South Korea

• Local stock market focuses on ISA tax benefits expansion; political push for higher tax-exempt limits seen as pivotal event.
• Investors expect dividend stocks to outperform due to ISA tax advantages: tax exemptions within limits and lower 9.9% taxation on excess amounts, boosting ISA-based equity investments.
• ETF influence declining; ISA tax benefits may boost dividend plays, heightening interest in preferred stocks tied to efforts to redeem them, impacting equity costs.

• Webtoon Entertainment (WBTN US) is a global storytelling platform. Webtoon has launched a Nasdaq IPO to raise US$270-315 million at a US$18.00 to US$21.00 price range.
• We previously discussed the IPO in Webtoon Entertainment IPO: The Bull Case and Webtoon Entertainment (WBTN US) IPO: The Bear Case.
• In this note, we outline our forecasts and valuation. Our valuation analysis suggests that Webtoon is attractively valued at the IPO price range.

• Paradise Co Ltd (034230 KS) will move from the KOSDAQ Market to the KOSPI Market from the open of trading on 24 June.
• E&D Co Ltd (101360 KS) will be added to the KOSDAQ 150 Index (KOSDQ150 INDEX) at the close on 21 June to replace Paradise Co Ltd (034230 KS). 
• Paradise Co Ltd (034230 KS) belongs to the Consumer Discretionary sector and there is a possibility of inclusion to the Korea Stock Exchange KOSPI 200 (KOSPI2 INDEX) in December.

• On 14 June, KeiStone Partners sold 2.51 million shares (3.7% of outstanding shares) of LS Materials at the block deal sales price of 26,350 won per share.
• In the next several weeks/months, there will likely be increased concerns about additional selling of LS Materials by KeiStone Partners. 
• Due to recent block deal sale, higher short selling volume, and concerns about additional selling by Keistone Partners, LS Materials shares could face further weakness in the next 6-12 months. 

• Webtoon Entertainment (WBTN US) is looking to raise up to US$315m in its US IPO, down from an earlier reported float of US$500m.
• Webtoon Entertainment is a global storytelling platform where a community of creators and users discover, create and share new content.
• In our previous notes, we talked about the company’s historical performance and undertook a peer comparison. In this note, we share our thoughts on valuation.

• Hyundai Motor India is getting ready to complete its IPO in 2H 2024. Hyundai Motor India plans to offer up to 142.2 million shares (17.5% stake) to investors. 
• Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) currently owns a 100% stake in Hyundai Motor India. The IPO of Hyundai Motor India could raise as much as US$3 billion.
• If Hyundai Motor India (HMI) is valued at US$25 billion and HMC sells a 17.5% stake in the company, HMC’s remaining stake in HMI would be worth nearly US$21 billion.  

• Senior Presidential Secretary said this morning that a tax reform, including reducing inheritance tax rates to the OECD average, will be disclosed in late July with the tax reform plan.
• Stocks sensitive to reduced inheritance tax, notably Hyundai Motor Group subsidiaries like Hyundai Glovis and Hyundai Motor, could see significant attention amid governance restructuring efforts under Chung Eui-sun.
• Retroactive application and its extent may impact markets, potentially affecting groups like Samsung, influencing diverse investment strategies based on specifics.

• Webtoon Entertainment (WBTN US), a global storytelling platform, seeks to raise up to US$500 million through a Nasdaq IPO.
• In Webtoon Entertainment IPO: The Bull Case, we highlighted the key elements of the bull case. In this note, we outline the bear case.
• The bear case rests on declining organic revenue, declining Korean paying ratio, a peaking Japan growth driver, optimistic market sizing, and unsustainable low marketing spending.

• I tally 50 – mostly firm, mostly Asia-Pac – transactions currently being discussed and analysed on Smartkarma. Inside is a timetable of upcoming key events for each deal.
• Three new deals discussed this week: Fancl (4921 JP)‘s Tender offer, A8 New Media (800 HK)‘s Scheme, and Jeisys Medical (287410 KS)‘s delisting offer. Bain also approached Bapcor (BAP AU).
• Key updates took place on: Sigma Healthcare (SIG AU), Alumina (AWC AU), Greatview Aseptic Packaging (468 HK), Helios Techno (6927 JP), and Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable (5809 JP).

