Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we provide further analysis of Big Hit Entertainment's WeVerse. In 2019, Big Hit Entertainment launched an online platform called WeVerse where fans can watch concerts live and where Big Hit artists and their fans can communicate. Big Hit Entertainment (BHE) established BNX as a consolidated subsidiary in July 2018 and BHE launched the WeVerse Shop (global fan commerce application) and WeVerse (global fan community application) in June 2019. </li>
<li>The bankers are really pushing WeVerse and even using Naver and Kakao as comparable companies in the valuation analysis of Big Hit Entertainment. However, will the institutional investors really buy this story? No. we do not believe most institutional investors will buy this story.</li>
<li>In 2018, Big Hit Entertainment resigned a seven-year contract with all seven members of BTS for another seven years (January 1st, 2018 to <a href="https://paxnetnews.com/articles/64678" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December 31st, 2024</a>). So all seven members of BTS will work for Big Hit Entertainment in the next 4 years and 3 months. Afterward, what happens to BTS is highly uncertain. One scenario is that Big Hit Entertainment continues to keep all seven members of BTS. However, in our view, the higher probability scenario is that BTS will be broken up somehow.</li>
</ul>


In this insight, we provide further analysis of Big Hit Entertainment's WeVerse. In 2019, Big Hit Entertainment launched an online platform called WeVerse where fans can watch concerts live and where Big Hit artists and their fans can communicate. Big Hit Entertainment (BHE) established BNX as a consolidated subsidiary in July 2018 and BHE launched the WeVerse Shop (global fan commerce application) and WeVerse (global fan community application) in June 2019. 
The bankers are really pushing WeVerse and even using Naver and Kakao as comparable companies in the valuation analysis of Big Hit Entertainment. However, will the institutional investors really buy this story? No. we do not believe most institutional investors will buy this story.
In 2018, Big Hit Entertainment resigned a seven-year contract with all seven members of BTS for another seven years (January 1st, 2018 to December 31st, 2024). So all seven members of BTS will work for Big Hit Entertainment in the next 4 years and 3 months. Afterward, what happens to BTS is highly uncertain. One scenario is that Big Hit Entertainment continues to keep all seven members of BTS. However, in our view, the higher probability scenario is that BTS will be broken up somehow.


