Research from Superfluous Value, Superfluous Value

Superfluous Value

Research from Superfluous Value

Stock selection has rarely been as important as it is today. After a roaring decade for US markets and with signs of mania everywhere, the S&P 500 as over-priced as it has ever been.

But, there is better way. Superfluous Value is a contrarian, deep-dive into the markets forgotten by the 60/40 instos and indexing, momentum chasers. Where the hot money has long moved on, it leaves behind investments offering great safety and prospective returns.

I believe the 2020s will look diametrically opposite to the recent past, with Emerging Markets, the UK, Japan and commodities set to rip and I intend to be holding the best opportunities available as they do.

Please feel free to come along on the journey.

Contrarian Deep-Dive into the Markets

Equity Bottom-Up

Micro Focus International  / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>After banging the drum on Micro Focus for several years, a suitor has arrived, with Canadian software firm OpenText offering to acquire the company for an Enterprise Value of $6b or $6.30 (532p)/share.</li><li>I have mixed emotions here and will try to sum up my thinking since the deal was announced.</li><li>Of course, it’s hard to be upset when one of your holdings doubles overnight.</li></ul>

After banging the drum on Micro Focus for several years, a suitor has arrived, with Canadian software firm OpenText offering to acquire the company for an Enterprise Value of $6b or $6.30 (532p)/share.I have mixed emotions here and will try to sum up my thinking since the deal was announced.Of course, it’s hard to be upset when one of your holdings doubles overnight.

European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Event-Driven

Micro Focus International  / Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Open Text agreed a 532p/share cash offer for legacy software, highly leveraged FTSE250 constituent, Micro Focus (98% premium, 2.3x EV/Fwd Revenues, 6.4x EV/Fwd EBITDA), taking advantage of target's downwards re-rating.</li>
<li>My TP based (5.6x EV/Fwd EBITDA based) is 350p, which reflects macro challenges. Although the offer from Open Text seems every generous, ROIC could reach low single teens.</li>
<li>Gross spread is 2.35% and the estimated annual return would be 4.38% assuming settlement by mid-February. Irrevocables amount to 16.62%, the lengthy part will be antitrust and FDI approvals. Long.</li>
</ul>


Open Text agreed a 532p/share cash offer for legacy software, highly leveraged FTSE250 constituent, Micro Focus (98% premium, 2.3x EV/Fwd Revenues, 6.4x EV/Fwd EBITDA), taking advantage of target's downwards re-rating.
My TP based (5.6x EV/Fwd EBITDA based) is 350p, which reflects macro challenges. Although the offer from Open Text seems every generous, ROIC could reach low single teens.
Gross spread is 2.35% and the estimated annual return would be 4.38% assuming settlement by mid-February. Irrevocables amount to 16.62%, the lengthy part will be antitrust and FDI approvals. Long.


Open Text/Micro Focus: Next Chapter in an Acquisition Growth Story

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

Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index / Technical Analysis

Cracks are beginning to show, particularly in EM/China where the MSCI EM index (EEM-US) is breaking below major $52 base support, the Shanghai Composite is breaking below 3500, the CSI 300 is breaking below 4885, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng is breaking below 27,000 support. Thankfully we have stayed away from areas hardest hit since EM/China has had poor relative performance for quite some time. Despite this being largely self-induced and very China-specific due to China's regulatory crackdown, the overhang could linger as additional Sectors/industries could be targeted. Moreover, it certainly does not help our already cautious and neutral outlook, but rather reinforces it.

Cracks are beginning to show, particularly in EM/China where the MSCI EM index (EEM-US) is breaking below major $52 base support, the Shanghai Composite is breaking below 3500, the CSI 300 is breaking below 4885, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng is breaking below 27,000 support. Thankfully we have stayed away from areas hardest hit since EM/China has had poor relative performance for quite some time. Despite this being largely self-induced and very China-specific due to China's regulatory crackdown, the overhang could linger as additional Sectors/industries could be targeted. Moreover, it certainly does not help our already cautious and neutral outlook, but rather reinforces it.

Weakness Contained To EM & China Thus Far; Actionable Themes: Tech, Utilities, Financials, Materials

Our outlook remains status quo: we are bullish and we believe the path of least resistance remains higher. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Technology: Semiconductor, Mid-Cap, Semiconductor Equip., Large/Mid-Cap, Semiconductor Equip., Small-Cap, and Software, Internet.

Our outlook remains status quo: we are bullish and we believe the path of least resistance remains higher. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Technology: Semiconductor, Mid-Cap, Semiconductor Equip., Large/Mid-Cap, Semiconductor Equip., Small-Cap, and Software, Internet.

U. S. Equity Strategy: Status Quo: Bullish Outlook Intact

Despite recent weakness across global markets, our weight of the evidence approach continues to lead us to the same conclusions as we posited in our 1/24/20 and 1/30/20 Int’l Compass reports: we continue to believe this is a bull market until proven otherwise, and a “buy the dip” strategy remains warranted. In our February International Strategy, we highlight various themes which lead to our bullish outlook, and offer several attractive opportunities we are seeing in the global health care and technology sectors..

Despite recent weakness across global markets, our weight of the evidence approach continues to lead us to the same conclusions as we posited in our 1/24/20 and 1/30/20 Int’l Compass reports: we continue to believe this is a bull market until proven otherwise, and a “buy the dip” strategy remains warranted. In our February International Strategy, we highlight various themes which lead to our bullish outlook, and offer several attractive opportunities we are seeing in the global health care and technology sectors..

Canada

Open Text Corporation provides intranet, extranet, and corporate portal solutions to organizations located throughout the world.  The Company's flagship product, Livelink is an off-the-shelf, enterprise scalable, collaborative application for companies that want to leverage their information and resources through intranets.

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Open Text Corp (OTEX CN)

The Micro Focus Buy-Out: Vindication?

After banging the drum on Micro Focus for several years, a suitor has arrived, with Canadian software firm OpenText offering to acquire the company

Superfluous Value

Open Text/Micro Focus: Next Chapter in an Acquisition Growth Story

Serial acquirer OTEX CN agreed a 98% premium all-cash offer for highly leveraged and stalling revenues MCRO LN, implying an £5.1 billion EV to...

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Weakness Contained To EM & China Thus Far; Actionable Themes: Tech, Utilities, Financials, Materials

Cracks are beginning to show, particularly in EM/China. Key support violations include the MSCI EM index below $52, the Shanghai Comp below 3500,...

Vermilion Research

U. S. Equity Strategy: Status Quo: Bullish Outlook Intact

Our outlook remains status quo: we are bullish and we believe the path of least resistance remains higher. In today’s report we highlight...

Vermilion Research

Global Equity Strategy: Buy the Dips

Despite recent weakness across global markets, our weight of the evidence approach continues to lead us to the same conclusions as we posited in...

Vermilion Research

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