Equity Research in HK and Mainland China

Li Tang

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

The China Real Estate Association (CREA) reportedly summoned 10 key developers to a discussion meeting last Friday, including <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-vanke-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26076:1" rel="noopener">China Vanke (000002 CH)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sunac-china-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:240:1" rel="noopener">Sunac China Holdings (1918 HK)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-overseas-land-investment-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:419:1" rel="noopener">China Overseas Land &amp; Investment (688 HK)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gemdale-corp-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:14908:1" rel="noopener">Gemdale Corp A (600383 CH)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/longfor-properties" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8149:1" rel="noopener">Longfor Properties (960 HK)</a><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zhongliang-holdings-group-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28009:1" rel="noopener">Zhongliang Holdings (2772 HK)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/seazen-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24242:1" rel="noopener">Seazen Holdings Co., Ltd. (601155 CH)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/greentown-china-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8954:1" rel="noopener">Greentown China (3900 HK)</a> , and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cifi-holdings-group-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18387:1" rel="noopener">CIFI Holdings (884 HK)</a> , who were required to send senior executives at vice president or above levels.

The China Real Estate Association (CREA) reportedly summoned 10 key developers to a discussion meeting last Friday, including China Vanke (000002 CH) , Sunac China Holdings (1918 HK) , China Overseas Land &amp; Investment (688 HK) , Gemdale Corp A (600383 CH) , Longfor Properties (960 HK)Zhongliang Holdings (2772 HK) , Seazen Holdings Co., Ltd. (601155 CH) , Greentown China (3900 HK) , and CIFI Holdings (884 HK) , who were required to send senior executives at vice president or above levels.

China Real Estate Association Summoned Key Developers as PBOC Hints Policy Finetuning

Founder of Antler Capital

Stanley Tsai, CFA

For all the roller coaster rides the sector has taken investors on over the years, the Chinese property developers have been unsettlingly consistent in one regard. The CNY1tn fixed asset investment (FAI) homebuilders coughed up in May continued a two-decades long secular trend that may make or break China's still fragile recovery (Exhibit 1).
The Debt-Fueled Supercycle. The sector has seen its share of excesses and corrections, exemplified by the post-GFC FAI expansion and subsequent retrenchment. Covid might have driven up construction costs, but the enthusiasm of would-be homeowners has shown no signs of abating. Just as the developers are working overtime to deleverage their balance sheets, household debt is piling up and may approach alarming levels over the next five years if mortgage growth doesn't decelerate quickly enough.
The Inventory Drawdown. Behind the headline FAI number is a more nuanced picture of inventory reductions and landbank replenishment. Housing starts slowed in May and dipped below project completions on a 12-month rolling basis. This affords cash-strapped property firms an opportunity to rebuild their cashflows, while deploying cash to projects in hand.
The Insatiable Demand. The 0.5% m/m or 5% y/y rise in home prices last month may appear benign in other settings. In the context of China's already exorbitant base, recent data points are a cause for concern. Among the largest cities across the country, those in the Greater Bay Area stand out as outliers, with valuations skyrocketing in spite of the latest round of lockdowns.
The Aggressive Developers. The increasingly bullish undertones of sell-side notes that have landed on our desks are centered around the inventory drawdown / cashflow rebuild story of the perceived higher-quality names in the space. We are not buyers of that story just yet and our work suggests that many developers have been acquiring land at a more aggressive rate than they had planned at the beginning of the year. Regulators are already keeping a close eye on recent transactions and we think we should too.
<table class="table table-striped">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 746px;">Exhibit 1: Monthly Housing FAI | 3M Moving Avg (CNY bn)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 746px;">
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/215/144/original/image_45072834061624549646155.png?1624549646" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="215144"></figure>
Source: National Bureau of Statistics, Our analysis
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-financials-silver-linings-playbook" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:53013" rel="noopener">China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook</a> </li>
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For all the roller coaster rides the sector has taken investors on over the years, the Chinese property developers have been unsettlingly consistent in one regard. The CNY1tn fixed asset investment (FAI) homebuilders coughed up in May continued a two-decades long secular trend that may make or break China's still fragile recovery (Exhibit 1).
The Debt-Fueled Supercycle. The sector has seen its share of excesses and corrections, exemplified by the post-GFC FAI expansion and subsequent retrenchment. Covid might have driven up construction costs, but the enthusiasm of would-be homeowners has shown no signs of abating. Just as the developers are working overtime to deleverage their balance sheets, household debt is piling up and may approach alarming levels over the next five years if mortgage growth doesn't decelerate quickly enough.
The Inventory Drawdown. Behind the headline FAI number is a more nuanced picture of inventory reductions and landbank replenishment. Housing starts slowed in May and dipped below project completions on a 12-month rolling basis. This affords cash-strapped property firms an opportunity to rebuild their cashflows, while deploying cash to projects in hand.
The Insatiable Demand. The 0.5% m/m or 5% y/y rise in home prices last month may appear benign in other settings. In the context of China's already exorbitant base, recent data points are a cause for concern. Among the largest cities across the country, those in the Greater Bay Area stand out as outliers, with valuations skyrocketing in spite of the latest round of lockdowns.
The Aggressive Developers. The increasingly bullish undertones of sell-side notes that have landed on our desks are centered around the inventory drawdown / cashflow rebuild story of the perceived higher-quality names in the space. We are not buyers of that story just yet and our work suggests that many developers have been acquiring land at a more aggressive rate than they had planned at the beginning of the year. Regulators are already keeping a close eye on recent transactions and we think we should too.



