Category

Indonesia

Brief Indonesia: Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 4 – Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 4 – Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ)
  2. Upstream Oil & Gas M&A Review: Surge of Takeovers and Mergers in 2018 – What to Expect in 2019

1. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 4 – Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ)

Screenshot%202019 03 05%20at%203.02.00%20pm

In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks. 

The fourth company that we explore is township developer Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ), which provides an interesting exposure to a mix of landed housing, high-rise and low-rise condominiums through its Alam Sutera Township near Serpong and its Pasir Kemis township 15 km further out on the toll road. 

Given the diminishing area of high-value land bank in Alam Sutera, the company has shifted emphasis towards selling low-rise condominiums and commercial lots for shop houses, which has been a success story. 

Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) also has a contract with a Chinese developer, China Fortune Land Development (CFLD), to develop a total of 500 ha over a five year period in its Pasir Kamis Township.  This has provided a fillip for the company during a quiet period of marketing sales and will continue to underpin earnings for the next 2 years.

The company stands to benefit from the completion of two new toll-roads, one soon to be completed to the south connecting directly to BSD City and longer term a new toll to Soekarno Hatta Airport to the north.

It will start to utilise new land bank in North Serpong in 2021, which will extend the development potential in the area significantly longer-term. 

Management is optimistic about marketing sales for 2019 and expects growth of +16% versus last year’s number, which already exceeded expectations.

Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) has less recurrent income than peers at around 10% of total revenue but has the potential to see better contributions from the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Centre (GWK) in Bali. 

The new regulations on the booking of sales financed by mortgages introduced in August 2018 will benefit Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) from a cash flow perspective. Given that the company is consistently producing free cash flow, this is also a strong deleveraging story.

One of the biggest risks for the company is its US$ debt, which totals US$480m and is made up of two bonds expiring in 2020 and 2022. 

From a valuation perspective, Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) looks very interesting, trading on 4.9x FY19E PER, at 0.67x PBV, and at a 71% discount to NAV. On all three measures, at 1 STD below its historical mean. Our target price of IDR600 takes a blended approach, based on the company trading at historical mean on all three measures implies upside of 91% from current levels. Catalysts include better marketing sales from its low-rise developments at its Alam Sutera township and further cluster sales there, a pick-up in sales and pricing at its Pasir Kemis township, a sale of its office inventory at The Tower, a pick up in recurrent income driven by improving tenant mix at GWK. Given that the company has high levels of US$ debt, a stable currency will also benefit the company. A more dovish outlook on interest rates will also be a positive, given a large and rising portion of buyers use a mortgage to buy its properties. 

2. Upstream Oil & Gas M&A Review: Surge of Takeovers and Mergers in 2018 – What to Expect in 2019

Sankeymajorswithtitle

The last three years have been characterized by significant M&A activity in the upstream oil and gas industry. As the oil cycle recovered from the price bottom in January 2016, lower asset prices and corporate valuations created opportunities for the companies with a stronger balance sheet to grow inorganically while their weaker competitors were forced to downsize their portfolios. 2018, in particular, has seen a surge of corporate M&A which has been driving consolidation in the industry. This insight examines the trends that have shaped the M&A markets since 2016 with a closer view of 2018 and the outlook for 2019.

Exhibit 1: M&A volume compared to the E&P index and the oil price since 2016

Source: Energy Market Square, Capital IQ. Market value weighted index including independent E&P companies with market value greater than $300m as of 19 April 2018. Data as of 7 March 2019. The M&A volume in September 2018 includes the merger of Wintershall and DEA with an estimated value of $10bn.

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Brief Indonesia: PT Indofoods’ Voluntary Offer for 74% Held Sub IFAR and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. PT Indofoods’ Voluntary Offer for 74% Held Sub IFAR
  2. Asian Bank Asset Quality: “One Overdue, Two Bad” 一逾两呆 The Complex Journey of the NPL
  3. Indonesia Bull Wedge Targets New Highs
  4. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way
  5. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

1. PT Indofoods’ Voluntary Offer for 74% Held Sub IFAR

Capture

Indofood Agri Resources (IFAR SP) has announced PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, its controlling shareholder with 74.52%, has made a voluntary conditional cash offer of $0.28/share for all IFAR shares it does not own. The offer price, which is a 7.7% premium to last close, is not final. Any dividend declared will reduce the consideration under the proposal.

The Offer is conditional on PT Indofood holding 90% of shares out at the close of the offer. There is no other condition.

There is no requirement for a downstream offer for Salim Ivomas Pratama (SIMP IJ), 73.46% held by IFAR.

IFAR’s share price has increased 27% this month – evidently, there was some news leakage ahead of the announcement – positioning its discount to NAV at ~50%, around its narrowest inside a year, but on a look-through basis, the Offer price backs out just 0.4x P/B.

The Offer price represents a premium of approximately 21.5%, 26.3%, 29.0% and 23.1% over the VWAP for 1M, 3M, 6M and 12M. IFAR traded above the Offer price as recent as May last year. One wonders if the consideration is sufficient to achieve the 90% condition. 

2. Asian Bank Asset Quality: “One Overdue, Two Bad” 一逾两呆 The Complex Journey of the NPL

Bsi%20ews

  • Asset Quality recognition is something of a black art with varied definitions for non-performing loans (“NPLs”).
  • Firstly, we analyse what a NPL is.
  • We then evaluate provisioning changes across Asia. We rank countries.
  • We further analyse specific underlying NPL recognition issues in China.
  • We then rank a sample of regional banks and countries by NPL recognition.
  • Later, we take a look at how different systems come under NPL stress and how they cope often in a crisis environment.
  • Finally, we wrap things up with some concluding insights about the cultural backdrop which defines systemic asset quality.

3. Indonesia Bull Wedge Targets New Highs

Indo%20for%20sk

We have held a bullish/long position in Indonesia from 6,080 after the breakout above 6,000 resistance and continue to see the macro cycle in a positive light to challenge and clear the 2018 highs.

Bull energy is brewing once again for a bull breakout of the noted wedge that will open the way for the macro bull cycle to resume. Lower wedge support is our preferred buy zone to add to our long position with clear wedge breakout resistance and bull inflection point.

For those not long this offers an excellent risk to reward entry with a controlled stop.

Buy volumes remain healthy and supportive of the macro bull cycle.

Indonesia is our top pick within SE Asia.

4. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way

Tbig%20mults

In our latest Asian Tower Trends report, Chris Hoare looks at the listed telecom tower industry across the region. During 4Q18, we became more optimistic on the Asian tower space. 

  • China: Last December, we upgraded what is by far the largest towerco globally, China Tower (788 HK), after it became clear the story was much better than disclosed at the time of the IPO (still a mystery as to why this happened),
  • The Indian tower business has been buffeted by rapid industry consolidation but we think it is now near a bottom, and recently raised Bharti Infratel (BHIN IN) to Neutral, and
  • Growth is improving in Indonesia with increased investment ex Java from the smaller operators. Protelindo (TOWR IJ) our preferred name, but Tower Bersama (TBIG IJ) has lagged badly recently and may be due some catch up. 