• Early this morning, rumors spread that Hyundai’s honorary chairman Chung Mong-koo was hospitalized and died, causing stock prices to surge, but Hyundai denied this news.
• Control of Hyundai hinges on increasing the stake in Mobis. Chung Eui-sun aims to keep Mobis’s stock low, but Chung Mong-koo’s health complicates timing and strategy.
• Mobis’s trading point depends on Chung Mong-koo’s health. Three scenarios: he’s healthy, critically ill, or deceased. Current rumors’ price impacts are unlikely to subside soon.

• Shares of EcoPro Materials are down 16% today to 112,300 won, due to another block deal sale of by BRV Capital in the after hours trading on 13 June.
• After the second block deal sale on 14 June, BRV’s stake declined further from 21.2% to 18.2%. 
• This block deal sale at a big discount is likely to raise overhang concerns about further block deal sales by BRV Capital in the coming months/years.

• Shift Up (462870 KS) plans to raise up to US$320m in its South Korean IPO.
• Shift Up is a South Korean games developer, which as released three games so far for the global markets.
• We have looked at the company’s performance, undertaken a peer comparison and talked about valuations in our past notes. In this note, we talk about the refiling and other updates.

• In Korea, the lockup period for block deals is set by the seller and underwriters, not by law, and can be adjusted if both parties agree.
• BRV obtained consent from Goldman, UBS, and KB for a second block deal after assessing that many initial buyers had sold their shares.
• Understanding this lockup structure provides key insights into predicting when the next block deal might occur.

• Webtoon Entertainment (WBTN US) is looking to raise up to US$500m in its US IPO.
• Webtoon Entertainment is a global storytelling platform where a community of creators and users discover, create and share new content.
• In our previous note, we talked about the company’s historical performance. In this note, we undertake a peer comparison.

• After the market close on 14 June, it was reported that Woori PE/other investors will be selling 705,384 shares of Enchem in a block deal, representing 3.6% of outstanding shares. 
• The block deal discount rate ranges from 6.9% to 8.92%, resulting in potential block deal sale price of 270,500 won to 276,500 won.
• We would not subscribe to this block deal and we are concerned about the valuations of Enchem after a sharp share price appreciation this year.

• Woori PE, NH PE and KDB Capital seek to raise around KRW195bn (US$141m) through a secondary block deal, selling 0.71m shares (3.64% of TSO) of Enchem (348370 KS).
• The deal is a small one to digest at only 1.1 days of three-month ADV. 
• In this note, we will talk about the placement and run the deal through our ECM framework.

• Limiting extensions to four times after a 90-day repayment and mandating repayment after 12 months increases short-selling costs. The revision omits limits on position-holding cycles, disappointing retail investors.
• Today’s release did not set a timeline for short-selling resumption. The ruling party has requested it after March 2025, with key officials present suggesting next year March resumption.
• Regarding the electronic system implementation, core content aligns with the draft, but newly revealed institution numbers add a new perspective. Uncertainties remain on integrating overseas stock borrowing into the system.

• Webtoon Entertainment (WBTN US), a global storytelling platform, seeks to raise up to US$500 million through a Nasdaq IPO.
• Webtoon is the leading web-comic player in all its major geographies, including Korea, the US and Japan. Naver Corp (035420 KS) and LY (4689 JP) are the primary shareholders.
• The bull case rests on a large TAM, rising monthly active users, strong constant currency growth supported by monetisation initiatives, a shift to profitability, and cash generation.

• On 12 June, SK Telecom (017670 KS) confirmed that its affiliate Sapeon plans to merge with its competitor Rebellions by end of this year.
• Sapeon and Rebellions’ largest global competitor is Nvidia. A key aim of the merger is to challenge Nvidia and try to take away its global dominance in AI chips.
• If the combined Sapeon and Rebellion can take away just 1% market share resulting in 1% of Nvidia’s market cap, this would suggest valuation of US$31 billion.

• On 11 June, the FSC announced that the restrictions on allocation of treasury shares as new shares post spin-offs is expected to be made into law in 2H 2024.
• Meanwhile, starting 1 July, the financial regulators will make it more difficult for Korean companies to conduct spin-offs that have separate allocation of treasury shares as new shares.
• The top five stocks with highest percentage of treasury shares/outstanding shares are up on average 40.5% YTD. 

