On Friday, March 15th, an estimated 1.6 million students in over 120 countries (source: Time magazine) walked out of classrooms and took to streets demanding radical climate action. Climate change activism rarely grabbed headlines or wider public attention as it is doing now. Rising climate activism will continue to train the spotlight on industries/businesses associated with carbon-emission making it increasingly difficult for them to expand capacities or secure funding. Large institutional investors – sovereign funds, pension funds, insurance companies – have begun toincorporate climate risk into investment policy and are limiting exposure to sectors that directly contribute to carbon emissions – primarily coal, crude oil producers and power plants based on them. Expect sector devaluation; active investors may well look beyond juicy near term earnings and dividend yield.
Even as scientists and meteorological organisations keep warning of dire consequences unless concrete action is taken to limit carbon emissions to stall climate change, political establishment/regulators in most countries are in denial while others are doing little more than lip service. If so, should corporates care? even though businesses are the ones that play a direct role in escalating carbon emissions. With rising consumer awareness and activism, several industries associated with carbon emissions are already facing operational and funding challenges; we believe, it pays for all businesses to be above par on ‘climate action’ – it would be in their own self-interest, not just general good. And do Investors bother?Under the aegis of Climate Action 100+, an investor initiative with 320 signatories having more than USD33 trillion in assets collectively under management, they have been engaging companies on improving governance, curbing emissions and strengthening climate-related financial disclosures. It has listed out Oil & Gas, Mining, Utilities and Auto manufacturers as target sectors. Investors have already been making an impact – by vote or exit. It sure makes logical sense to effect positive change and minimise climate risk when you have a long term investment horizon.
In the detailed note below we
discuss how rising consumer/investor activism and/or political/regulatory changes are posing challenges to key sectors –Coal, Oil & Gas, Automobiles/Aviation, Consumer goods – that are associated with carbon emissions.
analyse how rising climate activism is negatively impacting growth prospects and valuation of companies in these sectors.
highlight the opportunities for businesses to capitalise on changing consumer preferences for products that minimise carbon footprint and differentiate themselves by being on the right side of climate action.
present a quick primer on climate change and lay down the key facts and data on climate change as presented by World Meteorological Organisation, NASA and IPCC.
However, the report does NOT discuss potential risks to businesses from the aftermath of Climate change. Unlike our recently released report Fast Fashion in Asia: Trendy Clothing’s Toxic Trails – Investors Bewarethat looked into sector’s environmental violations and attempted to estimate potential earnings/growth/valuation downside as leading textile players adopt sustainable practices, we believe the impact of unpredictable climate change poses a threat that is not easy to identify or quantify.
New Zealand rates plunged and the NZD dropped relatively sharply after the RBNZ said the next move in rates was more likely to be a cut. The RBNZ appeared to be significantly influenced by the policy easing abroad and upward pressure on the NZD.
The RBA shifted from a mild tightening bias to a neutral bias in February. Since then it should be much less sure that current policy settings will return inflation to its target. We expect them also to acknowledge that the balance of risks to their forecasts have shifted to the downside.
Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) launched a conditional, non-binding indicative proposal for Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU), one of the world’s only rare earths suppliers based outside China. Wesfarmers’ proposal of A$2.25 cash per share values Lynas at A$1.5 billion. Lynas’ share price jumped 35% to A$2.10 before going into a trading halt.
The bid comes at a turbulent time for Lynas, which is caught in a regulatory dispute with authorities in Malaysia. While Wesfarmers proposal could be viewed as a lifeline for Lynas, we believe that Wesfarmers’s proposal is opportunistic and unattractive.
ESR Cayman (ESR HK) aims to raise up to US$1.5bn in its planned Hong Kong listing, as per media reports. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and counts APG, the Netherlands’ largest pension provider, as one of its main investors.
In this insight, I’ll look at valuing each of the segments.
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New Zealand rates plunged and the NZD dropped relatively sharply after the RBNZ said the next move in rates was more likely to be a cut. The RBNZ appeared to be significantly influenced by the policy easing abroad and upward pressure on the NZD.