With the 5G investment cycle a key theme for coming years, we are now more constructive on the telecom tower space in general. 

5. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Indonesia: Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 4 – Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 4 – Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ)
  2. Upstream Oil & Gas M&A Review: Surge of Takeovers and Mergers in 2018 – What to Expect in 2019
  3. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 3 – Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ)

1. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 4 – Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ)

Screenshot%202019 03 05%20at%203.02.00%20pm

In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks. 

The fourth company that we explore is township developer Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ), which provides an interesting exposure to a mix of landed housing, high-rise and low-rise condominiums through its Alam Sutera Township near Serpong and its Pasir Kemis township 15 km further out on the toll road. 

Given the diminishing area of high-value land bank in Alam Sutera, the company has shifted emphasis towards selling low-rise condominiums and commercial lots for shop houses, which has been a success story. 

Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) also has a contract with a Chinese developer, China Fortune Land Development (CFLD), to develop a total of 500 ha over a five year period in its Pasir Kamis Township.  This has provided a fillip for the company during a quiet period of marketing sales and will continue to underpin earnings for the next 2 years.

The company stands to benefit from the completion of two new toll-roads, one soon to be completed to the south connecting directly to BSD City and longer term a new toll to Soekarno Hatta Airport to the north.

It will start to utilise new land bank in North Serpong in 2021, which will extend the development potential in the area significantly longer-term. 

Management is optimistic about marketing sales for 2019 and expects growth of +16% versus last year’s number, which already exceeded expectations.

Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) has less recurrent income than peers at around 10% of total revenue but has the potential to see better contributions from the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Centre (GWK) in Bali. 

The new regulations on the booking of sales financed by mortgages introduced in August 2018 will benefit Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) from a cash flow perspective. Given that the company is consistently producing free cash flow, this is also a strong deleveraging story.

One of the biggest risks for the company is its US$ debt, which totals US$480m and is made up of two bonds expiring in 2020 and 2022. 

From a valuation perspective, Alam Sutera Realty (ASRI IJ) looks very interesting, trading on 4.9x FY19E PER, at 0.67x PBV, and at a 71% discount to NAV. On all three measures, at 1 STD below its historical mean. Our target price of IDR600 takes a blended approach, based on the company trading at historical mean on all three measures implies upside of 91% from current levels. Catalysts include better marketing sales from its low-rise developments at its Alam Sutera township and further cluster sales there, a pick-up in sales and pricing at its Pasir Kemis township, a sale of its office inventory at The Tower, a pick up in recurrent income driven by improving tenant mix at GWK. Given that the company has high levels of US$ debt, a stable currency will also benefit the company. A more dovish outlook on interest rates will also be a positive, given a large and rising portion of buyers use a mortgage to buy its properties. 

2. Upstream Oil & Gas M&A Review: Surge of Takeovers and Mergers in 2018 – What to Expect in 2019

Sankeymajorswithtitle

The last three years have been characterized by significant M&A activity in the upstream oil and gas industry. As the oil cycle recovered from the price bottom in January 2016, lower asset prices and corporate valuations created opportunities for the companies with a stronger balance sheet to grow inorganically while their weaker competitors were forced to downsize their portfolios. 2018, in particular, has seen a surge of corporate M&A which has been driving consolidation in the industry. This insight examines the trends that have shaped the M&A markets since 2016 with a closer view of 2018 and the outlook for 2019.

Exhibit 1: M&A volume compared to the E&P index and the oil price since 2016

Source: Energy Market Square, Capital IQ. Market value weighted index including independent E&P companies with market value greater than $300m as of 19 April 2018. Data as of 7 March 2019. The M&A volume in September 2018 includes the merger of Wintershall and DEA with an estimated value of $10bn.

3. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 3 – Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ)

Pwon%20presales%20and%20payment

In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks. 

The third company that we explore is Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ), the biggest retail mall operator, and mixed-use high rise and township developer since 1986. PWON has five major projects in the two biggest cities: Jakarta and Surabaya. 

Its recurring income base is the highest in the Indonesian property universe, playing a big role in the company’s solid earnings performance in the past few years of property downturn. However, currency depreciation, stricter mortgage regulations, and falling rental yields curb investors’ appetite for property investments, leading to weak presales in the past three years. Property development revenues are expected to be trending down going forward on lower presales in 2016-2018. Contrary to peers, cashflow generation remains very strong, led by the large recurring income base and thick margin. There is however no plan to increase dividends, but rather reserving the excess cash for future landbank acquisition.  

The weaker presales in 1H19 is widely anticipated, but we fear that there may be some selling pressure on each weak presales announcements, given PWON’s premium valuations and stock outperformance YTD. Nonetheless, potential portfolio inflow to high beta stocks and rising risk appetite for smaller-capped stocks should be beneficial for PWON. Our blended target price of IDR773 per share offers 21% upside.

Summary of this insight:

  • PWON currently operates 7 retail malls, 4 office towers for lease, 4 hotels, and 1 serviced apartment as its recurring income base, representing 52% of revenues. Retail mall division is PWON’s single biggest revenue contributor, growing at 16% Cagr over the past 5 years, making up 40% of total revenues and 77% of total recurring incomes. 
  • The company sells landed housings, condominiums, and offices in five project locations as its “non-recurring” property development revenues, which account for the remaining 48% of revenues. Condominiums and offices are PWON’s second biggest revenue generator, comprising about 30-40% of sales. PWON has been pushing more landed residential projects to mitigate the impact from slower condominiums and offices market.
  • Accessibility is a key factor to land appreciation and hence, company’s total NAV. With the traffic worsening around the Greater Jakarta area, time to commute is an increasingly important factor in determining where to stay and access to public transportation such as MRT and LRT will be a powerful driver going forward. PWON’s landbanks are located in strategic locations, essential to the success of its past projects in Jakarta and Surabaya.
  • Presales are more sensitive to investment appetite and rental yield rather than BI rates. Cash and cash installments typically make up 65-85% of total payments, while mortgages comprise a minority 15-35%.
  • Slower take up rate on high-rise projects leads to larger funding requirement. Condominiums can take up to four years to complete if it is part of a superblock project, and a big portion of the raw materials for construction has to be secured and paid upfront to lock in prices and ensure availability.  Meanwhile, the presales mortgage disbursement regulation issued in 2014 diminishes cash inflow from mortgage-paying customers. We constructed a cashflow simulation model for a typical condominium tower launch to analyze the monthly cashflow impact from slower take up rate and mortgage regulation changes.
  • Pros: The operating cashflow remains positive and strong over the past five years of property downturn, the best among the property developers that we visited. The seven retail malls generate over IDR1tn cash per year in the past three years, enough to sustain company’s working capital and capex requirements. Free cashflow (FCF) is mostly positive with the exception of 2014 and 2015 when PWON had two big acquisitions. Net gearing peaked in 2015 and had slowly decreased over the years.
  • Cons: For the first time since 2010, PWON’s advances-to-inventory ratio, which is an indicative figure for the property developers’ working capital, fell below 100%. We are expecting a slow recovery for PWON as its inventory account should continue to grow higher in the short term as the company plans to launch few new condominium towers in Surabaya and a new superblock in Bekasi.

