ASEAN Insight Provider, CrossASEAN Research

Angus Mackintosh

ASEAN Insight Provider

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Equity Bottom-Up

<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> announced its 1Q2021 results which look like a blowout set of numbers with +147% growth in total GAAP revenues with +117% growth in digital bookings for digital entertainment and +250% YoY growth in e-commerce GAAP revenues.</p>
<p>Gross Profit increased a staggering +212% YoY to US$645.4m in 1Q2021 and the company booked a positive EBITDA of US$88.1m versus a (US$69.9m) loss in 1Q2020.</p>
<p>The gross profit margin increased from 28% in 1Q2020 to 36% in 1Q2021, which is a testament to the fact that the company is moving along the path to profitability. Digital entertainment saw higher margins, while-commerce saw falling EBITDA loss per order.</p>
<p>In Digital Entertainment (DE) division continues to see strong growth in its user base with +61% YoY growth in quarterly active users (QAU) to 648.6m but more importantly quarterly paying users saw growth of +12.3% YoY to 79.8m signifying a higher level of monetization on its self-developed game <em>Free Fire.</em></p>
<p>The company continues to successfully expand its gaming business to new geographies, with India being the latest growth engine and players are spending more time on Free Fire and spending more. It continues to add new content and characters to increase the appeal and stickiness of <em>Free Fire</em>. It is also seeing huge response in the eSports arena for <em>Free Fire.</em></p>
<p>Shopee ranked number one in the shopping category by monthly active users and time spent in app in 1Q2021 for both South East Asia and Taiwan, according to App Annie. E-commerce continues to show supercharged growth and especially in the core market of Indonesia.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a>'s move into digital payments in South -East Asia under SeaMoney and ShopeePay in Indonesia continues to see strong momentum.  The mobile wallet total payment volume saw total payment volume triple in 1Q2021 to US$3.4bn. </p>
<p>The company is also expanding the offline use-cases for ShopeePay most recently extending use to Indomaret in Indonesia, the largest mini-market operator in the country.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a>'s move into food delivery through ShopeeFood and evidence suggests that it has already had a strong reception to its launch in Jakarta, with growth similar to that in other categories.</p>
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<p>This latest set of results provides further proof of the success of the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> growth model which generates huge EBITDA from gaming and reinvests that money into growing the company's e-commerce and digital finance businesses, whilst maintaining the investment momentum into the gaming cash cow, buy pushing out into new geographies such as India.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> continues to standout as the best way to play the explosive growth in e-commerce in South East Asia, funded by the popularity of its self developed game <em>Free Fire </em>and its gaming business, together with its move into digital payments a third leg to future growth.</p>
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<section class="figure"><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> valuations are higher than its listed peers on 13x and 9x EV/Sales for FY21E and FY22E respectively but it is growing at more than twice the pace in terms of sales to justify this. The market is also paying a premium for its unique financing plus its market leadership and strong track record on execution, with 11 consecutive quarters of triple-digit growth.</section>
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Sea Ltd (SE US) announced its 1Q2021 results which look like a blowout set of numbers with +147% growth in total GAAP revenues with +117% growth in digital bookings for digital entertainment and +250% YoY growth in e-commerce GAAP revenues.
Gross Profit increased a staggering +212% YoY to US$645.4m in 1Q2021 and the company booked a positive EBITDA of US$88.1m versus a (US$69.9m) loss in 1Q2020.
The gross profit margin increased from 28% in 1Q2020 to 36% in 1Q2021, which is a testament to the fact that the company is moving along the path to profitability. Digital entertainment saw higher margins, while-commerce saw falling EBITDA loss per order.
In Digital Entertainment (DE) division continues to see strong growth in its user base with +61% YoY growth in quarterly active users (QAU) to 648.6m but more importantly quarterly paying users saw growth of +12.3% YoY to 79.8m signifying a higher level of monetization on its self-developed game Free Fire.
The company continues to successfully expand its gaming business to new geographies, with India being the latest growth engine and players are spending more time on Free Fire and spending more. It continues to add new content and characters to increase the appeal and stickiness of Free Fire. It is also seeing huge response in the eSports arena for Free Fire.
Shopee ranked number one in the shopping category by monthly active users and time spent in app in 1Q2021 for both South East Asia and Taiwan, according to App Annie. E-commerce continues to show supercharged growth and especially in the core market of Indonesia.
Sea Ltd (SE US)'s move into digital payments in South -East Asia under SeaMoney and ShopeePay in Indonesia continues to see strong momentum.  The mobile wallet total payment volume saw total payment volume triple in 1Q2021 to US$3.4bn. 
The company is also expanding the offline use-cases for ShopeePay most recently extending use to Indomaret in Indonesia, the largest mini-market operator in the country.

Sea Ltd (SE US)'s move into food delivery through ShopeeFood and evidence suggests that it has already had a strong reception to its launch in Jakarta, with growth similar to that in other categories.