The RBA shifted from a mild tightening bias to a neutral bias in February. Since then it should be much less sure that current policy settings will return inflation to its target. We expect them also to acknowledge that the balance of risks to their forecasts have shifted to the downside.
Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) launched a conditional, non-binding indicative proposal for Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU), one of the world’s only rare earths suppliers based outside China. Wesfarmers’ proposal of A$2.25 cash per share values Lynas at A$1.5 billion. Lynas’ share price jumped 35% to A$2.10 before going into a trading halt.
The bid comes at a turbulent time for Lynas, which is caught in a regulatory dispute with authorities in Malaysia. While Wesfarmers proposal could be viewed as a lifeline for Lynas, we believe that Wesfarmers’s proposal is opportunistic and unattractive.
ESR Cayman (ESR HK) aims to raise up to US$1.5bn in its planned Hong Kong listing, as per media reports. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and counts APG, the Netherlands’ largest pension provider, as one of its main investors.
This morning, Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) announced an indicative, non-binding proposal to the Board of Directors of Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU) to acquire Lynas at A$2.25/share, payable in cash in the form of a Scheme of Arrangement.
This is a 44.7% premium to the one-day price and a 36.4% premium to the 60-day price.
It is, however, a 0% premium to the price at which Lynas was trading on 3 December 2018, the day before the Malaysian Minister for Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate imposed two pre-conditions on the rolling over of the processing licence (later in 2019), and it is a 3.2% premium to the one-year average as of 4 December 2018. On December 5th, the shares fell to A$1.65 and they have not recovered.
This is very early, non-binding, conditional in the extreme, and conditional non-binding offers are a graveyard of Australian arbitrageurs. The Offer is not all that attractive to boot. But I expect the stock will go up anyway, and that may make for some interesting trading opportunities.
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During recent earnings calls memory chip makers have postulated that the market will return to higher margins once price elasticity causes demand to increase. This popular myth needs to be treated with great skepticism since, as this Insight will reveal, short-term price elasticity has a negligible impact upon memory chip sales if it has any impact at all.
Ruralco Holdings (RHL AU)has announced it has entered into a Scheme Implementation Deed in which Nutrien Ltd (NTR CN) has agreed to take Ruralco private at $4.40/share – a 44% premium to last close and the one-month VWAP. The Offer values Ruralco at A$469mn and an enterprise value of $615mn.
A fully franked special dividend of A$0.90 will reduce the Scheme consideration. An interim dividend of A$0.10 will be added.
The Scheme is subject to shareholder approval, and approval from the ACCC and FIRB. Previous commentary bv ACCC’s Rod Sims would indicate this regulatory approval will not be an issue.
Ruralco’s directors unanimously recommend the Offer in the absence of a superior proposal and a favourable independent expert opinion.
Concerning shareholder reception to the Scheme, Ruralco’s CEO Travis Dillon said “The feedback we’ve had … with all stakeholders, but including our shareholders (has been) overwhelmingly positive.“
This is a pretty clean deal and the gross/annualised spread of 1.4%/4.1%, assuming late June completion, reflects this.
A counter offer from Elders Ltd (ELD AU) cannot be ruled out. But given its comparative size, Nutrien would be the likely winner in such a scrap, potentially reducing the likelihood of Elders making an offer.
The pressure is building on the RBA to cut rates as the construction data proves much weaker than expected in the second half of 2018; pointing to sub-trend GDP growth over the year ahead. The RBA may cling to their outlook for stable rates, for the time being, citing recent strength in the labour market, and hopes of a rebound in infrastructure spending. But they will feel the heat as market commentators bay for their blood if the economy continues to struggle through the year. The relatively weak AUD appears to be reflecting the heightened concern over the weak housing market, but it remains difficult to short, considering the potential for a US-China trade deal, Chinese policy stimulus, rising confidence that the UK will avoid a cliff-edge hard Brexit, dovish noises from the Fed, and stronger commodity prices and global risk appetite.