  • Cons: Election year to election year, we may see some similarity between the 2014 and 2019’s quarterly presales split. 1Q14 and 2Q14 contributed 36% to total FY14 presales, while 4Q14 contributed a chunky 36%. If we assume the same quarterly split for 2019 presales target, we may potentially see 4-32% YoY declines in the next three quarters of presales reporting. Note however that the BI issued its first round of tightening regulations at the end of 2013 and this may have an impact to the 1H14 presales. Also there is a difference in the election schedules as the 2014 election was dragged on until late August, while the 2019 contest will be done by end of April.
  • Recommendation: PWON share price is performing relatively in line with the JCI over the past year, outperforming its property peers. Its solid earnings and cashflow are rewarded with premium valuations against peers. The discount to net asset value (NAV) and price-to-earnings (PE) ratio are close to +1 standard deviation above the 5-yr historical mean. After a solid 45% bounce off recent lows, the stock is no longer cheap. However, with better interest rate environment and positive regulatory tailwinds, we may see improving activities after the election. Furthermore, potential portfolio inflow to high beta stocks and better sentiment towards the property sector should also benefit PWON. We derive an IDR773 target price per share for PWON, assuming discount to NAV, PB, and PE valuation re-rating to +1 standard deviation above mean.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Indonesia: Asian Bank Asset Quality: “One Overdue, Two Bad” 一逾两呆 The Complex Journey of the NPL and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. Asian Bank Asset Quality: “One Overdue, Two Bad” 一逾两呆 The Complex Journey of the NPL
  2. Indonesia Bull Wedge Targets New Highs
  3. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way
  4. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success
  5. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance

1. Asian Bank Asset Quality: “One Overdue, Two Bad” 一逾两呆 The Complex Journey of the NPL

Sec2

  • Asset Quality recognition is something of a black art with varied definitions for non-performing loans (“NPLs”).
  • Firstly, we analyse what a NPL is.
  • We then evaluate provisioning changes across Asia. We rank countries.
  • We further analyse specific underlying NPL recognition issues in China.
  • We then rank a sample of regional banks and countries by NPL recognition.
  • Later, we take a look at how different systems come under NPL stress and how they cope often in a crisis environment.
  • Finally, we wrap things up with some concluding insights about the cultural backdrop which defines systemic asset quality.

2. Indonesia Bull Wedge Targets New Highs

Indo%20for%20sk

We have held a bullish/long position in Indonesia from 6,080 after the breakout above 6,000 resistance and continue to see the macro cycle in a positive light to challenge and clear the 2018 highs.

Bull energy is brewing once again for a bull breakout of the noted wedge that will open the way for the macro bull cycle to resume. Lower wedge support is our preferred buy zone to add to our long position with clear wedge breakout resistance and bull inflection point.

For those not long this offers an excellent risk to reward entry with a controlled stop.

Buy volumes remain healthy and supportive of the macro bull cycle.

Indonesia is our top pick within SE Asia.

3. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way

Bharti airtel vs bharti infratel infratel has recovered since dec bharti airtel bharti infratel chartbuilder

In our latest Asian Tower Trends report, Chris Hoare looks at the listed telecom tower industry across the region. During 4Q18, we became more optimistic on the Asian tower space. 

  • China: Last December, we upgraded what is by far the largest towerco globally, China Tower (788 HK), after it became clear the story was much better than disclosed at the time of the IPO (still a mystery as to why this happened),
  • The Indian tower business has been buffeted by rapid industry consolidation but we think it is now near a bottom, and recently raised Bharti Infratel (BHIN IN) to Neutral, and
  • Growth is improving in Indonesia with increased investment ex Java from the smaller operators. Protelindo (TOWR IJ) our preferred name, but Tower Bersama (TBIG IJ) has lagged badly recently and may be due some catch up. 

With the 5G investment cycle a key theme for coming years, we are now more constructive on the telecom tower space in general. 

4. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

5. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance

Style matrix

Global Emerging Market funds made a strong start to 2019, with just over two-thirds of funds outperforming the benchmark, generating an average alpha above the IShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx (ETF) (EEM US) of 1.3%.

In this report, we look at the performance of 180 global emerging market strategies over the first quarter of 2019 and analyse the countries, sectors and stocks that helped generate that outperformance.  We also take a look at the longer-dated outperformance of active GEM funds.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Indonesia: Upstream Oil & Gas M&A Review: Surge of Takeovers and Mergers in 2018 – What to Expect in 2019 and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. Upstream Oil & Gas M&A Review: Surge of Takeovers and Mergers in 2018 – What to Expect in 2019
  2. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 3 – Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ)

1. Upstream Oil & Gas M&A Review: Surge of Takeovers and Mergers in 2018 – What to Expect in 2019

Sankeymajorswithtitle

The last three years have been characterized by significant M&A activity in the upstream oil and gas industry. As the oil cycle recovered from the price bottom in January 2016, lower asset prices and corporate valuations created opportunities for the companies with a stronger balance sheet to grow inorganically while their weaker competitors were forced to downsize their portfolios. 2018, in particular, has seen a surge of corporate M&A which has been driving consolidation in the industry. This insight examines the trends that have shaped the M&A markets since 2016 with a closer view of 2018 and the outlook for 2019.

Exhibit 1: M&A volume compared to the E&P index and the oil price since 2016

Source: Energy Market Square, Capital IQ. Market value weighted index including independent E&P companies with market value greater than $300m as of 19 April 2018. Data as of 7 March 2019. The M&A volume in September 2018 includes the merger of Wintershall and DEA with an estimated value of $10bn.

2. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 3 – Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ)

Pwon%20presales%20and%20payment

In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks. 

The third company that we explore is Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ), the biggest retail mall operator, and mixed-use high rise and township developer since 1986. PWON has five major projects in the two biggest cities: Jakarta and Surabaya. 

Its recurring income base is the highest in the Indonesian property universe, playing a big role in the company’s solid earnings performance in the past few years of property downturn. However, currency depreciation, stricter mortgage regulations, and falling rental yields curb investors’ appetite for property investments, leading to weak presales in the past three years. Property development revenues are expected to be trending down going forward on lower presales in 2016-2018. Contrary to peers, cashflow generation remains very strong, led by the large recurring income base and thick margin. There is however no plan to increase dividends, but rather reserving the excess cash for future landbank acquisition.  

The weaker presales in 1H19 is widely anticipated, but we fear that there may be some selling pressure on each weak presales announcements, given PWON’s premium valuations and stock outperformance YTD. Nonetheless, potential portfolio inflow to high beta stocks and rising risk appetite for smaller-capped stocks should be beneficial for PWON. Our blended target price of IDR773 per share offers 21% upside.