• Aesthetic laser maker Jeisys Medical (287410 KS) has announced French PE outfit Archimed SAS is seeking to delist the company.
• Archimed intends to acquire 72% of Jeisys at ₩13,000, a 20.82% premium to undisturbed. Archimed has also inked agreements with founders/directors for 26.44%, taking its possible % acquisition to 98.44%. 
• A Korean medical device maker – not another Eoflow (294090 KS)?! Jeisys did face a patent infringement case from Syneron Medical (ELOS US) in 2018; but since resolved. 

• The government will announce short selling improvements Thursday. A leaked detail includes limiting 90-day short position extensions.
• Limiting the 90-day short position holding period may ease local investor concerns, but it could shrink the short selling market, potentially affecting overseas fund outflows.
• Resuming short selling in early July may bring new flow patterns due to temporary distortions from mandatory repayment within 90 days and limitations on position extensions, increasing price impacts.

• KRX announced KOSDAQ Global rebalancing. Annually in June, effective date follows June options expiry. Passive flow trading on Thursday, the 13th. 49 companies designated, with nine excluded and eleven added.
• Predicting passive capital movement is challenging, but attention must be given to price impacts because reshuffle predictability is low, lacking preemptive trading setups.
• We must anticipate the SSF reshuffle in August, likely including new KOSDAQ Global constituents. KRX plans to list SSFs for all remaining constituents, potentially advancing setup timing for price increases.

• One of the key themes this year that has worked well has been Korean food & beverage stocks that have significantly outperformed KOSPI. 
• Some of the best selling Korean foods (especially overseas) include Samyang Foods’ instant noodles, CJ Seafood’s seaweed products, and Wooyang’s frozen gimbab. 
• We prefer a basket approach to investing in Korean F&B stocks. A basket of top 10 F&B stocks in Korea has outperformed the market YTD and this outperformance could continue.

• Cuckoo Holdings is known for its high-quality rice cookers popular among Asians, particularly Koreans
• Stock price of the company has increased due to its success, with dividends rising from 800 to 1,100 per share
• South Korea’s “value-up” program may further boost the company’s growth and attract more investors as the importance of rice in Korean cuisine creates a strong market for its products

This content is sourced through publicly available sources and has been machine generated. Information displayed is for general informational purposes only. This article was originally published 3 months ago on Value Investors Club.

• Hugel Inc (145020 KS) got favorable preliminary ruling in US for its litigation with Medytox. The ruling revealed that the competitor’s claim of strain theft by Hugel is baseless.  
• In March, Hugel received FDA approval for BTX product, Letybo in US. The company plans to launch Letybo in 2H24, while final ruling for the litigation is scheduled in October.
• As BTX and HA filler grew steadily in domestic and overseas markets, 1Q24 sales grew 15% YoY to KRW74.3B, achieving the highest ever performance in the first quarter.

• Starting 24 July, there will be a mandatory pre-announcement requirement for block deal sales in Korea. 
• In other words, the major shareholders of the Korean companies need to report publicly prior to their actual sales of their stakes in these companies through block deal sales.
• The potential block deal sales candidates could continue to underperform on average the companies that are selling these stocks in potential block deal sales in the next several weeks. 

• On 10 June, it was announced that France’s Archimed Group is conducting a tender offer of 55.72 million shares of Jeisys Medical (287410 KS) (72% of outstanding shares). 
• The tender offer period will run from 10 June to 22 July. The tender offer price is 13,000 won.
• Archimed also signed a contract to purchase the entire stake (23.2%) held by Kang Don-Hwan (Chairman of Jeisys Medical) and (3.2%) held by a Director Myung-Hoon Lee.

• Archimed aims to acquire 72% of Jeisys Medical’s shares, totaling 55,724,838 shares. The tender offer runs from the 10th of this month to the 22nd of the following month.
• If tendered shares fall short of the 18,013,879 minimum, Archimed refrains from purchases. If exceeded, Archimed buys all, eliminating allocation risk.
• With over 70% substantial volume and a large portion held by local retail investors, surpassing the 26% threshold seems feasible.