Big Hit Entertainment's WeVerse Is No Match for Naver and Kakao

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing, Clepsydra Capital

Sanghyun Park

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing

We all know the EV/EBITDA approach can be very misleading in the Big Hit IPO.So, let's make a more reasonable approach with PER.Korea has three major entertainment talent agencies. They are often called Big Three.<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-m-entertainment-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3500:1" rel="noopener">S.M.Entertainment Co (041510 KS)</a> </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yg-entertainment-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16138:1" rel="noopener">YG Entertainment (122870 KS)</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jyp-entertainment-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17598:1" rel="noopener">JYP Entertainment (035900 KS)</a></li>
</ul>Below is the PER comparison on FY20 projected earnings. The upper end of the indicative price band sets the PER at 69x, which is much lower than SM and YG. <table class="table table-striped">
<colgroup>
<col width="200">
<col width="100">
<col width="100">
<col width="96">
<col width="96">
<col width="96">
<col width="96">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"PERs/FY20E earnings (₩B)"}'>PERs/FY20E earnings (₩B)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Sales"}'>Sales</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"OP"}'>OP</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Earnings"}'>Earnings</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"PER"}'>PER (x)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"OPM"}'>OPM</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"NPM"}'>NPM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-formula='=googlefinance(R[0]C[9], "name")' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"SM Entertainment Co Ltd"}'>SM Entertainment Co Ltd</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":569}'>569.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":37.3}'>37.3</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":10.2}'>10.2</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[4]/R[0]C[3]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":87.47769980882353}'>87.48</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-4]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.06555360281195079}'>6.56%</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-5]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.017926186291739893}'>1.79%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-formula='=googlefinance(R[0]C[9], "name")' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"YG Entertainment Inc"}'>YG Entertainment Inc</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":237}'>237.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":8.3}'>8.3</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":10.3}'>10.3</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[4]/R[0]C[3]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":103.03534913592232}'>103.04</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-4]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.035021097046413506}'>3.50%</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-5]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.04345991561181435}'>4.35%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-formula='=googlefinance(R[0]C[9], "name")' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"JYP Entertainment Corp"}'>JYP Entertainment Corp</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":137.4}'>137.4</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":41}'>41.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":30.7}'>30.7</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[4]/R[0]C[3]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":46.94456596742671}'>46.94</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-4]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.29839883551673946}'>29.84%</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-5]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.22343522561863172}'>22.34%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Big Hit (1H×2/upper)"}'>Big Hit (1H×2/upper)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=Pricing!R[54]C[0]*2" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":587.991592}'>588.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=Pricing!R[55]C[-1]*2" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":99.50966}'>99.5</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=Pricing!R[56]C[-2]*2" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":66.339512}'>66.3</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[4]/R[0]C[3]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":68.87653801251959}'>68.88</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-4]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.1692365356135909}'>16.92%</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-3]/R[0]C[-5]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.11282391262492747}'>11.28%</td>
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="1" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide"}'>Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>But this is misleading because SM and YG's earnings for this year aren't aligned with a normalized level.Below is the 12M forward PER comparison, which should be a more normalized picture.Big Hit's 12M earnings band is ₩75~90B. At the upper end of the indicative price band, the PER range is 51~61x.<table class="table table-striped">
<colgroup>
<col width="100">
<col width="100">
<col width="100">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"PERs/FY21E earnings (₩B)"}'>PERs/FY21E earnings (₩B)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Earnings"}'>Earnings</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"PER (x)"}'>PER (x)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Big Hit (12M lower)"}'>Big Hit (12M lower)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":75}'>75.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":60.92}'>60.92</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Big Hit (12M mid)"}'>Big Hit (12M mid)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":82.5}'>82.5</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":55.38}'>55.38</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Big Hit (12M upper)"}'>Big Hit (12M upper)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":90}'>90.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":50.77}'>50.77</td>
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="3" rowspan="1" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide"}'>Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>At the mid-level (₩82.5B), the 12M PER range on the indicative price band is 43~55x, which is acceptably higher than the three direct valuation peers.But things can get crazy once we see the same pattern as the previous two IPOs (SKBP and Kakao G). At 2x the upper end, 12M PER will soar to 111x, which is about 3x the local peer average.<table class="table table-striped">
<colgroup>
<col width="200">
<col width="100">
<col width="100">
<col width="96">
<col width="96">
<col width="96">
<col width="96">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"12M PER (₩B)"}'>12M PER (₩B)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"12M PER (x)"}'>12M PER (x)</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Price"}'>Price</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"MC"}'>MC</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"TP"}'>TP</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Δ"}'>Δ</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Coverage"}'>Coverage</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[0]" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"SM Entertainment Co Ltd"}'>SM Entertainment Co Ltd</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[9]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":28.78}'>28.78</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[6]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":37950}'>₩37,950</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula='=googlefinance(R[-16]C[6], "marketcap")/1000000000' data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":891.100038}'>891.1</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[7]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":46800}'>₩46,800</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=(R[0]C[-1]-R[0]C[-3])/R[0]C[-3]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.233201581027668}'>23.32%</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[6]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":10}'>10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[0]" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"YG Entertainment Inc"}'>YG Entertainment Inc</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[9]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":45.4}'>45.40</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[6]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":58500}'>₩58,500</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula='=googlefinance(R[-16]C[6], "marketcap")/1000000000' data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":1068.595275}'>1,068.6</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[7]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":55250}'>₩55,250</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=(R[0]C[-1]-R[0]C[-3])/R[0]C[-3]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":-0.05555555555555555}'>-5.56%</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[6]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":8}'>8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[0]" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"JYP Entertainment Corp"}'>JYP Entertainment Corp</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[9]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":35.99}'>35.99</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[6]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":40750}'>₩40,750</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula='=googlefinance(R[-16]C[6], "marketcap")/1000000000' data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":1446.522799}'>1,446.5</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[7]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":43722}'>₩43,722</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=(R[0]C[-1]-R[0]C[-3])/R[0]C[-3]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":3,"2":"0.00%","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":0.07293251533742331}'>7.29%</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-16]C[6]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":9}'>9</td>
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="1" style="text-align: left;" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Big Hit (12M mid)"}'>Big Hit (12M mid)</td></tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":" - Lower"}'>- Lower</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[1]/R13C8" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":43.076971636363645}'>43.08</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=Pricing!R[-20]C[-1]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":105000}'>₩105,000</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-1]*Terms!R46C4/1000000000" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":3553.85016}'>3,553.9</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":" - Upper"}'>- Upper</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[1]/R13C8" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":55.38467781818183}'>55.38</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=Pricing!R[-21]C[1]" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":135000}'>₩135,000</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-1]*Terms!R46C4/1000000000" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":4569.23592}'>4,569.2</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":" - Upper×2"}'>- Upper×2</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[1]/R13C8" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":110.76935563636366}'>110.77</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]*2" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":270000}'>₩270,000</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-1]*Terms!R46C4/1000000000" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":9138.47184}'>9,138.5</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":" - Upper×2×1.3"}'>- Upper×2×1.3</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[1]/R13C8" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":144.00016232727273}'>144.00</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]*1.3" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":351000}'>₩351,000</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-1]*Terms!R46C4/1000000000" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":11880.013392}'>11,880.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":" - Upper×2×1.3×1.3"}'>- Upper×2×1.3×1.3</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[1]/R13C8" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.00","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":187.20021102545456}'>187.20</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[-1]C[0]*1.3" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":4,"2":"[$₩]#,##0","3":1}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":456300}'>₩456,300</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-formula="=R[0]C[-1]*Terms!R46C4/1000000000" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":3,"3":15444.0174096}'>15,444.0</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
<td style="text-align: right;" data-sheets-numberformat='{"1":2,"2":"#,##0.0"}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"-"}'>-</td>
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="1" data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide"}'>Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>