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New Zealand rates plunged and the NZD dropped relatively sharply after the RBNZ said the next move in rates was more likely to be a cut. The RBNZ appeared to be significantly influenced by the policy easing abroad and upward pressure on the NZD.
The RBA shifted from a mild tightening bias to a neutral bias in February. Since then it should be much less sure that current policy settings will return inflation to its target. We expect them also to acknowledge that the balance of risks to their forecasts have shifted to the downside.
Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) launched a conditional, non-binding indicative proposal for Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU), one of the world’s only rare earths suppliers based outside China. Wesfarmers’ proposal of A$2.25 cash per share values Lynas at A$1.5 billion. Lynas’ share price jumped 35% to A$2.10 before going into a trading halt.
The bid comes at a turbulent time for Lynas, which is caught in a regulatory dispute with authorities in Malaysia. While Wesfarmers proposal could be viewed as a lifeline for Lynas, we believe that Wesfarmers’s proposal is opportunistic and unattractive.
ESR Cayman (ESR HK) aims to raise up to US$1.5bn in its planned Hong Kong listing, as per media reports. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and counts APG, the Netherlands’ largest pension provider, as one of its main investors.
This morning, Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) announced an indicative, non-binding proposal to the Board of Directors of Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU) to acquire Lynas at A$2.25/share, payable in cash in the form of a Scheme of Arrangement.
This is a 44.7% premium to the one-day price and a 36.4% premium to the 60-day price.
It is, however, a 0% premium to the price at which Lynas was trading on 3 December 2018, the day before the Malaysian Minister for Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate imposed two pre-conditions on the rolling over of the processing licence (later in 2019), and it is a 3.2% premium to the one-year average as of 4 December 2018. On December 5th, the shares fell to A$1.65 and they have not recovered.
This is very early, non-binding, conditional in the extreme, and conditional non-binding offers are a graveyard of Australian arbitrageurs. The Offer is not all that attractive to boot. But I expect the stock will go up anyway, and that may make for some interesting trading opportunities.
Energy Transfer LP (ET US) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA LN) have signed a Project Framework Agreement to further develop a large-scale LNG export facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana and move toward a potential final investment decision (FID). They have started actively engaging with LNG Engineering, Procurement and Contracting (EPC) companies with a plan to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) in the weeks ahead. We look at the potential contract size and winners and also the other US LNG projects that could be negatively impacted. More detail on the LNG project queue for this year in: A Huge Wave of New LNG Projects Coming in the Next 18 Months: Positive for The E&C Companies.
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The pressure is building on the RBA to cut rates as the construction data proves much weaker than expected in the second half of 2018; pointing to sub-trend GDP growth over the year ahead. The RBA may cling to their outlook for stable rates, for the time being, citing recent strength in the labour market, and hopes of a rebound in infrastructure spending. But they will feel the heat as market commentators bay for their blood if the economy continues to struggle through the year. The relatively weak AUD appears to be reflecting the heightened concern over the weak housing market, but it remains difficult to short, considering the potential for a US-China trade deal, Chinese policy stimulus, rising confidence that the UK will avoid a cliff-edge hard Brexit, dovish noises from the Fed, and stronger commodity prices and global risk appetite.
We published a series of Insights explaining our positive outlook for the industrial segment of the global Real Estate sector.
Currently, companies in this segment are capitalizing on strong fundamentals to raise new equity capital. They are using the proceeds from these deals to fund property acquisitions and developments, and to deleverage their balance sheets, thereby setting the stage for continuing growth.
This trend is especially notable because it is taking place in a range of geographic locations, around the world.
The surge in Chinese equities, leading a broader rebound in emerging market assets is significant and hard to ignore. The AUD has significantly lagged the rebound in risk appetite indicators, including copper, other commodity and Asian currencies. Fears over Australia’s housing market have dominated recent developments, but labour market indicators suggest the RBA will be in no hurry to cut rates. US real yields have fallen significantly since their peak in November last year and may reflect recent evidence of weaker economic activity. Prominent Fed members suggest the Fed may be moving to target average inflation, paving the way for lower US rates and a weaker USD outlook.