This latest set of results provides further proof of the success of the Sea Ltd (SE US) growth model which generates huge EBITDA from gaming and reinvests that money into growing the company's e-commerce and digital finance businesses, whilst maintaining the investment momentum into the gaming cash cow, buy pushing out into new geographies such as India.



Sea Ltd (SE US) continues to standout as the best way to play the explosive growth in e-commerce in South East Asia, funded by the popularity of its self developed game Free Fire and its gaming business, together with its move into digital payments a third leg to future growth.

Sea Ltd (SE US) valuations are higher than its listed peers on 13x and 9x EV/Sales for FY21E and FY22E respectively but it is growing at more than twice the pace in terms of sales to justify this. The market is also paying a premium for its unique financing plus its market leadership and strong track record on execution, with 11 consecutive quarters of triple-digit growth.

















Asia Consumer Research, Investory

Devi Subhakesan

Asia Consumer Research

ASIA CONSUMER: INSIGHTS AND INVESTMENT IDEAS

Investory

Investory is a Singapore-based boutique independent equity research firm founded in January 2017 with a primary focus on consumption themes across Asia-Pacific.

We aim to generate investible ideas based on consumption trends and outlook. We screen our ideas on several parameters - product potential, long-term growth and management commitment being the most critical.  We follow a fundamental analysis approach in our stock selection process and are not restricted by market cap.

We aspire to grow into a leading source of unbiased research, free of conflict of interest, for investors yearning for independent and disciplined analysis. 

We also undertake bespoke research mandates to support our Institutional clients’ investment needs.

Our team comprises of professionals with extensive experience in the Asian equity markets, in areas ranging from research, servicing institutional clients and investment management.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<p><strong>Emerging Asia -</strong> notably China and India -  is witnessing a  steady expansion in the Male grooming sector as men's habits around personal care is shifting - led by a confluence of social, economic and <strong>compelling demographic factors</strong>. Expect this trend to gather more momentum as image-conscious young men adopt a wider array of personal care products. Skincare products that address specific needs/concerns of male customers will drive the early stage of segment growth; light cosmetics are picking up demand too. Companies that are quick to identify and address the demand with male-specific products/brands stand to gain from early mover advantage given male customers, reportedly, are far more brand loyal compared to female counterparts.</p>
<p><strong>What is original in this report?</strong> We discuss the social, economic and <strong>compelling demographic </strong>factors driving the shift and growth in the Male grooming sector in China and India. We look at the emerging trends across segments and in both the markets to arrive at a pecking order in terms of investment potential. We have scanned the personal care and cosmetics products landscape to shortlist brands and companies that offer a male-specific product range. A brief on select companies - private and listed -  are presented for further investment analysis and evaluation. </p>

Emerging Asia - notably China and India -  is witnessing a  steady expansion in the Male grooming sector as men's habits around personal care is shifting - led by a confluence of social, economic and compelling demographic factors. Expect this trend to gather more momentum as image-conscious young men adopt a wider array of personal care products. Skincare products that address specific needs/concerns of male customers will drive the early stage of segment growth; light cosmetics are picking up demand too. Companies that are quick to identify and address the demand with male-specific products/brands stand to gain from early mover advantage given male customers, reportedly, are far more brand loyal compared to female counterparts.
What is original in this report? We discuss the social, economic and compelling demographic factors driving the shift and growth in the Male grooming sector in China and India. We look at the emerging trends across segments and in both the markets to arrive at a pecking order in terms of investment potential. We have scanned the personal care and cosmetics products landscape to shortlist brands and companies that offer a male-specific product range. A brief on select companies - private and listed -  are presented for further investment analysis and evaluation. 

Male Grooming in Asia: Blooming Prospects. Skincare to Drive Growth

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

Yatsen Holding Ltd / Equity Capital Markets

<div><p>Yatsen Holding raised around US$617m in its US IPO. The company is backed by Hillhouse, Tencent and Tiger Global. </p></div><div><p>I have covered various aspects of the deal in my earlier notes, links to which are below:</p></div><div><ul><li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/yatsen-pre-ipo-growing-fast-but-slowing-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yatsen Pre-IPO - Growing Fast but Slowing Down</a></li></ul></div><ul><li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/yatsen-ipo-pricey-but-it-comes-with-strong-investor-backing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yatsen IPO - Pricey but It Comes with Strong Investor Backing</a></li></ul><p>In this insight, talk about deal dynamics and provide a table with implied valuation at different ADS levels.</p>

Yatsen Holding raised around US$617m in its US IPO. The company is backed by Hillhouse, Tencent and Tiger Global. I have covered various aspects of the deal in my earlier notes, links to which are below:Yatsen Pre-IPO - Growing Fast but Slowing DownYatsen IPO - Pricey but It Comes with Strong Investor BackingIn this insight, talk about deal dynamics and provide a table with implied valuation at different ADS levels.