We all know the EV/EBITDA approach can be very misleading in the Big Hit IPO.So, let's make a more reasonable approach with PER.Korea has three major entertainment talent agencies. They are often called Big Three.

S.M.Entertainment Co (041510 KS) 

YG Entertainment (122870 KS) 
JYP Entertainment (035900 KS)
Below is the PER comparison on FY20 projected earnings. The upper end of the indicative price band sets the PER at 69x, which is much lower than SM and YG. 











PERs/FY20E earnings (₩B)
Sales
OP
Earnings
PER (x)
OPM
NPM


SM Entertainment Co Ltd
569.0
37.3
10.2
87.48
6.56%
1.79%


YG Entertainment Inc
237.0
8.3
10.3
103.04
3.50%
4.35%


JYP Entertainment Corp
137.4
41.0
30.7
46.94
29.84%
22.34%


Big Hit (1H×2/upper)
588.0
99.5
66.3
68.88
16.92%
11.28%

Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide

But this is misleading because SM and YG's earnings for this year aren't aligned with a normalized level.Below is the 12M forward PER comparison, which should be a more normalized picture.Big Hit's 12M earnings band is ₩75~90B. At the upper end of the indicative price band, the PER range is 51~61x.







PERs/FY21E earnings (₩B)
Earnings
PER (x)


Big Hit (12M lower)
75.0
60.92


Big Hit (12M mid)
82.5
55.38


Big Hit (12M upper)
90.0
50.77

Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide

At the mid-level (₩82.5B), the 12M PER range on the indicative price band is 43~55x, which is acceptably higher than the three direct valuation peers.But things can get crazy once we see the same pattern as the previous two IPOs (SKBP and Kakao G). At 2x the upper end, 12M PER will soar to 111x, which is about 3x the local peer average.











12M PER (₩B)
12M PER (x)
Price
MC
TP
Δ
Coverage


SM Entertainment Co Ltd
28.78
₩37,950
891.1
₩46,800
23.32%
10


YG Entertainment Inc
45.40
₩58,500
1,068.6
₩55,250
-5.56%
8


JYP Entertainment Corp
35.99
₩40,750
1,446.5
₩43,722
7.29%
9

Big Hit (12M mid)