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US private LNG company Venture Global is starting construction on its 10 million ton per annum (mtpa) US LNG export facility in Louisiana after gaining approval from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This is positive for the LNG contractor market and we discuss the companies involved in the project.
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US private LNG company Venture Global is starting construction on its 10 million ton per annum (mtpa) US LNG export facility in Louisiana after gaining approval from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This is positive for the LNG contractor market and we discuss the companies involved in the project.
In this version of the GER weekly research wrap, we assess the controversy surrounding potentially inflated revenue concerns for Best World International (BEST SP) . Secondly, we dig into the latest M&A situation for Graincorp Ltd A (GNC AU) amidst a testy AGM and a slow resolution to a binding bid which may limit a bump. In addition, we update on the KKR bid for MYOB Group Ltd (MYO AU) which Arun contends is unlikely to receive a counter bid due to KKR’s blocking stake. Finally, we initiate on the IPO of hotelier Zhejiang New Century Hotel Management Group (ZHEKAIH HK). A calendar of upcoming catalysts is also attached.
More details can be found below.
Best of luck for the new week – Rickin, Venkat and Arun
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Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) launched a conditional, non-binding indicative proposal for Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU), one of the world’s only rare earths suppliers based outside China. Wesfarmers’ proposal of A$2.25 cash per share values Lynas at A$1.5 billion. Lynas’ share price jumped 35% to A$2.10 before going into a trading halt.
The bid comes at a turbulent time for Lynas, which is caught in a regulatory dispute with authorities in Malaysia. While Wesfarmers proposal could be viewed as a lifeline for Lynas, we believe that Wesfarmers’s proposal is opportunistic and unattractive.
ESR Cayman (ESR HK) aims to raise up to US$1.5bn in its planned Hong Kong listing, as per media reports. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and counts APG, the Netherlands’ largest pension provider, as one of its main investors.
This morning, Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) announced an indicative, non-binding proposal to the Board of Directors of Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU) to acquire Lynas at A$2.25/share, payable in cash in the form of a Scheme of Arrangement.
This is a 44.7% premium to the one-day price and a 36.4% premium to the 60-day price.
It is, however, a 0% premium to the price at which Lynas was trading on 3 December 2018, the day before the Malaysian Minister for Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate imposed two pre-conditions on the rolling over of the processing licence (later in 2019), and it is a 3.2% premium to the one-year average as of 4 December 2018. On December 5th, the shares fell to A$1.65 and they have not recovered.
This is very early, non-binding, conditional in the extreme, and conditional non-binding offers are a graveyard of Australian arbitrageurs. The Offer is not all that attractive to boot. But I expect the stock will go up anyway, and that may make for some interesting trading opportunities.
Energy Transfer LP (ET US) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA LN) have signed a Project Framework Agreement to further develop a large-scale LNG export facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana and move toward a potential final investment decision (FID). They have started actively engaging with LNG Engineering, Procurement and Contracting (EPC) companies with a plan to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) in the weeks ahead. We look at the potential contract size and winners and also the other US LNG projects that could be negatively impacted. More detail on the LNG project queue for this year in: A Huge Wave of New LNG Projects Coming in the Next 18 Months: Positive for The E&C Companies.
Best of luck for the new week – Arun, Venkat and Rickin
Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma
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In this version of the GER weekly research wrap, we assess the controversy surrounding potentially inflated revenue concerns for Best World International (BEST SP) . Secondly, we dig into the latest M&A situation for Graincorp Ltd A (GNC AU) amidst a testy AGM and a slow resolution to a binding bid which may limit a bump. In addition, we update on the KKR bid for MYOB Group Ltd (MYO AU) which Arun contends is unlikely to receive a counter bid due to KKR’s blocking stake. Finally, we initiate on the IPO of hotelier Zhejiang New Century Hotel Management Group (ZHEKAIH HK). A calendar of upcoming catalysts is also attached.