Summary of this insight:

  • PWON currently operates 7 retail malls, 4 office towers for lease, 4 hotels, and 1 serviced apartment as its recurring income base, representing 52% of revenues. Retail mall division is PWON’s single biggest revenue contributor, growing at 16% Cagr over the past 5 years, making up 40% of total revenues and 77% of total recurring incomes. 
  • The company sells landed housings, condominiums, and offices in five project locations as its “non-recurring” property development revenues, which account for the remaining 48% of revenues. Condominiums and offices are PWON’s second biggest revenue generator, comprising about 30-40% of sales. PWON has been pushing more landed residential projects to mitigate the impact from slower condominiums and offices market.
  • Accessibility is a key factor to land appreciation and hence, company’s total NAV. With the traffic worsening around the Greater Jakarta area, time to commute is an increasingly important factor in determining where to stay and access to public transportation such as MRT and LRT will be a powerful driver going forward. PWON’s landbanks are located in strategic locations, essential to the success of its past projects in Jakarta and Surabaya.
  • Presales are more sensitive to investment appetite and rental yield rather than BI rates. Cash and cash installments typically make up 65-85% of total payments, while mortgages comprise a minority 15-35%.
  • Slower take up rate on high-rise projects leads to larger funding requirement. Condominiums can take up to four years to complete if it is part of a superblock project, and a big portion of the raw materials for construction has to be secured and paid upfront to lock in prices and ensure availability.  Meanwhile, the presales mortgage disbursement regulation issued in 2014 diminishes cash inflow from mortgage-paying customers. We constructed a cashflow simulation model for a typical condominium tower launch to analyze the monthly cashflow impact from slower take up rate and mortgage regulation changes.
  • Pros: The operating cashflow remains positive and strong over the past five years of property downturn, the best among the property developers that we visited. The seven retail malls generate over IDR1tn cash per year in the past three years, enough to sustain company’s working capital and capex requirements. Free cashflow (FCF) is mostly positive with the exception of 2014 and 2015 when PWON had two big acquisitions. Net gearing peaked in 2015 and had slowly decreased over the years.
  • Cons: For the first time since 2010, PWON’s advances-to-inventory ratio, which is an indicative figure for the property developers’ working capital, fell below 100%. We are expecting a slow recovery for PWON as its inventory account should continue to grow higher in the short term as the company plans to launch few new condominium towers in Surabaya and a new superblock in Bekasi.

  • Cons: Election year to election year, we may see some similarity between the 2014 and 2019’s quarterly presales split. 1Q14 and 2Q14 contributed 36% to total FY14 presales, while 4Q14 contributed a chunky 36%. If we assume the same quarterly split for 2019 presales target, we may potentially see 4-32% YoY declines in the next three quarters of presales reporting. Note however that the BI issued its first round of tightening regulations at the end of 2013 and this may have an impact to the 1H14 presales. Also there is a difference in the election schedules as the 2014 election was dragged on until late August, while the 2019 contest will be done by end of April.
  • Recommendation: PWON share price is performing relatively in line with the JCI over the past year, outperforming its property peers. Its solid earnings and cashflow are rewarded with premium valuations against peers. The discount to net asset value (NAV) and price-to-earnings (PE) ratio are close to +1 standard deviation above the 5-yr historical mean. After a solid 45% bounce off recent lows, the stock is no longer cheap. However, with better interest rate environment and positive regulatory tailwinds, we may see improving activities after the election. Furthermore, potential portfolio inflow to high beta stocks and better sentiment towards the property sector should also benefit PWON. We derive an IDR773 target price per share for PWON, assuming discount to NAV, PB, and PE valuation re-rating to +1 standard deviation above mean.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

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Brief Indonesia: Indonesia Bull Wedge Targets New Highs and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. Indonesia Bull Wedge Targets New Highs
  2. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way
  3. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success
  4. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance
  5. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Jakarta’s MRT, Indonesian Sportswear, and Malaysian Telcos

1. Indonesia Bull Wedge Targets New Highs

Indo%20for%20sk

We have held a bullish/long position in Indonesia from 6,080 after the breakout above 6,000 resistance and continue to see the macro cycle in a positive light to challenge and clear the 2018 highs.

Bull energy is brewing once again for a bull breakout of the noted wedge that will open the way for the macro bull cycle to resume. Lower wedge support is our preferred buy zone to add to our long position with clear wedge breakout resistance and bull inflection point.

For those not long this offers an excellent risk to reward entry with a controlled stop.

Buy volumes remain healthy and supportive of the macro bull cycle.

Indonesia is our top pick within SE Asia.

2. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way

Bharti airtel vs bharti infratel infratel has recovered since dec bharti airtel bharti infratel chartbuilder

In our latest Asian Tower Trends report, Chris Hoare looks at the listed telecom tower industry across the region. During 4Q18, we became more optimistic on the Asian tower space. 

  • China: Last December, we upgraded what is by far the largest towerco globally, China Tower (788 HK), after it became clear the story was much better than disclosed at the time of the IPO (still a mystery as to why this happened),
  • The Indian tower business has been buffeted by rapid industry consolidation but we think it is now near a bottom, and recently raised Bharti Infratel (BHIN IN) to Neutral, and
  • Growth is improving in Indonesia with increased investment ex Java from the smaller operators. Protelindo (TOWR IJ) our preferred name, but Tower Bersama (TBIG IJ) has lagged badly recently and may be due some catch up. 

With the 5G investment cycle a key theme for coming years, we are now more constructive on the telecom tower space in general. 

3. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

4. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance

Selection county%20%282%29

Global Emerging Market funds made a strong start to 2019, with just over two-thirds of funds outperforming the benchmark, generating an average alpha above the IShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx (ETF) (EEM US) of 1.3%.

In this report, we look at the performance of 180 global emerging market strategies over the first quarter of 2019 and analyse the countries, sectors and stocks that helped generate that outperformance.  We also take a look at the longer-dated outperformance of active GEM funds.

5. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Jakarta’s MRT, Indonesian Sportswear, and Malaysian Telcos

Screenshot%202019 04 08%20at%2012.08.41%20pm

This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.

This week’s highlights include value-added comment from Kevin O’Rourke on the ongoing Indonesian Presidential Election campaign, some differentiated comment on the upcoming follow-on offering from Map Aktif Adiperkasa PT (MAPA IJ), as well as the 6th and 7th Insights fromJessica Irene andAngus Mackintosh from the ongoing series of Indonesian Property onIntiland Development (DILD IJ) and Kawasan Industri Jababeka(KIJA IJ).  I also include in the detailed section some on-the-ground snapshots from a recent trip to Jakarta, with brief highlights from company visits toNippon Indosari Corpindo (ROTI IJ), Sarimelati Kencana PT (PZZA IJ), andAce Hardware Indonesia (ACES IJ), as well as the first take on Jakarta’s brand new MRT. 

Macro Insights

In Widodo Withstands Prabowo’s Debate Pressure / BI Hints at Lower 1Q CAD / Gerindra Prepares Dispute, CrossASEAN Insight Provider Kevin O’Rourke comments on the most important political and economic developments in Indonesia over the past week. 

In his global Insight, What Next in the Inflation / Deflation Debate and What Does It Mean for Asset Prices? Stewart Paterson takes a look at this very current subject of debate globally.

