European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>JT plans to acquire 100% of Vector Group at $15.00/share, a 29.9% premium. The offer requires over 50% acceptance, with Board support and completion expected by late 2024, pending approvals.</li>
<li>The shares go ex-dividend on August 30, with payment on September 12. Adjusted for the dividend, shares trade at a -0.4% gross spread. My fair value estimated is $15.92/share.</li>
<li>Consensus sets a target price of $16/share. JT may consider raising its offer to this level (6.67%), especially if they see Vector as a strong long-term investment.</li>
</ul>


JT plans to acquire 100% of Vector Group at $15.00/share, a 29.9% premium. The offer requires over 50% acceptance, with Board support and completion expected by late 2024, pending approvals.
The shares go ex-dividend on August 30, with payment on September 12. Adjusted for the dividend, shares trade at a -0.4% gross spread. My fair value estimated is $15.92/share.
Consensus sets a target price of $16/share. JT may consider raising its offer to this level (6.67%), especially if they see Vector as a strong long-term investment.


Japan Tobacco/Vector Group: Possible Bump-Up?

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

<ul>
<li>Our long-term outlook remains neutral on the S&amp;P 500 (SPX) as of our 8/6/24 Compass, after being bullish since early-November 2023.</li>
<li>Since late-July discussed expectations for a 1-to 4-month pullback/consolidation on SPX and QQQ; now it's likely to last closer to four months, and potentially 4- to 6-months from 7/17/24.</li>
<li>At that point the market will decide which way this consolidation resolves. Throughout this pullback we have said that this consolidation could end up being a significant topping pattern.</li>
</ul>


Our long-term outlook remains neutral on the S&amp;P 500 (SPX) as of our 8/6/24 Compass, after being bullish since early-November 2023.
Since late-July discussed expectations for a 1-to 4-month pullback/consolidation on SPX and QQQ; now it's likely to last closer to four months, and potentially 4- to 6-months from 7/17/24.
At that point the market will decide which way this consolidation resolves. Throughout this pullback we have said that this consolidation could end up being a significant topping pattern.


Upgrading Staples, Real Estate, and Health Care to Overweight; List of Concerns Continues to Grow

<ul>
<li>We still recommend a tactical overweight to defensives (Staples, Utilities, Healthcare, and gold miners) as the SPX tests our 4165-4200 resistance range, and also resistance from the prior 1.5-month uptrend.</li>
<li>As we await Wednesdays FOMC announcement, the DJIA and Nasdaq Composite are testing 1-year resistances at 34,280 and 12,300, the DXY appears to be inflecting higher, and breadth remains weak.</li>
<li>While we still see a reach to 4300-4325 as possible, we believe playing for more upside is akin to picking up pennies in front of a steamroller.</li>
</ul>


We still recommend a tactical overweight to defensives (Staples, Utilities, Healthcare, and gold miners) as the SPX tests our 4165-4200 resistance range, and also resistance from the prior 1.5-month uptrend.
As we await Wednesdays FOMC announcement, the DJIA and Nasdaq Composite are testing 1-year resistances at 34,280 and 12,300, the DXY appears to be inflecting higher, and breadth remains weak.
While we still see a reach to 4300-4325 as possible, we believe playing for more upside is akin to picking up pennies in front of a steamroller.


S&P 500 Testing 4165-4200, DJIA Testing 34,280, Nasdaq Composite Testing 12,300; Stay Defensive

Asian Insight Provider - Actionable ideas, CrossASEAN Research

Henry Soediarko

Asian Insight Provider - Actionable ideas

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

The unsatisfactory 1H 2020 operating numbers that stemmed from lower revenue growth and higher excise taxes reduce operating cash flow, prompting the company to increase the amount of debt in the balance sheet that will further reduce the net income margin by 1.7 to 4% if the next six months' operating numbers will not improve. With the shift in the consumers' taste that reduces Dji-Sam-Soe's (HMSP's flagship product) sales, HMSP is not in the best position to outperform the potential weak consumption trend in the second half of 2020. If HMSP were to cut or forego dividends next year, it will accelerate the switch from HMSP to GGRM. 
HMSP's operating numbers are also very volatile compared to the steady GGRM's, yet the former seems to trade at a higher valuation in the Indonesian equity market compared to the latter albeit losing market share. Maintain underweight HMSP and overweight GGRM.

The unsatisfactory 1H 2020 operating numbers that stemmed from lower revenue growth and higher excise taxes reduce operating cash flow, prompting the company to increase the amount of debt in the balance sheet that will further reduce the net income margin by 1.7 to 4% if the next six months' operating numbers will not improve. With the shift in the consumers' taste that reduces Dji-Sam-Soe's (HMSP's flagship product) sales, HMSP is not in the best position to outperform the potential weak consumption trend in the second half of 2020. If HMSP were to cut or forego dividends next year, it will accelerate the switch from HMSP to GGRM. 
HMSP's operating numbers are also very volatile compared to the steady GGRM's, yet the former seems to trade at a higher valuation in the Indonesian equity market compared to the latter albeit losing market share. Maintain underweight HMSP and overweight GGRM. 

Sampoerna (HMSP): Losing From Higher Excise Tax

Bespoke Research on China and neighbouring regions, Bixmoor

Bixmoor

Bespoke Research on China and neighbouring regions

Bixmoor specialises in providing bespoke research to business, governments and the financial community on China and neighbouring regions. We seek to build long-term relationships with our clients, based on our expertise, our reliability and our determination to find the right solution.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Should we be concerned that a Chinese pork producer is buying the largest hog producer in the US? Growing concerns over food safety and problems with antibiotic resistance due to misuse should be taken seriously.

Should we be concerned that a Chinese pork producer is buying the largest hog producer in the US? Growing concerns over food safety and problems with antibiotic resistance due to misuse should be taken seriously.

United States

Vector Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cigarettes in the United States.  The Company is also involved in the real estate business through its subsidiary.

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Vector (VGR US)

Japan Tobacco/Vector Group: Possible Bump-Up?

JT plans to acquire 100% of Vector Group at $15.00/share, a 29.9% premium. The offer requires over 50% acceptance, with Board support and...

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Upgrading Staples, Real Estate, and Health Care to Overweight; List of Concerns Continues to Grow

Upgrading Staples $XLP, Real Estate $XLRE, Health Care $XLV to Overweight; List of Concerns Continues to Grow; Dow $DJI, Equal-Weight S&P 500 $RSP,...

Vermilion Research

S&P 500 Testing 4165-4200, DJIA Testing 34,280, Nasdaq Composite Testing 12,300; Stay Defensive

$SPX testing our 4165-4200 resistance range, $DJI testing 34,280 1-yr resistance, Nasdaq Comp $COMPQ testing critical 12,300 resistance. All while...

Vermilion Research

Sampoerna (HMSP): Losing From Higher Excise Tax

The unsatisfactory 1H 2020 operating numbers that stemmed from lower revenue growth and higher excise taxes reduce operating cash flow, prompting...

Henry Soediarko

Issues Raised by WH Group and US Pork

Should we be concerned that a Chinese pork producer is buying the largest hog producer in the US? Growing concerns over food safety and problems...

Bixmoor

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