More details can be found below.
Best of luck for the new week – Rickin, Venkat and Arun
Aveo Group (AOG AU), an Australian retirement village operator, is amid a strategic review to sell itself. At its 1H19 results on 13 February, Aveo said it had received several non-binding bids from parties interested in acquiring the entire company.
Scepticism on a successful sale remains high as Aveo’s discount to NTA has increased from 44% on 14 August 2018 (the day before the announcement of strategic review) to the current 46%. However, we believe that the widening NTA discount is an opportunity to capitalise on an emerging bidding battle.
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Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.
ESR Cayman (ESR HK) aims to raise up to US$1.5bn in its planned Hong Kong listing, as per media reports. The company is backed by Warburg Pincus and counts APG, the Netherlands’ largest pension provider, as one of its main investors.
This morning, Wesfarmers Ltd (WES AU) announced an indicative, non-binding proposal to the Board of Directors of Lynas Corp Ltd (LYC AU) to acquire Lynas at A$2.25/share, payable in cash in the form of a Scheme of Arrangement.
This is a 44.7% premium to the one-day price and a 36.4% premium to the 60-day price.
It is, however, a 0% premium to the price at which Lynas was trading on 3 December 2018, the day before the Malaysian Minister for Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate imposed two pre-conditions on the rolling over of the processing licence (later in 2019), and it is a 3.2% premium to the one-year average as of 4 December 2018. On December 5th, the shares fell to A$1.65 and they have not recovered.
This is very early, non-binding, conditional in the extreme, and conditional non-binding offers are a graveyard of Australian arbitrageurs. The Offer is not all that attractive to boot. But I expect the stock will go up anyway, and that may make for some interesting trading opportunities.
Energy Transfer LP (ET US) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA LN) have signed a Project Framework Agreement to further develop a large-scale LNG export facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana and move toward a potential final investment decision (FID). They have started actively engaging with LNG Engineering, Procurement and Contracting (EPC) companies with a plan to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) in the weeks ahead. We look at the potential contract size and winners and also the other US LNG projects that could be negatively impacted. More detail on the LNG project queue for this year in: A Huge Wave of New LNG Projects Coming in the Next 18 Months: Positive for The E&C Companies.
After 6 months of haggling and due diligence, debt negotiation, and structuring, global education company Navitas has now signed a Scheme Implementation Deed with a consortium led by Australian Private Equity firm BGH Capital consortium, which includes Navitas Founder Rod Jones (also the largest holder at 13%) and AustralianSuper. The Scheme Price of A$5.825 is a 6% uplift from the original A$5.50 offered in the preliminary, indicative, non-binding offer announced on 10 October 2018 and a 34% premium to the undisturbed price of 9 October 2018 of A$4.35/share.
At an equity valuation of A$2.1bn, this is being done at a TTM EV/EBITDA of ~15.5x (and probably around 0.8 turns less for FY19 forecast, which is healthy, but the company spins off prodigious cashflow, which makes it doable for private equity with leverage.
Given the lack of any real news or rumour of competing offer in the last five months, or in the period since the lockup, Travis Lundy doesn’t think it likely we will see one. Because he thinks this deal has very few hurdles, expect it to trade tight.
Harbin Electric’s (“HE”) composite doc for its merger by absorption has been dispatched. HE’s major shareholder Harbin Electric Corporation, an SOE, is seeking to delist the company by way of a merger by absorption at HK$4.56/share, an 82.4% premium to last close. The offer has been declared final and the IFA considers the offer fair & reasonable. The significant offer premium to last close, the material drop in FY18 profit, and the lack of possibility of a competitive bidder emerging suggests this Offer falls over the line.
Seeing it blocked at the H-share meeting is a risk, although no single shareholder has the requisite stake to block the deal. The tendering acceptance condition in this two-step hybrid Offer of 90% of H shares out, has been seen in prior PRC-incorporated takeovers.