Yatsen IPO Trading - A Little More Pricey Now

<p>Yatsen Holding aims to raise around upto US$617m in its US IPO. The company is backed by Hillhouse, Tencent and Tiger Global. </p><p>Yatsen was founded in 2016 and has since then launched three color cosmetics and skincare brands. Together, these brands have served 23.4m customers in 2019. According to the CIC report, Perfect Diary became the top color cosmetics brand in China in terms of online retail sales in 2019.</p><p>Its revenue increased by 4.7x in 2019 and was up 73% YoY over 9M20. The increase in revenue was driven by a 2.4x increase in its customer base in 2019 and another 50% YoY growth over 9M20. Yatsen operates a DTC model and does most of its marketing through its network of 15,000 KOLs. </p><p>On the flip side, growth for its biggest brand slowed down considerably over 9M20. At the same time, its selling and marketing expenses have ballooned leading to the company again reporting losses over 9M20. There is also the case of its founders repeatedly selling shares to the company.</p><p>In terms of valuation, the company hasn’t generated consistent profits, hence, one can only compare it on EV/Sales basis, on which measure it looks alright. However, the timing of future profitability remains uncertain given the turnaround in selling and marketing expenses in FY20, the continued offline expansion and the company’s growing penchant for acquisitions.</p><p>Link to my previous note:</p><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/yatsen-pre-ipo-growing-fast-but-slowing-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yatsen Pre-IPO - Growing Fast but Slowing Down</a></p>

Yatsen Holding aims to raise around upto US$617m in its US IPO. The company is backed by Hillhouse, Tencent and Tiger Global. Yatsen was founded in 2016 and has since then launched three color cosmetics and skincare brands. Together, these brands have served 23.4m customers in 2019. According to the CIC report, Perfect Diary became the top color cosmetics brand in China in terms of online retail sales in 2019.Its revenue increased by 4.7x in 2019 and was up 73% YoY over 9M20. The increase in revenue was driven by a 2.4x increase in its customer base in 2019 and another 50% YoY growth over 9M20. Yatsen operates a DTC model and does most of its marketing through its network of 15,000 KOLs. On the flip side, growth for its biggest brand slowed down considerably over 9M20. At the same time, its selling and marketing expenses have ballooned leading to the company again reporting losses over 9M20. There is also the case of its founders repeatedly selling shares to the company.In terms of valuation, the company hasn’t generated consistent profits, hence, one can only compare it on EV/Sales basis, on which measure it looks alright. However, the timing of future profitability remains uncertain given the turnaround in selling and marketing expenses in FY20, the continued offline expansion and the company’s growing penchant for acquisitions.Link to my previous note:Yatsen Pre-IPO - Growing Fast but Slowing Down

Yatsen IPO - Pricey but It Comes with Strong Investor Backing

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

MSCI Emerging Markets Index / Technical Analysis

<p>We continue to believe the path of least resistance is higher for global equities. As a result, our outlook remains bullish and we suggest buying any dips. This week we are focusing on Consumer Staples and Health Care, two Sectors that have been less-loved over the past several months. We also highlight additional ideas in the following Sectors: Services, Technology, Financials, Real Estate, Communications, and Utilities.</p>

We continue to believe the path of least resistance is higher for global equities. As a result, our outlook remains bullish and we suggest buying any dips. This week we are focusing on Consumer Staples and Health Care, two Sectors that have been less-loved over the past several months. We also highlight additional ideas in the following Sectors: Services, Technology, Financials, Real Estate, Communications, and Utilities.

EM Equities At New Highs Despite Some Caution Signs

France

L'Oreal SA manufactures, markets, and distributes health and beauty aids.  The Company produces colorants, styling, and hair care products for professional hairdressers, hair care, cosmetics, and skin care products and perfumes for consumers, luxury cosmetics and perfumes sold through department stores, perfumeries and travel stores, and dermatological and pharmaceutical products.

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L'Oreal SA (OR FP)

Sea Ltd - Supercharged

Sea Ltd (SE US) is the best way to proxy for the explosive growth in e-commerce in South East Asia, funded by its gaming revenue, with its move...

Angus Mackintosh

Male Grooming in Asia: Blooming Prospects. Skincare to Drive Growth

Steady expansion in the Male grooming sector in China & India is led by a generational shift in grooming habits and not a passing fad. Only a few...

Devi Subhakesan

Yatsen IPO Trading - A Little More Pricey Now

Yatsen Holding raised around US$617m in its US IPO, by pricing its IPO at the top-end of its range. The company is backed by Hillhouse, Tencent and...

Sumeet Singh

Yatsen IPO - Pricey but It Comes with Strong Investor Backing

Yatsen Holding aims to raise around upto US$617m in its US IPO. The company is backed by Hillhouse, Tencent and Tiger Global.

Sumeet Singh

EM Equities At New Highs Despite Some Caution Signs

We continue to believe the path of least resistance is higher for global equities. As a result, our outlook remains bullish and we suggest buying...

Vermilion Research

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