Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas, Azabu Research

Michael Allen

Japanese Turnaround Situations, Short-Ideas

Azabu Research

Azabu Research is a publishing and consulting firm focused on distressed equities in the Japanese market. We specialize in turnaround strategies, corporate combinations, divestitures, and restructuring.

Publisher of the Tokyo Turnaround Letter, which conducts the most thorough research possible of publicly available information, including forensic tests for fraudulent overstatement of assets and understatement of liabilities, as well as rigorous market and industry analysis to assess the underlying strengths of the company’s products or services, the appropriateness of the company’s turnaround strategy, and the skill of its current management team. The average length of a report exceeds 25 pages of text and tables, excluding any disclosures or executive summaries.

We have more than 30 years of experience in applying this process to distressed equities in Japan. Additionally, subscribers have free access to detailed, yet easily navigated earnings models for the target company as well as the top five comparable companies, and unlimited access to the analyst for follow-up questions.

Azabu Research also conducts be-spoke research on a project basis, and provides consulting services to companies looking to restructure, divest, make acquisitions, go public, or improve investor sentiment toward their stock.

Independent Research and Consulting Firm

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Lasertec shares dropped nearly 8% following a scathing 53-page report by Scorpion Capital, accusing management of “colossal fraud.” </li>
<li>The SC report is shrill, in our view, and therefore, we think we add value by contributing a second opinion. </li>
<li>In our view, Lasertec is due for a correction even if SC’s report is inundated by hyperbole.</li>
</ul>


Lasertec shares dropped nearly 8% following a scathing 53-page report by Scorpion Capital, accusing management of “colossal fraud.” 
The SC report is shrill, in our view, and therefore, we think we add value by contributing a second opinion. 
In our view, Lasertec is due for a correction even if SC’s report is inundated by hyperbole.


Lasertec (6920): Some of the Accusations Are Disgraceful, Some Not

Semiconductor & Technology Specialist, Ingenuity

William Keating

Semiconductor & Technology Specialist

Ingenuity

Our focus is exclusively on in-depth research & consulting in the broader semiconductor industry. We focus on the key players, namely Intel, Micron, Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung, NVIDIA, AMD, TSMC & Global Foundries - as well as some of the lesser known, but nonetheless critical, companies such as ASML (for EUV), Mellanox, Cavium, Xilinx etc. We specialise in their products, roadmaps, process technologies, competitive advantages & threats etc. We also help our clients understand the implications of new and emerging technologies, e.g. 3D X-Point, 3D NAND, Carbon Nanotubes, Autonomous Driving, Graphene, Silicon Photonics, Wafer-Level Optics, Artificial Intelligence, FPGA, GPU, ASIC etc. 

Semiconductor Analysis & Research

<ul>
<li>Activist short seller Scorpion alleges Lasertec is a "colossal fraud" and "ticking time bomb"</li>
<li>Most of their allegations relate to problems with Lasertec's EUV mask inspection tools</li>
<li>Lasertec achieved Intel's distinguished supplier ward for the past six years and last December landed an award from TSMC for  "Distinguished EUV Mask Inspection and Metrology Collaboration". What gives?</li>
</ul>


Activist short seller Scorpion alleges Lasertec is a "colossal fraud" and "ticking time bomb"
Most of their allegations relate to problems with Lasertec's EUV mask inspection tools
Lasertec achieved Intel's distinguished supplier ward for the past six years and last December landed an award from TSMC for  "Distinguished EUV Mask Inspection and Metrology Collaboration". What gives?


Lasertec. Colossal Fraud Or Multi-Award Winning Mask Inspection Supplier?

Independent Insight Provider, Japanese equities, LightStream Research

Scott Foster

Independent Insight Provider, Japanese equities

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.

<ul>
<li>Lasertec has dropped more than 20% in the past week and a half, but is still selling at more than 60x EPS guidance for FY Jun-24.</li>
<li>Weak orders at ASML, disappointing guidance from TSMC and doubts about Intel's equipment purchases cast doubt on Lasertec's growth potential.</li>
<li>Between December 2021 and June 2022, Lasertec's share price dropped by more than 50%. Wait for Q3 results before reaching for a falling knife. </li>
</ul>


Lasertec has dropped more than 20% in the past week and a half, but is still selling at more than 60x EPS guidance for FY Jun-24.
Weak orders at ASML, disappointing guidance from TSMC and doubts about Intel's equipment purchases cast doubt on Lasertec's growth potential.
Between December 2021 and June 2022, Lasertec's share price dropped by more than 50%. Wait for Q3 results before reaching for a falling knife. 


Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors, Fabricated Knowledge

Douglas O'Laughlin

Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors

Fabricated Knowledge

Learn more about the world's most important manufactured product. Meaningful insight, timely analysis, and an occasional investment idea.

<ul><li>KLA had a rare miss. The guidance was a bit light for the inspection execution machine.</li><li>KLA rarely misses and is by far the best financially managed of the large-cap semicap companies.</li><li>KLA reports Q2 EPS $6.16 ex-items vs FactSet $5.91</li></ul>

KLA had a rare miss. The guidance was a bit light for the inspection execution machine.KLA rarely misses and is by far the best financially managed of the large-cap semicap companies.KLA reports Q2 EPS $6.16 ex-items vs FactSet $5.91

KLA & LaserTec, AMD, Hyperscaler Capex, SK Hynix, SWKS and QRVO, WOLF, MCHP

<ul>
<li>The share price has bounced back on strong 3Q orders and long-term optimism, but weak 4Q guidance calls the growth trajectory into question.</li>
<li>Guidance, which has sales dropping to about half what they were a year earlier, is based on the expected timing of customer acceptance of delivered equipment. It could be conservative.</li>
<li>At 75X EPS guidance for FY Jun-24, a rate of growth not visible in current trends has already been discounted. Current orders should translate into sales in 2026.</li>
</ul>


The share price has bounced back on strong 3Q orders and long-term optimism, but weak 4Q guidance calls the growth trajectory into question.
Guidance, which has sales dropping to about half what they were a year earlier, is based on the expected timing of customer acceptance of delivered equipment. It could be conservative.
At 75X EPS guidance for FY Jun-24, a rate of growth not visible in current trends has already been discounted. Current orders should translate into sales in 2026.


Lasertec (6920 JP): Orders Up, Guidance Down

Japan

Lasertec Corporation develops, designs, manufactures and markets photomask inspection systems to make semiconductor devices, confocal scanning laser microscopes and liquid crystal display (LCD) inspection systems.

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Lasertec Corp (6920 JP)

Lasertec (6920): Some of the Accusations Are Disgraceful, Some Not

Lasertec's shares plummeted 8% after a report accused management of fraud. In our view, the short-seller's report was inundated with inaccuracies...

Michael Allen

Lasertec. Colossal Fraud Or Multi-Award Winning Mask Inspection Supplier?

Scorpion alleges Lasertec is a "colossal fraud" and "ticking time bomb". Lasertec got Intel's quality award for the past six years & TSMC's just...

William Keating

Lasertec (6920 JP): Further to Fall

Lasertec is down more than 20% but still looks overvalued as weak orders at ASML, disappointing guidance at TSMC and uncertain equipment demand at...

Scott Foster

KLA & LaserTec, AMD, Hyperscaler Capex, SK Hynix, SWKS and QRVO, WOLF, MCHP

Another week of earnings, with KLA having a rare miss and the guidance being a bit light for the inspection execution machine.

Fabricated Knowledge

Lasertec (6920 JP): Orders Up, Guidance Down

Orders up in Q3 to a good but not outstanding level. Q4 guidance for a sharp decline in sales and profit based on expected timing of customer...

Scott Foster

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Lasertec (6920): Some of the Accusations Are Disgraceful, Some Not

​Lasertec's shares plummeted 8% after a report accused management of fraud. In our view, the short-seller's report was inundated with inaccuracies...

Michael Allen

Lasertec. Colossal Fraud Or Multi-Award Winning Mask Inspection Supplier?

Scorpion alleges Lasertec is a "colossal fraud" and "ticking time bomb". Lasertec got Intel's quality award for the past six years & TSMC's just...

William Keating

Lasertec (6920 JP): Further to Fall

Lasertec is down more than 20% but still looks overvalued as weak orders at ASML, disappointing guidance at TSMC and uncertain equipment demand at...

Scott Foster

KLA & LaserTec, AMD, Hyperscaler Capex, SK Hynix, SWKS and QRVO, WOLF, MCHP

Another week of earnings, with KLA having a rare miss and the guidance being a bit light for the inspection execution machine.

Fabricated Knowledge

Lasertec (6920 JP): Orders Up, Guidance Down

Orders up in Q3 to a good but not outstanding level. Q4 guidance for a sharp decline in sales and profit based on expected timing of customer...

Scott Foster

Lasertec's shares plummeted 8% after a report accused management of fraud. In our view, the short-seller's report was inundated with inaccuracies...