However, I still consider a “fair” price to be something like the distribution of net cash (~$3.48/share by my calcs) to zero then taking over the company on a PER with respect to peers. Dissension rights are available, although I am not aware of any precedents from discussions with both the PRC and HK tribunals, nor the calculation methodology of a “fair price” under such a dissension, nor the timing of payment.
Trading at a wide gross/annualised spread of 8.3%/54.5%, implying a >80% chance of completion. The current downside should this break is 45%. Not an attractive risk/reward.
On March 6th, a day before Hitachi Ltd (6501 JP)‘s Tender Offer for a minimum of just over a third of Yungtay was expected to close, the closing date was extended to 22 April, as Taiwan regulators (MEIC and FTC) had not signed off. The proposed purchase price was unchanged at NT$60.
An EGM called by independent director Chen – who has been against the deal – was expected to take place on the 18 April. It was not clear the underlying purpose of the EGM other than to change the directors in place and gain management rights for the Baojia Group and Hsu Tso-Ming. Perhaps IF the board were to be renewed with less support for Hitachi, then the board could change its support/opinion and that might affect retail investor support for the deal. Retail tends to vote with management. In any event Hitachi filed an injunction to stop the EGM.
IF Hitachi is unlikely to get the required number of shares, then it could easily be the case that they lose board and management control. If they do get the support, they will effectively control the board and management for the foreseeable future.
Travis’ expectation was that this deal was still “Safe” and would get done, most likely at NT$60 but with the option of a “kiss” to NT$63 or so in the case of more public awareness and castigation of Hitachi and the board for ignoring competing indications at higher prices.
Helpfully, after the close on Friday, Hitachi gave it a kiss, raising the Tender Offer price to NT$65/share.
Travis has opinions on what to do here. Read the insights.
On the 8th of March, Bain Capital raised the Tender Offer Price by 14.8% to ¥700/share and extended the Tender Offer by almost two weeks to the 25th of March. It also lowered the amount which needs to be bought to 50.1% from 66.67%. So, on the 21 March, Murakami-san launched a Tender Offer of his own.
Murakami-affiliated entities Minami Aoyama Fudosan KK and Reno KK’s Tender Offer at ¥750/share is to buy a minimum of 9,100,900 shares and a maximum of all remaining shares. The entities currently own 3,355,900 shares (13.47%). That minimum should be easier than buying a minimum of 12,456,800 shares at ¥700/share under Bain Capital’s offer.
There is a theoretical possibility that Japanese retail investors decide to tender their shares into Bain’s bid because it is supported by management rather than sell to a higher bid which is not. Travis doubted it will go this way but stranger things have happened. Bain should be willing to walk.
After Travis wrote the first two insights listed below with the content above, the stock soared 16.5% on Friday and ended at a 14.5% premium to the Murakami tender of ¥750/share (i.e. closed at ¥859/share). The company maintained its support for the Bain Capital bid at ¥700/share, but withdrew its recommendation that investors tender into it. The company did not yet offer a real opinion on Murakami-san’s offer. That must come in the next 9 business days.
Travis has opinions on what to do here. Read the insights below.
Australian property developer, Villa World Ltd (VLW AU)announced that it had received an unsolicited proposal, by way of a scheme, from AVID Property Group Australia at an offer price A$2.23, or a 12% premium to last close. AVID’s indicative offer translates to an LTM PER and P/B of 6.4x and 0.9x, with the P/B metric roughly in line peers.
During 2018, VLW’s share price declined by 36% to A$1.76 from A$2.77, with a large chunk of that downward move occurring in December after VLW withdrew its FY19E earnings guidance. That forecast withdrawal was exacerbated by the fact VLW had maintained the 2019 forward guidance at its mid-November AGM.
Ho Bee Land Ltd (HOBEE SP), VLW’s largest shareholder and JV partner, responded to AVID’s proposal by buying 2.2mn shares (~1.8% of shares out) at an average of A$1.95/share – and a high of A$2.18/share – lifting its stake to 9.41%. VLW has also recently bought back and cancelled 1.76mn shares or ~1.4% of shares out. The highest price paid was $2.09.