Equity Bottom-Up Insights

In the sixth company visit Insight in an ongoing series, Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 6 – Intiland Development (DILD IJ), CrossASEAN Insight Provider Jessica Irene takes a deep dive into this high-rise and office focused developer. The company is a property developer that focuses on landed residential, industrial estates, high-end condominiums, and offices in Jakarta and Surabaya. DILD has a good track record in building and operating high-end condominiums and offices.

In Indonesia Property-In Search of the End of the Rainbow- Part 7 – Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ) CrossASEAN Insight Provider Angus Mackintosh takes a close look at Indonesia’s oldest Industrial Estate Developer. 

In Map Aktif Follow-On Offering – Lace up for a Potential Long Run, Zhen Zhou, Toh runs through the latest details on the proposed follow-on offering for this Indonesian sports retailer. 

Sector and Thematic Insights

In the first part in a series of Insights, Quiddity Singapore M&A Guide 2019, Travis Lundy kicks off by taking a look at Singapore from an M&A perspective.

In Company Visits: The Best of March 2019, Thai Guru Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA lays out his thoughts on the most interesting company visits he made in the month of March, including Singapore International School of Bangkok (SISB TB), Minor International (MINT TB), and After You Pcl (AU TB) . 

In Malaysian Telcos: Look for Improvements to Continue in 2019, our friends at New Street Research revisit the Malaysian Telecoms sector post the recent results. 

In Singapore Property – Luxury Segment Leads Price Decline in 1Q; Property Outlook Remains Shaky, Royston Foo revisits the Singapore Property after analysing 1Q19 numbers. 

In Singapore REIT – The Draft Master Plan 2019 Boost and Q1 Scorecard, Anni Kum takes a bird’s eye view of the Singapore REIT space after 1Q19 numbers. 

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Indonesia: Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 3 – Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ) and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 3 – Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ)

1. Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 3 – Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ)

Pwon%20presales%20and%20payment

In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks. 

The third company that we explore is Pakuwon Jati (PWON IJ), the biggest retail mall operator, and mixed-use high rise and township developer since 1986. PWON has five major projects in the two biggest cities: Jakarta and Surabaya. 

Its recurring income base is the highest in the Indonesian property universe, playing a big role in the company’s solid earnings performance in the past few years of property downturn. However, currency depreciation, stricter mortgage regulations, and falling rental yields curb investors’ appetite for property investments, leading to weak presales in the past three years. Property development revenues are expected to be trending down going forward on lower presales in 2016-2018. Contrary to peers, cashflow generation remains very strong, led by the large recurring income base and thick margin. There is however no plan to increase dividends, but rather reserving the excess cash for future landbank acquisition.  

The weaker presales in 1H19 is widely anticipated, but we fear that there may be some selling pressure on each weak presales announcements, given PWON’s premium valuations and stock outperformance YTD. Nonetheless, potential portfolio inflow to high beta stocks and rising risk appetite for smaller-capped stocks should be beneficial for PWON. Our blended target price of IDR773 per share offers 21% upside.

Summary of this insight:

  • PWON currently operates 7 retail malls, 4 office towers for lease, 4 hotels, and 1 serviced apartment as its recurring income base, representing 52% of revenues. Retail mall division is PWON’s single biggest revenue contributor, growing at 16% Cagr over the past 5 years, making up 40% of total revenues and 77% of total recurring incomes. 
  • The company sells landed housings, condominiums, and offices in five project locations as its “non-recurring” property development revenues, which account for the remaining 48% of revenues. Condominiums and offices are PWON’s second biggest revenue generator, comprising about 30-40% of sales. PWON has been pushing more landed residential projects to mitigate the impact from slower condominiums and offices market.
  • Accessibility is a key factor to land appreciation and hence, company’s total NAV. With the traffic worsening around the Greater Jakarta area, time to commute is an increasingly important factor in determining where to stay and access to public transportation such as MRT and LRT will be a powerful driver going forward. PWON’s landbanks are located in strategic locations, essential to the success of its past projects in Jakarta and Surabaya.
  • Presales are more sensitive to investment appetite and rental yield rather than BI rates. Cash and cash installments typically make up 65-85% of total payments, while mortgages comprise a minority 15-35%.
  • Slower take up rate on high-rise projects leads to larger funding requirement. Condominiums can take up to four years to complete if it is part of a superblock project, and a big portion of the raw materials for construction has to be secured and paid upfront to lock in prices and ensure availability.  Meanwhile, the presales mortgage disbursement regulation issued in 2014 diminishes cash inflow from mortgage-paying customers. We constructed a cashflow simulation model for a typical condominium tower launch to analyze the monthly cashflow impact from slower take up rate and mortgage regulation changes.
  • Pros: The operating cashflow remains positive and strong over the past five years of property downturn, the best among the property developers that we visited. The seven retail malls generate over IDR1tn cash per year in the past three years, enough to sustain company’s working capital and capex requirements. Free cashflow (FCF) is mostly positive with the exception of 2014 and 2015 when PWON had two big acquisitions. Net gearing peaked in 2015 and had slowly decreased over the years.
  • Cons: For the first time since 2010, PWON’s advances-to-inventory ratio, which is an indicative figure for the property developers’ working capital, fell below 100%. We are expecting a slow recovery for PWON as its inventory account should continue to grow higher in the short term as the company plans to launch few new condominium towers in Surabaya and a new superblock in Bekasi.

  • Cons: Election year to election year, we may see some similarity between the 2014 and 2019’s quarterly presales split. 1Q14 and 2Q14 contributed 36% to total FY14 presales, while 4Q14 contributed a chunky 36%. If we assume the same quarterly split for 2019 presales target, we may potentially see 4-32% YoY declines in the next three quarters of presales reporting. Note however that the BI issued its first round of tightening regulations at the end of 2013 and this may have an impact to the 1H14 presales. Also there is a difference in the election schedules as the 2014 election was dragged on until late August, while the 2019 contest will be done by end of April.
  • Recommendation: PWON share price is performing relatively in line with the JCI over the past year, outperforming its property peers. Its solid earnings and cashflow are rewarded with premium valuations against peers. The discount to net asset value (NAV) and price-to-earnings (PE) ratio are close to +1 standard deviation above the 5-yr historical mean. After a solid 45% bounce off recent lows, the stock is no longer cheap. However, with better interest rate environment and positive regulatory tailwinds, we may see improving activities after the election. Furthermore, potential portfolio inflow to high beta stocks and better sentiment towards the property sector should also benefit PWON. We derive an IDR773 target price per share for PWON, assuming discount to NAV, PB, and PE valuation re-rating to +1 standard deviation above mean.

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Indonesia: Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way
  2. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success
  3. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance
  4. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Jakarta’s MRT, Indonesian Sportswear, and Malaysian Telcos
  5. Indonesia Property-In Search of the End of the Rainbow- Part 7 – Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ)

1. Asian Telecom Tower Trends: A General Improvement with China Tower Leading the Way

Indonesian towercos protelindo towr ij much stronger than tower bersama tbig ij tower bersama protelindo chartbuilder

In our latest Asian Tower Trends report, Chris Hoare looks at the listed telecom tower industry across the region. During 4Q18, we became more optimistic on the Asian tower space. 

