the TOP 50 Online Retailers by sales, platforms sold on and growth.
Japanese retailers were famously behind peers in other markets to tackle e-commerce but many have caught up and become world class such as Fast Retailing (9983 JP) and Nitori Holdings (9843 JP). 
More worrying for those lagging behind such as Seven &amp; I Holdings (3382 JP), estimates suggest that online will have some role in 50% of purchasing transactions by 2025.
Despite retailers' efforts, the big three online malls, Amazon, Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping still control half of the e-commerce market for merchandise.

Tip of the Iceberg: Omnichannel 50% of Japan Retail in 2025

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.

Equity Capital Markets

<div>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/coupang" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28425:1" rel="noopener">Coupang (CPNG US)</a> is the largest e-commerce platform in South Korea, according to Euromonitor. Coupang is best known for Rocket Delivery, which provides free, next-day delivery for orders placed any time of the day.</p>
<p>At the proposed IPO price range of $27-30 per share, Coupang will have a market cap of $46-51 billion. The IPO which comprises of a primary and secondary offering will raise total gross proceeds up to $3.6 billion.  At the mid-point of the IPO price range, the net proceeds from the primary raise are $2.8 million. </p>
</div><div><div><div class="content-highlight"><p>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/coupang-ipo-initiation-delivering-the-goods" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:48125" rel="noopener">Coupang IPO Initiation: Delivering the Goods</a>, we opined that Coupang's fundamentals tick all the right boxes and worth a look, in our view. Coupang is a new-economy growth story and at the IPO price range, is attractively priced for its growth potential vs global e-commerce peers. Consequently, we would participate in the IPO. </p></div></div></div>


Coupang (CPNG US) is the largest e-commerce platform in South Korea, according to Euromonitor. Coupang is best known for Rocket Delivery, which provides free, next-day delivery for orders placed any time of the day.
At the proposed IPO price range of $27-30 per share, Coupang will have a market cap of $46-51 billion. The IPO which comprises of a primary and secondary offering will raise total gross proceeds up to $3.6 billion.  At the mid-point of the IPO price range, the net proceeds from the primary raise are $2.8 million. 
In Coupang IPO Initiation: Delivering the Goods, we opined that Coupang's fundamentals tick all the right boxes and worth a look, in our view. Coupang is a new-economy growth story and at the IPO price range, is attractively priced for its growth potential vs global e-commerce peers. Consequently, we would participate in the IPO. 

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

<div class="content-highlight">
<p><strong>Our base case valuation of Coupang is EV of $55.6 billion and implied market cap of $60.1 billion. </strong></p>
<p>We have used EV/GP as our primary method of valuing Coupang. We believe this is a better method than EV/S since Coupang has lower gross margins than its peers and its sales have a greater component of COGS than its peers. We used the average EV/GP of he comps (on a TTM) basis which is 19.3x. We then applied our estimated gross profit of $2.9 billion for Coupang in 2021 which resulted in an EV of $55.6 billion. Adjusting for net cash of $4.5 billion, this also suggests an implied market cap of $60.1 billion, which is over a 6-12 month view. </p>
<p><strong>First day pop</strong> - We believe there will be a first day pop for Coupang given the intensely bullish environment for high quality global tech stocks. We believe that the first day pop could lead to Coupang's <strong>market cap rising as high as</strong><strong>$81 billion</strong>, which would be 35% higher than our base case value of $60.1 billion. </p>
</div>


Our base case valuation of Coupang is EV of $55.6 billion and implied market cap of $60.1 billion. 
We have used EV/GP as our primary method of valuing Coupang. We believe this is a better method than EV/S since Coupang has lower gross margins than its peers and its sales have a greater component of COGS than its peers. We used the average EV/GP of he comps (on a TTM) basis which is 19.3x. We then applied our estimated gross profit of $2.9 billion for Coupang in 2021 which resulted in an EV of $55.6 billion. Adjusting for net cash of $4.5 billion, this also suggests an implied market cap of $60.1 billion, which is over a 6-12 month view. 
First day pop - We believe there will be a first day pop for Coupang given the intensely bullish environment for high quality global tech stocks. We believe that the first day pop could lead to Coupang's market cap rising as high as$81 billion, which would be 35% higher than our base case value of $60.1 billion. 


<div><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/coupang" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28425:1" rel="noopener">Coupang (CPNG US)</a> is the largest e-commerce platform in South Korea, according to Euromonitor. Coupang is best known for Rocket Delivery, which provides free, next-day delivery for orders placed any time of the day.</p></div><div><p>Coupang is seeking to raise up to $2 billion at a $50 billion valuation, according to Reuters. The rumoured valuation is a significant increase to the December 2018 fundraising at a $9 billion valuation, according to press reports. </p></div><div><div><div class="content-highlight"><p>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/coupang-ipo-initiation-delivering-the-goods" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:48125" rel="noopener">Coupang IPO Initiation: Delivering the Goods</a>, we opined that Coupang's fundamentals tick all the right boxes and worth a look, in our view. In this note, we take a first look at Coupang's valuation. Overall, based on our valuation analysis, we think that the rumoured IPO valuation can be justified.</p></div></div></div>

Coupang (CPNG US) is the largest e-commerce platform in South Korea, according to Euromonitor. Coupang is best known for Rocket Delivery, which provides free, next-day delivery for orders placed any time of the day.Coupang is seeking to raise up to $2 billion at a $50 billion valuation, according to Reuters. The rumoured valuation is a significant increase to the December 2018 fundraising at a $9 billion valuation, according to press reports. In Coupang IPO Initiation: Delivering the Goods, we opined that Coupang's fundamentals tick all the right boxes and worth a look, in our view. In this note, we take a first look at Coupang's valuation. Overall, based on our valuation analysis, we think that the rumoured IPO valuation can be justified.

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eBay Inc. operates an online trading community.  The Company's service is used by buyers and sellers for the exchange of products and services such as coins, collectibles, computers, memorabilia, stamps and toys, as well as concert and sporting tickets.  eBay also offers, through a subsidiary, secure online payment services.

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Ebay Inc (EBAY US)

Coupang IPO and Softbank Group - A Vision Fund Jewel Emerges but It Is Pricey

Coupang's IPO is a win for the company and its largest holder Softbank but the max offer price of $30 is too pricey - we think it is worth closer...

Kirk Boodry

Tip of the Iceberg: Omnichannel 50% of Japan Retail in 2025

We have compiled a unique ranking of the top 50 E-commerce retailers in Japan and provide an analysis of winners and losers among retailers now and...

Michael Causton

Coupang IPO: Valuation Insights

The $27-30 price range implies gross proceeds up to $3.6 billion and values Coupang at $46-51 billion. At the price range, Coupang is attractively...

Arun George

Coupang - Valuation Analysis

Our base case valuation of Coupang is EV of $55.6 billion and implied market cap of $60.1 billion. We have used EV/GP as our primary method of...

Douglas Kim

Coupang IPO: Valuation First Look

Coupang is seeking a $50 billion valuation, according to Reuters. Overall, based on our valuation analysis, we think that the rumoured IPO...

Arun George

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