AVID’s offer looks opportunistic and it’s doubtful VLW will want to engage. VLW is trading below its book, paying out one of the highest yields among its peers, and with ~21% of the share register potentially defending their position- the largest shareholder actively buying – there’s likely upside from here. Shares closed Friday at $2.24.
Aveo announced in early February a number of indicative non-binding bids were received for a “whole of company transaction” with the AFR reporting (paywalled) that Lone Star had joined the bidding. Other interested parties are believed to include Blackstone and Cerberus Capital. Aveo’s share price is up ~11% since announcing the receipt of the indicative bids – and closing at $1.97 on Friday – having drifted down from a (recent) closing peak of $2.14 earlier this month.
Aveo is currently trading at an attractive 0.52x P/B vs. 1.8x for its peer group, with the next closest peer valuation at 0.7x P/B. An offer of >0.7x, a level last traded as recently as June 2018, appears reasonable with ~92% of assets in investment property.
The partial offer has successfully closed, with no major surprise in the expected pro-ration and the back end traded higher than one’s purchase price – not down. Some of this may be due to lack of stock borrow, and conversely, some of the strength may be due to those who had shorted their borrow buying back their short.
That left us with a question – do we want to own a residual here? Or instantiate a new position? The current post-tender price was 35.7% higher than the undisturbed price.
Travis could not recommend an outright buy on fundamental reasons. He thinks the Itochu story is reasonably compelling, or will be, but the lack of near-term observable fundamental turnaround may disappoint some. There may not be a lot of IR or analyst coverage of the situation either. For that, if you have a residual trade, he would sell it here.
This is not a short recommendation. This is a “It was a good arb trade and now the arb trade is over so don’t become a long-term investor just because it is doing better than you thought.”
CATL which grabbed Panasonic Corp (6752 JP)’s leading position in the battery supplier industry last year now seems to be grabbing the latter’s key customer as well. The news circulating states that CATL could power Tesla Motors (TSLA US)’s Model 3 cars which Tesla is planning to start assembling at Tesla’s new factory near Shanghai.
However, the news lacks credibility as neither company has commented on the matter, while Tesla has already agreed with Tianjin Lishen to supply batteries for its Chinese Plant.
But if true, Tesla would be the key one to benefit, while CATL could be taking up a considerable share of risk in terms of stable future orders.
The boards of Medco Energi Internasional T (MEDC IJ) and Ophir have agreed to increase the Offer price to £0.575 from £0.55, representing a 73.2% premium to the undisturbed price. All other details of the scheme remain unchanged. The court meeting is to take place on the 25 March, while the long stop is the 20 June – unless both companies agree to an extension.
Subsequent to the bump, Coro Energy PLC (CORO LN), which had previously submitted a non-binding cash/scrip reverse takeover offer, declared it has no intention to bid. Sand Grove has also announced it has given an irrevocable undertaking to vote its 18.73% in favour of the scheme. Coro held discussions with Sand Grove before abandoning its bid.
Petrus, which previously estimated a £0.64 – £1.42/share range – just for Ophir’s SEA investments, has yet to respond to the Offer increase; but it’s wholly doubtful their position has altered. Shortly before the bump, it said it would vote its 3.95% stake against the scheme.
While I consider the offer for Ophir sub-optimal – and shares have closed above terms on 30% of the trading days since Medco’s initial offer – Petrus alone cannot disrupt the vote. Medco’s Offer is conditional on 75%+ approval from Ophir’s shareholders, which appears less tenuous following the 4.5% bump and Sand Grove’s irrevocable undertaking. Shares closed at £0.569 on Friday.
CMA CGM SA (144898Z FP)has 89.47% of CEVA and will now move to squeeze out and delist. The additional tender period will run from 20 March to 2 April. CEVA’s board of directors have reversed their earlier opinion and recommend shareholders to tender.
If delisting occurs, it is expected concurrently occur with a squeeze-out, which would be expected to take place in the third quarter of 2019 once all stock exchange and other legal conditions are fulfilled.
