Japan/Asia Long-Short, LightStream Research

Mio Kato

Japan/Asia Long-Short

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 Bottom-Up

<p>We first wrote on Sony in mid-2017 noting that <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/sony-has-got-its-mojo-back-super-slomo-acoustic-surfaces-and-the-world-s-fastest-internet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sony Has Got Its Mojo Back: Super Slomo, Acoustic Surfaces, and the World’s Fastest Internet</a> as we felt that Kazuo Hirai’s efforts to restore the company’s innovative culture were starting to bear fruit in a lot of niche areas. In the more than three years since, Sony has built on this momentum and is firing on all cylinders moving into the launch of the PS5 which we believe will be a key driver of the company’s long-term value. While this is hardly a non-consensus opinion, we feel the market may not quite appreciate the degree of potential market share gains hinted at by subtle developments and choices on design. We discuss these and the valuation case below.</p>

We first wrote on Sony in mid-2017 noting that Sony Has Got Its Mojo Back: Super Slomo, Acoustic Surfaces, and the World’s Fastest Internet as we felt that Kazuo Hirai’s efforts to restore the company’s innovative culture were starting to bear fruit in a lot of niche areas. In the more than three years since, Sony has built on this momentum and is firing on all cylinders moving into the launch of the PS5 which we believe will be a key driver of the company’s long-term value. While this is hardly a non-consensus opinion, we feel the market may not quite appreciate the degree of potential market share gains hinted at by subtle developments and choices on design. We discuss these and the valuation case below.

2021 High Conviction – Sony’s Year of the PS5

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst, Obex Capital Research

Aaron Gabin

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research

Obex Capital Research

“Obex” is Latin for Barriers to Entry. Obex Capital Management’s investment philosophy is driven by an intense focus on which business model’s Barriers to Entry are able to withstand the ever increasing competitive disruption in the TMT and Consumer Sectors.

<p>When we first began writing about Slack last summer, an acquisition was always on the radar, even as we were initially positive....for the same reason we flipped negative. Slack is a product, not a company, and is best housed inside a larger enterprise IT company...Salesforce.com is certainly it. Price matters though...and Slack is now trading ~22x forward EV/Sales after the 20% rip....CRM 10x. Are we sure Marc Benioff is willing to dilute his stock THAT much? slack = 10% of CRM EV.</p><div class="content-highlight"><p>Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.</p></div>

When we first began writing about Slack last summer, an acquisition was always on the radar, even as we were initially positive....for the same reason we flipped negative. Slack is a product, not a company, and is best housed inside a larger enterprise IT company...Salesforce.com is certainly it. Price matters though...and Slack is now trading ~22x forward EV/Sales after the 20% rip....CRM 10x. Are we sure Marc Benioff is willing to dilute his stock THAT much? slack = 10% of CRM EV.Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.

Palantir Technologies  / Equity Bottom-Up

<p>When we took a deep dive into Palantir, we thought it would be as a long. Up 90% in the past month? Its a short.</p>
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<p>Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.</p>
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When we took a deep dive into Palantir, we thought it would be as a long. Up 90% in the past month? Its a short.

Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.


Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Event-Driven

<p>A short while ago, S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/documents/indexnews/announcements/20201116-1258362/1258362_tdec215addconsult.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the inclusion of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tesla-motors-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20279:1" rel="noopener">Tesla Motors (TSLA US)</a> in the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-500" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22886:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500 (SPX INDEX)</a> effective after the close of trading on 18 December. The deletion will be announced later.</p><p>S&amp;P DJI have also announced they will be conducting a <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/governance/consultations/sp500consultationonimplementationoftslaaddition11-16-20.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">market consultation</a> on whether <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tesla-motors-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20279:1" rel="noopener">Tesla Motors (TSLA US)</a> should be added to the S&amp;P500 all at once or in two tranches to reduce the impact of the funding trade.</p><p>From the numbers, the market should be able to absorb the buying on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tesla-motors-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:20279:1" rel="noopener">Tesla Motors (TSLA US)</a> and the selling on the other index constituents pretty easily. However, with Christmas just a week away from the implementation date and possibly lower liquidity, market participants may have different views and the trade could be split into two tranches.</p>

A short while ago, S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices announced the inclusion of Tesla Motors (TSLA US) in the S&amp;P 500 (SPX INDEX) effective after the close of trading on 18 December. The deletion will be announced later.S&amp;P DJI have also announced they will be conducting a market consultation on whether Tesla Motors (TSLA US) should be added to the S&amp;P500 all at once or in two tranches to reduce the impact of the funding trade.From the numbers, the market should be able to absorb the buying on Tesla Motors (TSLA US) and the selling on the other index constituents pretty easily. However, with Christmas just a week away from the implementation date and possibly lower liquidity, market participants may have different views and the trade could be split into two tranches.