- Lower
43.08
₩105,000
3,553.9
-
-
-


- Upper
55.38
₩135,000
4,569.2
-
-
-


- Upper×2
110.77
₩270,000
9,138.5
-
-
-


- Upper×2×1.3
144.00
₩351,000
11,880.0
-
-
-


- Upper×2×1.3×1.3
187.20
₩456,300
15,444.0
-
-
-

Source: KRX &amp; FnGuide



Big Hit Ent. IPO: Valuations & Exit Price Level

<div class="content-highlight">
Our base case valuation of Big Hit Entertainment is EV of 4.1 trillion won, a market cap of 4.8 trillion won, and an implied price of 132,429 won per share (representing 2% lower than the high end of the IPO price range of 135,000 won per share). Given the low upside, we recommend investors to avoid this IPO.
If the IPO is priced at the low end of the IPO price range (105,000 won), then this IPO could have a reasonable upside (+20% upside). Otherwise, we think it would be better for global investors to allocate their precious capital in other more attractive companies.
</div>
Note the key assumptions in our valuation:
<ul>
<li>
EV/EBITDA multiple - We used a 30x EV/EBITDA (2020E) to value the company, which is a 30% premium to the average EV/EBITDA multiple of the comps.</li>
<li>
Sales growth - In 2020, the comps are expected to have an average sales decline of 11.9% YoY. We estimate Big Hit's sales to increase by 12.5% YoY. Overall, we would give an edge on the sales growth metric to Big Hit versus its peers given its much higher sales growth over a longer period.</li>
<li>
Operating profit growth - We have assumed the company's operating profit to increase by 17.1% YoY in 2020 and by 20.9% YoY in 2021.</li>
</ul>


Our base case valuation of Big Hit Entertainment is EV of 4.1 trillion won, a market cap of 4.8 trillion won, and an implied price of 132,429 won per share (representing 2% lower than the high end of the IPO price range of 135,000 won per share). Given the low upside, we recommend investors to avoid this IPO.
If the IPO is priced at the low end of the IPO price range (105,000 won), then this IPO could have a reasonable upside (+20% upside). Otherwise, we think it would be better for global investors to allocate their precious capital in other more attractive companies.

Note the key assumptions in our valuation:


EV/EBITDA multiple - We used a 30x EV/EBITDA (2020E) to value the company, which is a 30% premium to the average EV/EBITDA multiple of the comps.

Sales growth - In 2020, the comps are expected to have an average sales decline of 11.9% YoY. We estimate Big Hit's sales to increase by 12.5% YoY. Overall, we would give an edge on the sales growth metric to Big Hit versus its peers given its much higher sales growth over a longer period.

Operating profit growth - We have assumed the company's operating profit to increase by 17.1% YoY in 2020 and by 20.9% YoY in 2021.


Big Hit Entertainment IPO Valuation Analysis

Big Hit Entertainment ("BHE") is getting ready to complete its IPO in the Korean stock market in early October. This is the second largest IPO in Korea this year after SK Biopharm. The IPO price range of the Big Hit Entertainment is between 105,000 won to 135,000 won. The IPO base deal size is from $634 million to $816 million. The expected market cap after the IPO is from 3.8 trillion won to 4.9 trillion won. The bookbuilding for the institutional ivnestors starts on September 24th.Excluding YG Plus, Naver, and Kakao as comps and including only JYP Enter and YG Enter as comps, the average EV/EBITDA multiple would decline to 33x, which is lower than the bankers' EV/EBITDA valuation multiple of 42.4x. Moreover, it may be more appropriate to include S.M. Entertainment in the comps as well. The bankers probably excluded S.M. Entertainment as one of the comps due to its relatively low valuation multiples.<div class="content-highlight">It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff among the large cap Korean IPOs in 2020. SK Biopharm has performed very well post its IPO and it is highly likely that Kakao Games IPO will also have an excellent performance post its IPO next week. Thus, SK Biopharm and Kakao Games are the wheat of the large cap Korean IPOs. However, mainly due to lofty valuations and over-reliance on the BTS, the Big Hit Entertainment IPO is likely to become the chaff.</div>