  • China: Last December, we upgraded what is by far the largest towerco globally, China Tower (788 HK), after it became clear the story was much better than disclosed at the time of the IPO (still a mystery as to why this happened),
  • The Indian tower business has been buffeted by rapid industry consolidation but we think it is now near a bottom, and recently raised Bharti Infratel (BHIN IN) to Neutral, and
  • Growth is improving in Indonesia with increased investment ex Java from the smaller operators. Protelindo (TOWR IJ) our preferred name, but Tower Bersama (TBIG IJ) has lagged badly recently and may be due some catch up. 

With the 5G investment cycle a key theme for coming years, we are now more constructive on the telecom tower space in general. 

2. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

3. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance

Sector

Global Emerging Market funds made a strong start to 2019, with just over two-thirds of funds outperforming the benchmark, generating an average alpha above the IShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx (ETF) (EEM US) of 1.3%.

In this report, we look at the performance of 180 global emerging market strategies over the first quarter of 2019 and analyse the countries, sectors and stocks that helped generate that outperformance.  We also take a look at the longer-dated outperformance of active GEM funds.

4. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Jakarta’s MRT, Indonesian Sportswear, and Malaysian Telcos

Screenshot%202019 04 08%20at%2012.08.41%20pm

This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.

This week’s highlights include value-added comment from Kevin O’Rourke on the ongoing Indonesian Presidential Election campaign, some differentiated comment on the upcoming follow-on offering from Map Aktif Adiperkasa PT (MAPA IJ), as well as the 6th and 7th Insights fromJessica Irene andAngus Mackintosh from the ongoing series of Indonesian Property onIntiland Development (DILD IJ) and Kawasan Industri Jababeka(KIJA IJ).  I also include in the detailed section some on-the-ground snapshots from a recent trip to Jakarta, with brief highlights from company visits toNippon Indosari Corpindo (ROTI IJ), Sarimelati Kencana PT (PZZA IJ), andAce Hardware Indonesia (ACES IJ), as well as the first take on Jakarta’s brand new MRT. 

Macro Insights

In Widodo Withstands Prabowo’s Debate Pressure / BI Hints at Lower 1Q CAD / Gerindra Prepares Dispute, CrossASEAN Insight Provider Kevin O’Rourke comments on the most important political and economic developments in Indonesia over the past week. 

In his global Insight, What Next in the Inflation / Deflation Debate and What Does It Mean for Asset Prices? Stewart Paterson takes a look at this very current subject of debate globally.

Equity Bottom-Up Insights

In the sixth company visit Insight in an ongoing series, Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 6 – Intiland Development (DILD IJ), CrossASEAN Insight Provider Jessica Irene takes a deep dive into this high-rise and office focused developer. The company is a property developer that focuses on landed residential, industrial estates, high-end condominiums, and offices in Jakarta and Surabaya. DILD has a good track record in building and operating high-end condominiums and offices.

In Indonesia Property-In Search of the End of the Rainbow- Part 7 – Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ) CrossASEAN Insight Provider Angus Mackintosh takes a close look at Indonesia’s oldest Industrial Estate Developer. 

In Map Aktif Follow-On Offering – Lace up for a Potential Long Run, Zhen Zhou, Toh runs through the latest details on the proposed follow-on offering for this Indonesian sports retailer. 

Sector and Thematic Insights

In the first part in a series of Insights, Quiddity Singapore M&A Guide 2019, Travis Lundy kicks off by taking a look at Singapore from an M&A perspective.

In Company Visits: The Best of March 2019, Thai Guru Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA lays out his thoughts on the most interesting company visits he made in the month of March, including Singapore International School of Bangkok (SISB TB), Minor International (MINT TB), and After You Pcl (AU TB) . 

In Malaysian Telcos: Look for Improvements to Continue in 2019, our friends at New Street Research revisit the Malaysian Telecoms sector post the recent results. 

In Singapore Property – Luxury Segment Leads Price Decline in 1Q; Property Outlook Remains Shaky, Royston Foo revisits the Singapore Property after analysing 1Q19 numbers. 

In Singapore REIT – The Draft Master Plan 2019 Boost and Q1 Scorecard, Anni Kum takes a bird’s eye view of the Singapore REIT space after 1Q19 numbers. 

5. Indonesia Property-In Search of the End of the Rainbow- Part 7 – Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ)

Screenshot%202019 03 19%20at%204.54.09%20pm

In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks. 

In the seventh company in ongoing Smartkarma Originals series on the property space in Indonesia, we now look at Indonesia’s oldest Industrial Estate developer and operator Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ). The company’s largest and the original estate is in Cikarang to the East of Jakarta and comprises 1,239 hectares of industrial land bank and a masterplan of 5,600 ha. 

It has a blue chip customer base both local and foreign at Cikarang including Unilever Indonesia (UNVR IJ), Samsung Electronics (005930 KS), as well as a number of Japanese automakers and their related suppliers.

The company has also expanded its presence to Kendal, close to Semarang in Central Java, where it has a joint venture with Singapore listed company Sembcorp Industries (SCI SP). This estate covers a total area of 2,700 ha to be developed in three phases over a period of 25 years and is focused on manufacturing in industries.

The company also has successfully installed a 140 MW gas-fired power station at its Cikarang, providing a recurrent stream utility-type earnings, which cushion against the volatility in its industrial estate and property earnings. After some issues with one of its boilers (non-recurrent) and issues early last year with PLN, this asset now looks set to provide a stable earnings stream for the company.

KIJA has also built a dry-port at Cikarang estate which has been increasing throughput by around +25% every year, providing its customers with the facility for customs clearance at a faster pace of that at the Tanjong Priok port, as well as logistics support. 

After two difficult years where the company has been hit by a combination of problems at its power plant, foreign exchange write-downs, and slower demand for industrial plots, the company now looks set to see a strong recovery in earnings in 2019 and beyond.

The company has seen coverage from equity analysts dwindle, which means there are no consensus estimates but it looks attractive from both a PBV and an NAV basis trading on 0.85x FY19E PBV and at a 73% discount to NAV. If the company were to trade back to its historical mean from a PBV and PER point of view, this would imply an upside of 33% to IDR325, using a blend of the two measures. An absence of one-off charges in 2019 and a pick up in industrial sales should mean a significant recovery in earnings, putting the company on an FY19E PER multiple of 9.7x, which is by no means expensive given its strategic positioning and given that this is a recovery story. 

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Indonesia: The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Widodo Leads, a Retail Conundrum, and Indonesian E-Commerce and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Widodo Leads, a Retail Conundrum, and Indonesian E-Commerce

1. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Widodo Leads, a Retail Conundrum, and Indonesian E-Commerce

This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.