Exhibit 1: Monthly Housing FAI | 3M Moving Avg (CNY bn)




Source: National Bureau of Statistics, Our analysis




Related Insights


China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook 

Glut and Famine: We Might See Snow in China This Summer 

China Macro: Operation Twist | The Deposit Version 

China Macro: Consumers Remain on the Sidelines, as Their Home Equity Grows 

China Macro: PPI Peaks, while CPI Eases Tightening Fears 

China Macro: Exports Disappoint, but It's Still Early in the Game 


China Properties: Like Clockwork, Real Estate Investments Haven't Skipped a Beat

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech, Aequitas Research

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech

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.

Quantitative Analysis

In our weekly Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect Ideas series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of northbound trades via the Shanghai and Shenzhen Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine and highlight interesting trade ideas. We split the stocks eligible for the Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect trade into two groups: stocks with a market capitalization above USD 5 billion, as well as between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion.In this insight, we will highlight inflows into <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hangzhou-hikvision-digital-techgy-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7152:1" rel="noopener">Hangzhou Hikvision (002415 CH)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-merchants-bank-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:714:1" rel="noopener">China Merchants Bank A (600036 CH)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/luxshare-precision-industry-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12310:1" rel="noopener">Luxshare Precision Industry (002475 CH)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/shenzhen-inovance-technology-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18170:1" rel="noopener">Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., (300124 CH)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/seazen-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24242:1" rel="noopener">Seazen Holdings Co., Ltd. (601155 CH)</a>. We will also highlight outflows from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/han-s-laser-technology-in-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18441:1" rel="noopener">Han'S Laser Technology In A (002008 CH)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kweichow-moutai-co-ltd-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1553:1" rel="noopener">Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd A (600519 CH)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/wuliangye-yibin-co-ltd-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19968:1" rel="noopener">Wuliangye Yibin Co Ltd A (000858 CH)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/east-money-information-co-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8075:1" rel="noopener">East Money Information Co A (300059 CH)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/risesun-real-estate-devel-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12140:1" rel="noopener">Risesun Real Estate Devel A (002146 CH)</a>.

In our weekly Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect Ideas series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of northbound trades via the Shanghai and Shenzhen Connect, as analyzed by our proprietary data engine and highlight interesting trade ideas. We split the stocks eligible for the Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect trade into two groups: stocks with a market capitalization above USD 5 billion, as well as between USD 1 billion and USD 5 billion.In this insight, we will highlight inflows into Hangzhou Hikvision (002415 CH), China Merchants Bank A (600036 CH), Luxshare Precision Industry (002475 CH), Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., (300124 CH), and Seazen Holdings Co., Ltd. (601155 CH). We will also highlight outflows from Han'S Laser Technology In A (002008 CH), Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd A (600519 CH), Wuliangye Yibin Co Ltd A (000858 CH), East Money Information Co A (300059 CH), and Risesun Real Estate Devel A (002146 CH).

Shanghai/​Shenzhen Connect Ideas: Hard Liquor, Industrial 4.0 Names (2019-07-26)

China

Seazen Holdings Co., Ltd. operates as a real estate development company. The Company develops residential buildings, office buildings, commercial buildings, infrastructure facilities, and more. Seazen Holdings also provides market research, information consulting, and other services.

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Seazen Holdings (601155 CH)

China Real Estate Association Summoned Key Developers as PBOC Hints Policy Finetuning

We see a short-term opportunity to buy high-quality, low leveraged developers in advance of further calibrated policy support.

Li Tang

China Properties: Like Clockwork, Real Estate Investments Haven't Skipped a Beat

Housing FAI in May continued a secular trend that may make or break China's recovery. Inventory drawdowns may afford developers some breathing...

Stanley Tsai, CFA

Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect Ideas: Hard Liquor, Industrial 4.0 Names (2019-07-26)

In our weekly Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect Ideas series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of northbound trades via the Shanghai and...

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

China Real Estate Association Summoned Key Developers as PBOC Hints Policy Finetuning

We see a short-term opportunity to buy high-quality, low leveraged developers in advance of further calibrated policy support.

Li Tang

China Properties: Like Clockwork, Real Estate Investments Haven't Skipped a Beat

Housing FAI in May continued a secular trend that may make or break China's recovery. Inventory drawdowns may afford developers some breathing...

Stanley Tsai, CFA

Shanghai/​Shenzhen Connect Ideas: Hard Liquor, Industrial 4.0 Names (2019-07-26)

In our weekly Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect Ideas series, we aim to help our investors understand the flow of northbound trades via the Shanghai and...

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Shanghai/Shenzhen Connect Ideas: Hard Liquor, Industrial 4.0 Names (2019-07-26)