Big Hit Entertainment ("BHE") is getting ready to complete its IPO in the Korean stock market in early October. This is the second largest IPO in Korea this year after SK Biopharm. The IPO price range of the Big Hit Entertainment is between 105,000 won to 135,000 won. The IPO base deal size is from $634 million to $816 million. The expected market cap after the IPO is from 3.8 trillion won to 4.9 trillion won. The bookbuilding for the institutional ivnestors starts on September 24th.Excluding YG Plus, Naver, and Kakao as comps and including only JYP Enter and YG Enter as comps, the average EV/EBITDA multiple would decline to 33x, which is lower than the bankers' EV/EBITDA valuation multiple of 42.4x. Moreover, it may be more appropriate to include S.M. Entertainment in the comps as well. The bankers probably excluded S.M. Entertainment as one of the comps due to its relatively low valuation multiples.It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff among the large cap Korean IPOs in 2020. SK Biopharm has performed very well post its IPO and it is highly likely that Kakao Games IPO will also have an excellent performance post its IPO next week. Thus, SK Biopharm and Kakao Games are the wheat of the large cap Korean IPOs. However, mainly due to lofty valuations and over-reliance on the BTS, the Big Hit Entertainment IPO is likely to become the chaff.

Big Hit Entertainment IPO Preview (Time to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff)

Event-Driven

It was reported after the market close by Hankyung Business Daily that <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-m-entertainment-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3500:1" rel="noopener">S.M.Entertainment Co (041510 KS)</a> is currently negotiating with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/naver-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16029:1" rel="noopener">Naver Corp (035420 KS) </a>to sell a portion of S.M. Entertainment to Naver for about 100 billion won. Currently, S.M. Entertainment has a market cap of 791 billion won so a 100 billion won investment in the company would be worth nearly 12.6% stake int he company, making Naver the second-biggest owner in the S.M. Entertainment after the founder Lee Soo-Man who has an 18.7% stake in the company.  If indeed this deal is completed, we believe it could be a win-win situation for both parties, especially for S.M. Entertainment since it would have a powerful Naver as one of its major investors. We certainly believe the completion of this deal could boost the share price of S.M. Entertainment further, whose share price is down 12% YTD. Currently, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-m-entertainment-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3500:1" rel="noopener">S.M.Entertainment Co (041510 KS)</a> shares are currently trading at P/E multiple of 23.8x (using consensus controlling interest basis earnings estimates in 2021), which is lowest among the top three players (JYP is trading at 30.2x and YG is trading at 27.8x P/E). One of the key reasons why SM Entertainment may be trading at a discount to its peers may be due to the potential corporate governance issues related to the founder Lee Soo-Man. However, if SM Entertainment can clinch this deal with Naver, this could help to improve the overall sentiment on SM Entertainment.

It was reported after the market close by Hankyung Business Daily that S.M.Entertainment Co (041510 KS) is currently negotiating with Naver Corp (035420 KS) to sell a portion of S.M. Entertainment to Naver for about 100 billion won. Currently, S.M. Entertainment has a market cap of 791 billion won so a 100 billion won investment in the company would be worth nearly 12.6% stake int he company, making Naver the second-biggest owner in the S.M. Entertainment after the founder Lee Soo-Man who has an 18.7% stake in the company.  If indeed this deal is completed, we believe it could be a win-win situation for both parties, especially for S.M. Entertainment since it would have a powerful Naver as one of its major investors. We certainly believe the completion of this deal could boost the share price of S.M. Entertainment further, whose share price is down 12% YTD. Currently, S.M.Entertainment Co (041510 KS) shares are currently trading at P/E multiple of 23.8x (using consensus controlling interest basis earnings estimates in 2021), which is lowest among the top three players (JYP is trading at 30.2x and YG is trading at 27.8x P/E). One of the key reasons why SM Entertainment may be trading at a discount to its peers may be due to the potential corporate governance issues related to the founder Lee Soo-Man. However, if SM Entertainment can clinch this deal with Naver, this could help to improve the overall sentiment on SM Entertainment. 

Korea M&A Spotlight: A Big Investment in S.M. Entertainment by Naver?

South Korea

YG Entertainment Inc., produces and markets music recording, music publishing, record manufacturing/sales, artist management, concert production, and new artist discovering/training.

Price Gauge
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YG Entertainment (122870 KS)

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Big Hit Entertainment IPO Valuation Analysis

Our base case valuation of Big Hit Entertainment is EV of 4.1 trillion won, 2% lower than the high end of the IPO price range of 135,000 won per share

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Big Hit Entertainment IPO Preview (Time to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff)

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