This week’s highlights include an update from CrossASEAN Insight Provider Kevin O’Rourke on the running order ahead of the upcoming Indonesian Election on 17th April. In the Equity-Bottom-up section, Angus Mackintosh circles back Pt Matahari Department Store (LPPF IJ) post its underwhelming results and we have a number on contrasting views on e-commerce player Sea Ltd (SE US) post the announcement of its recent placement, which was bigger than its IPO from Johannes Salim, CFAArun George, and Rickin Thakrar. 

Macro Insights

In Politics, Uncertainty and Bad Policy: The Third Wheels of Profits and the Investment Cycle, Dr. Jim Walker discusses the outlook for Asian Markets in light of a rising profit upcycle. 

In Widodo Leads 59-31 / IA-Cepa Holds Promise / Online Permitting Progresses / Rights Activist Arrested, CrossASEAN Insight Provider Kevin O’Rourke analyses the most important political and economic developments over the past week. 

In Philippines: February Inflation Eases Back to BSP’s Inflation Target Range, Jun Trinidad comments on the latest inflation numbers out of the Philippines. 

Equity Bottom-Up Insights

In Matahari Department Store (LPPF IJ) – A Retail Conundrum,  CrossASEAN Insight provider Angus Mackintosh circles back to this beaten up retailer post FY18 results, which represents a retail conundrum. 

In PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero): Rather Rich for a Bargain Hunter, Paul Hollingworth takes a close look at Indonesia’sbiggest micro-lender. Bank Rakyat Indonesia Perser (BBRI IJ) seems to be doing a great deal right to perhaps satisfy a punchy valuation. 

In OCBC – Difficult to Square, Daniel Tabbush zooms in on this Singapore lender and finds it less than attractive with some conflicting numbers. 

In MINT’s First Post-Acquisition Update, our Thai Guru Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA circles back to leading Thai hotel operator Minor International (MINT TB) plus updates on Bangkok Dec Con (BKD TB)

In Delta Electronics (DELTA TB): Little Option but to Accept the Tender Offer, Arun George revisits Delta Electronics (2308 TT) and its ongoing takeover situation. 

In Sea Ltd Placement – Capitalizing on Momentum, Zhen Zhou, Toh looks at this internet retailer following the announcement of a placement, which is larger than its IPO. 

In Sea Ltd: Follow-On Public Offering an Opportunistic Fundraising?, Johannes Salim, CFA circles back to Sea Ltd (SE US) following up on his recent Insight on the company. 

In Sea Ltd (SE US): Placement a Good Opportunity to Enter an Attractive Story, Arun George comments on the recent placement by the company. 

In Sea Ltd (SE US): Placing Price Leaves Money on the TableArun George revisits the company following confirmation of the price and size of its placement. 

In Sea Ltd (SE US): The Bear Case – A One-Hit Wonder?, Rickin Thakrar takes a more negative stance referring to earlier insights from Arun George

In RHB Bank Placement – A Little Less Surprising but Little Bit Bigger Deal, Sumeet Singh zeros in on the latest placement in RHB Bank Bhd (RHBBANK MK).  

In M: Trimmed 2019-20E Earnings Forecast by 12% and 19%, our friends at Country Group revisit Mk Restaurants Group (M TB) post the company’s results. 

In Accordia Golf Trust (AGT): Buy but Please Consider This…Henry Soediarko zeros in on this golf play. 

Sector and Thematic Insights

In Thai Telcos Struggle as All Three Seek to Gain Share While Spectrum Risk Looms Again in 2019., our friend at New Street Research revisit the Thai Telecom sector following recent results. 

In Vietnam Market Update: Deep Value Found in Salient Themes, Frontiersman Dylan Waller seeks out attractive investment themes in Vietnam. 

Get Straight to the Source on Smartkarma

Smartkarma supports the world’s leading investors with high-quality, timely, and actionable Insights. Subscribe now for unlimited access, or request a demo below.



Brief Indonesia: China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success and more

By | Indonesia

In this briefing:

  1. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success
  2. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance
  3. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Jakarta’s MRT, Indonesian Sportswear, and Malaysian Telcos
  4. Indonesia Property-In Search of the End of the Rainbow- Part 7 – Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ)
  5. Widodo Withstands Prabowo’s Debate Pressure / BI Hints at Lower 1Q CAD / Gerindra Prepares Dispute

1. China’s New Semiconductor Thrust – Part 2: Commodities as a Quick Path to Success

Commodity%20memory%20demand%20growth

China’s current efforts to gain prominence in the semiconductor market targets memory chips – large commodities.  This three-part series of insights examines how China determined its strategy and explains which companies are the most threatened by it.

This second part of the series explains how China chose commodity semiconductors (DRAM and NAND flash memory chips) as the best technology to pursue.

2. GEM Active Funds:  Big Q1 Outperformance

Top returns

Global Emerging Market funds made a strong start to 2019, with just over two-thirds of funds outperforming the benchmark, generating an average alpha above the IShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx (ETF) (EEM US) of 1.3%.

In this report, we look at the performance of 180 global emerging market strategies over the first quarter of 2019 and analyse the countries, sectors and stocks that helped generate that outperformance.  We also take a look at the longer-dated outperformance of active GEM funds.

3. The Week that Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma – Jakarta’s MRT, Indonesian Sportswear, and Malaysian Telcos

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This week’s offering of Insights across ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with another eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive and actionable insights from across South East Asia and includes macro, top-down and thematic pieces, as well as actionable equity bottom-up pieces. Please find a brief summary below, with a fuller write up in the detailed section.

This week’s highlights include value-added comment from Kevin O’Rourke on the ongoing Indonesian Presidential Election campaign, some differentiated comment on the upcoming follow-on offering from Map Aktif Adiperkasa PT (MAPA IJ), as well as the 6th and 7th Insights fromJessica Irene andAngus Mackintosh from the ongoing series of Indonesian Property onIntiland Development (DILD IJ) and Kawasan Industri Jababeka(KIJA IJ).  I also include in the detailed section some on-the-ground snapshots from a recent trip to Jakarta, with brief highlights from company visits toNippon Indosari Corpindo (ROTI IJ), Sarimelati Kencana PT (PZZA IJ), andAce Hardware Indonesia (ACES IJ), as well as the first take on Jakarta’s brand new MRT. 

Macro Insights

In Widodo Withstands Prabowo’s Debate Pressure / BI Hints at Lower 1Q CAD / Gerindra Prepares Dispute, CrossASEAN Insight Provider Kevin O’Rourke comments on the most important political and economic developments in Indonesia over the past week. 

In his global Insight, What Next in the Inflation / Deflation Debate and What Does It Mean for Asset Prices? Stewart Paterson takes a look at this very current subject of debate globally.

Equity Bottom-Up Insights

In the sixth company visit Insight in an ongoing series, Indonesia Property – In Search of the End of the Rainbow – Part 6 – Intiland Development (DILD IJ), CrossASEAN Insight Provider Jessica Irene takes a deep dive into this high-rise and office focused developer. The company is a property developer that focuses on landed residential, industrial estates, high-end condominiums, and offices in Jakarta and Surabaya. DILD has a good track record in building and operating high-end condominiums and offices.