Tesla: S&P500 Inclusion (Finally) Secured

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

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<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elang-mahkota-teknologi-tbk" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7752:1" rel="noopener">Emtek (EMTK IJ)</a> has announced that it intends to seek approval for A stock split at its AGM on 14th December, the normal reason for which is to improve liquidity in the shares by making a company more accessible for retail investors. We see this as a potential precursor to further corporate actions along the line, involving some form of group restructuring, and this gives the company a more liquid currency to do this.</p>
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<p>This may involve some form of reorganization within the group, which holds its media assets under <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/surya-citra-media-pt-tbk" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/surya-citra-media-pt-tbk" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">PT Surya Citra Media Tbk (SCMA IJ)</a> but a number of other digital economy assets under <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elang-mahkota-teknologi-tbk" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elang-mahkota-teknologi-tbk" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">Emtek (EMTK IJ)</a> including a stake in e-commerce player Bukalapak and leading digital payments company Dana (a 50/50 JV with Ant Financial (<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>).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/microsoft-corp" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/microsoft-corp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">Microsoft Corp (MSFT US)</a> has recently announced it will invest US$100m into Bukalapak, which is now valued at US$3bn.</p>
<p>Looking at the valuation of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US),</a> which is trading on 13x EV/Sales, it is highly likely the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elang-mahkota-teknologi-tbk" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elang-mahkota-teknologi-tbk" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">Emtek (EMTK IJ)</a> can command a higher valuation if it becomes more accessible, given there are no other ways to get listed exposure to Indonesia's booming e-commerce.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elang-mahkota-teknologi-tbk" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7752:1" rel="noopener">Emtek (EMTK IJ)</a> currently trades on 4.6x FY20E EV/Sales.  Investors are likely to pay a premium for access to a liquid <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/elang-mahkota-teknologi-tbk" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7752:1" rel="noopener">Emtek (EMTK IJ)</a>, with a strong mix of cash-generating media assets and high growth digital assets.  </p>
<p>We also continue to like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/surya-citra-media-pt-tbk" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/surya-citra-media-pt-tbk" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">PT Surya Citra Media Tbk (SCMA IJ),</a> as Indonesia's top media player with an increasingly digital twist through <a href="http://vidio.com/" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="http://Vidio.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">Vidio.com</a>. Please see <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/pt-surya-citra-media-tbk-scma-ij-let-the-games-begin" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/pt-surya-citra-media-tbk-scma-ij-let-the-games-begin" data-sk="tooltip_parent" rel="noopener">PT Surya Citra Media Tbk (SCMA IJ) - Let the Games Begin</a> for more details.</p>


Emtek (EMTK IJ) has announced that it intends to seek approval for A stock split at its AGM on 14th December, the normal reason for which is to improve liquidity in the shares by making a company more accessible for retail investors. We see this as a potential precursor to further corporate actions along the line, involving some form of group restructuring, and this gives the company a more liquid currency to do this.

This may involve some form of reorganization within the group, which holds its media assets under PT Surya Citra Media Tbk (SCMA IJ) but a number of other digital economy assets under Emtek (EMTK IJ) including a stake in e-commerce player Bukalapak and leading digital payments company Dana (a 50/50 JV with Ant Financial (Alibaba Group (BABA US)).
Microsoft Corp (MSFT US) has recently announced it will invest US$100m into Bukalapak, which is now valued at US$3bn.
Looking at the valuation of Sea Ltd (SE US), which is trading on 13x EV/Sales, it is highly likely the Emtek (EMTK IJ) can command a higher valuation if it becomes more accessible, given there are no other ways to get listed exposure to Indonesia's booming e-commerce.
Emtek (EMTK IJ) currently trades on 4.6x FY20E EV/Sales.  Investors are likely to pay a premium for access to a liquid Emtek (EMTK IJ), with a strong mix of cash-generating media assets and high growth digital assets.  
We also continue to like PT Surya Citra Media Tbk (SCMA IJ), as Indonesia's top media player with an increasingly digital twist through Vidio.com. Please see PT Surya Citra Media Tbk (SCMA IJ) - Let the Games Begin for more details.

Emtek (EMTK IJ) - Arise a New Champion of Indonesia Tech?

United States

Microsoft Corporation operates as a software company. The Company offers applications, extra cloud storage, and advanced security solutions. Microsoft serves customers worldwide.

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Microsoft Corp (MSFT US)

2021 High Conviction – Sony’s Year of the PS5

Sony is a key name investors should be focusing on in 2021 as we believe the company has outlined an excellent path to ensuring PS5 dominance and...

Mio Kato

Slack + Salesforce.com: Initial Thoughts

We take a look at the potential pluses and minuses of Salesforce.com's proposed acquisition of Slack. The proposed deal is expensive and makes more...

Aaron Gabin

2021 High Conviction: Short Palantir

We take a deep dive into the Palantir business model and come away skeptical that the success of its first quarter as a public company is sustainable.

Aaron Gabin

Tesla: S&P500 Inclusion (Finally) Secured

Tesla has been included in the S&P500 after 5 consecutive quarters of profitability. The passive buying on Tesla will be around US$54bn and the...

Brian Freitas

Emtek (EMTK IJ) - Arise a New Champion of Indonesia Tech?

Emtek recently announced its intention to seek approval for a stock split at its AGM in December. We see this as a precursor for further corporate...

Angus Mackintosh

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