Depending on the final tendered %, the squeeze-out will occur via the simpler market squeeze-out process if CMA gets 98%+; or the more complex off-market merger/squeeze out route if the % tendered is between 90%-98%.
Ecopro BM is up 48% since its IPO on March 5th. Ecopro, which holds 56% in Ecopro BN is up just 1%. That stake is now worth 115% of its market cap.
The stub assets primarily comprise a 100% stake in Ecopro Innovation, which is involved in the processing of lithium for lithium ion batteries. Innovation’s net profit increased to ₩26.3bn in the 1Q-3Q18 from ₩10.4bn in 2017. Innovation’s book value also increased to ₩35.3bn at the end of 3Q18 from ₩7.4bn at end of 2017.
Douglas Kim recommended going long Ecopro Co and shorting Ecopro BM. Plugging in his numbers, I back out a discount to NAV of 55%. Both legs are pretty liquid.
Curtis Lehnert closes this set-up trade as levels have reverted to the average. Both companies recently reported so-so results, suggesting the core business continues to face declining revenue from “roadshop” brands aimed at the lower-end of the market.
More surprising was the stock buyback announced at both companies 20 days after the earnings announcement, which spurred a 15% rally in the Group’s share price while Corp rallied nearly 11%. The buyback announcement seems to have caught the market by surprise and also caused the stub to revert to its 6-month average level of ~16% discount to NAV.
Douglas recommended closing the Hyosung unwind trade, which has returned ~8.2% before comms and borrowing cos.
The reason for Hyosung TNC’s recent move upwards? Right place, right time it would seem, as its trading value substantially increased, touching ₩8.9bn on the 19 March, the highest level this year, and the highest level since August 22nd, 2018.
On November 13th last year, Linkbal announced it was looking to move from MOTHERS to the TSE First Section. The stock rallied. Then it fell a lot. On March 5th, the company announced a forthcoming tachiaigai bunbai offering designed to increase the float. This would get it most of the way towards meeting the requirements, but likely not all the way.
An inclusion is still months off. And there would likely be another sale to increase shareholder count by 800-1000 before then, whether in the form of a Public Offering/Uridashi or in the form of another tachiaigai bunbai.
The company’s market cap is not large enough to warrant analyst coverage, and float will remain relatively small. I expect the stock to get re-evaluated by small-cap managers. There are some. There probably should be more.
Travis recommended investors buy the stock – which traded over 2% of shares outstanding at -2% in the first five minutes, and 3% of outstanding in the first 20 minutes, before rising to close +13.6% on Wednesday. The stock fell 6% on Friday.
Hopewell Holdings (54 HK)‘s “Egregiously Bad” scheme has passed with 96.27% of disinterested shareholders approving the resolution. Shares will now be suspended at the close of trading on the 17 April. Cheques are expected to be dispatched on the 14 April. Seems like I’m not the only one as David Webb was also unimpressed with the Offer.
After Eclipx (ECX AU) announced a 42.4% decline in NPATA in the first five months vs. FY18, and other significant issues in the Right2Drive and Grays divisions, Mcmillan Shakespeare (MMS AU)said it did “not believe it will be possible to complete the proposed scheme“. Eclipx closed down 60% on the week.
Brookfield has received FIRB approval in its tilt for Healthscope Ltd (HSO AU). The AFR is reporting (paywalled) that BGH is now out of the running for Healthscope. Which leaves Brookfield’s twin bids ($2.50 via a scheme or $2.40 via an off-market takeover) as the expected winner. Norges Bank announced it now holds 5.08%.
My ongoing series flags large moves (~10%) in CCASS holdings over the past week or so, moves which are often outside normal market transactions. These may be indicative of share pledges. Or potential takeovers. Or simply help understand volume swings.
Often these moves can easily be explained – the placement of new shares, rights issue, movements subsequent to a takeover, amongst others. For those mentioned below, I could not find an obvious reason for the CCASS move.
Source: Company announcements. E = my estimates; C =confirmed
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