In Indonesia Property-In Search of the End of the Rainbow- Part 7 – Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ) CrossASEAN Insight Provider Angus Mackintosh takes a close look at Indonesia’s oldest Industrial Estate Developer. 

In Map Aktif Follow-On Offering – Lace up for a Potential Long Run, Zhen Zhou, Toh runs through the latest details on the proposed follow-on offering for this Indonesian sports retailer. 

Sector and Thematic Insights

In the first part in a series of Insights, Quiddity Singapore M&A Guide 2019, Travis Lundy kicks off by taking a look at Singapore from an M&A perspective.

In Company Visits: The Best of March 2019, Thai Guru Athaporn Arayasantiparb, CFA lays out his thoughts on the most interesting company visits he made in the month of March, including Singapore International School of Bangkok (SISB TB), Minor International (MINT TB), and After You Pcl (AU TB) . 

In Malaysian Telcos: Look for Improvements to Continue in 2019, our friends at New Street Research revisit the Malaysian Telecoms sector post the recent results. 

In Singapore Property – Luxury Segment Leads Price Decline in 1Q; Property Outlook Remains Shaky, Royston Foo revisits the Singapore Property after analysing 1Q19 numbers. 

In Singapore REIT – The Draft Master Plan 2019 Boost and Q1 Scorecard, Anni Kum takes a bird’s eye view of the Singapore REIT space after 1Q19 numbers. 

4. Indonesia Property-In Search of the End of the Rainbow- Part 7 – Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ)

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In this series under Smartkarma Originals, CrossASEAN insight providers AngusMackintosh and Jessica Irene seek to determine whether or not we are close to the end of the rainbow and to a period of outperformance for the property sector. Our end conclusions will be based on a series of company visits to the major listed property companies in Indonesia, conversations with local banks, property agents, and other relevant channel checks. 

In the seventh company in ongoing Smartkarma Originals series on the property space in Indonesia, we now look at Indonesia’s oldest Industrial Estate developer and operator Kawasan Industri Jababeka (KIJA IJ). The company’s largest and the original estate is in Cikarang to the East of Jakarta and comprises 1,239 hectares of industrial land bank and a masterplan of 5,600 ha. 

It has a blue chip customer base both local and foreign at Cikarang including Unilever Indonesia (UNVR IJ), Samsung Electronics (005930 KS), as well as a number of Japanese automakers and their related suppliers.

The company has also expanded its presence to Kendal, close to Semarang in Central Java, where it has a joint venture with Singapore listed company Sembcorp Industries (SCI SP). This estate covers a total area of 2,700 ha to be developed in three phases over a period of 25 years and is focused on manufacturing in industries.

The company also has successfully installed a 140 MW gas-fired power station at its Cikarang, providing a recurrent stream utility-type earnings, which cushion against the volatility in its industrial estate and property earnings. After some issues with one of its boilers (non-recurrent) and issues early last year with PLN, this asset now looks set to provide a stable earnings stream for the company.

KIJA has also built a dry-port at Cikarang estate which has been increasing throughput by around +25% every year, providing its customers with the facility for customs clearance at a faster pace of that at the Tanjong Priok port, as well as logistics support. 

After two difficult years where the company has been hit by a combination of problems at its power plant, foreign exchange write-downs, and slower demand for industrial plots, the company now looks set to see a strong recovery in earnings in 2019 and beyond.

The company has seen coverage from equity analysts dwindle, which means there are no consensus estimates but it looks attractive from both a PBV and an NAV basis trading on 0.85x FY19E PBV and at a 73% discount to NAV. If the company were to trade back to its historical mean from a PBV and PER point of view, this would imply an upside of 33% to IDR325, using a blend of the two measures. An absence of one-off charges in 2019 and a pick up in industrial sales should mean a significant recovery in earnings, putting the company on an FY19E PER multiple of 9.7x, which is by no means expensive given its strategic positioning and given that this is a recovery story. 

5. Widodo Withstands Prabowo’s Debate Pressure / BI Hints at Lower 1Q CAD / Gerindra Prepares Dispute

Prabowo performed forcefully in the 30 March presidential debate, but Widodo remained unflustered and debunked the Gerindra chair’s particularly dark realpolitik vision.  Prabowo fell ill later in the week but apparently recovered, and a major rally will occur in Jakarta on 7 April.  But virtually all polls show Widodo maintaining his large lead through mid-March and no developments seem likely to alter the standings.  But if Widodo’s 17 April margin of victory is unexpectedly narrow, Prabowo campaign officials seem certain to allege fraud and contest the outcome.  This scenario would present prolonged tension and uncertainty through 8 August. 

Politics: Gerindra Chair Prabowo Subianto missed three successive campaign appearances due to an unspecified malady (Page 2).  Supporters of Prabowo – namely, his brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo and the National Mandate Party (Pan) founder Amien Rais – warned of potential electoral fraud and threatened to mobilize “people power” after election day.  This highlights the importance of Widodo winning by a wide margin, lest a narrow victory lends credence to claims of fraud (p. 2).  Prabowo pressured President Joko Widodo more aggressively in the fourth presidential debate on 30 March, but he also lost his temper and appeared condescending – while Widodo coolly parried incessant jabs.  Prabowo sought to portray Widodo as being innocently out of touch with harsh realities in security, diplomacy and governance.  He depicted foreigners – including diplomats, journalists and investors – as duplicitous, disrespectful and untrustworthy.  For his part, Widodo chided Prabowo for being fearful and lacking confidence in Indonesian institutions, especially the military.  Prabowo insisted that willful leadership is essential to make Indonesia strong, prosperous and self‑sufficient.  He closed by reiterating his pledge to end food imports.  While his display of mettle may help his appeal among some voters, his bluster – debunked with effect by Widodo – may have alienated others (p. 3).  While scrutinizing the Golkar parliamentarian Bowo Pangarso regarding dealings with a state fertilizer firm, personnel from the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) discovered Rp8 billion in his company’s basement – neatly sorted in 400,000 envelopes.  He was allegedly preparing a vote‑buying operation in his Central Java electoral district (p. 13). 

Surveys: Indobarometer corroborated findings from other polls and measured Widodo’s lead at 18 percentage points as of mid‑March (p. 14). 

Produced since 2003, the Reformasi Weekly Review provides timely, relevant and independent analysis on Indonesian political and policy news.  The writer is Kevin O’Rourke, author of the book Reformasi.  For subscription info please contact: <[email protected]>.

Security: Counter‑terror police apprehended a figure in West Java whom they suspect is a leader of the formidable Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) terrorist group (p. 15). 

Economics: A Bank Indonesia (BI) deputy governor cited the possibility of a significantly lower current account deficit for the first quarter of 2019, but warned that it could widen again in the second quarter (p. 16).  Oil production fell short of the government’s target again (p. 16).  

Jakarta: The public works minister openly rebuked Governor Anies Baswedan for making no progress on a ‘naturalization’ project to rectify drainage in the Ciliwung River.  Baswedan has refused to evict riverbank squatters who obstruct the work (p. 16). 

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