In this briefing:
- Wynn’s Whale Of A Deal For Crown Off the Hook
- Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry
- Changliao (畅聊) AKA Paipai (派派) Pre-IPO Review – Self-Sufficient
- Rakuten IPO Redux: Pinterest Surfaces More Liquidity but Not Paper Profits
- JD.com (JD): Cancels Delivery Man’s Basic Salary, Adapts to Growth of Commission Business
1. Wynn’s Whale Of A Deal For Crown Off the Hook
After a brief pause in trading yesterday morning, Crown Resorts (CWN AU) announced it is in confidential discussions with Wynn Resorts (WYNN US) concerning an acquisition of Crown by way of a Scheme. The announcement states that Wynn has approached Crown on more than one occasion.
That was in the morning.
WYNN confirmed it and released an 8K in the early hours of the 9th saying they would not comment further.
Several hours later, WYNN apparently said it was terminating deal talks with Crown because of the “premature disclosure of preliminary discussions”.
Oops.
This will surely knock Crown shares back down after their 19.7% gain on Tuesday.
But it does not remove the reason for a deal. The Crown commentary clearly indicated that they were not averse to doing a deal. That would suggest James Packer is not either.
The proposal arrived at a unique time for both companies after the CEOs and major shareholders of both companies relinquished their roles in 2018: Packer for health reasons, and Steve Wynn after allegations of sexual harassment.
If Wynn wants to expand its footprint into the hemisphere and James Packer wants to arrange his affairs, a deal somewhere should be in the offing. This deal may just get pushed to the back burner before coming back to the fore. Several years ago, ADM launched a proposal at Graincorp. Months later there had been no apparent communication and the shares drifted off and then, all of a sudden, there was an agreed deal.
Or perhaps this opens up Crown to other suitors.
2. Studio City – Thoughts on Lock-Up Expiry
Studio City, a spin-off by MLCO US, was listed on October 18th, 2018 and its lock-up will expire next week on April 16th. The company raised USD 359 million in its IPO with the majority of the shares taken up by its shareholders.
In this insight, we will review the company’s operation, shares subject to lock-up expiry and its valuation vs peers.
Our previous insights on Studio City
- Studio City (新濠影汇) IPO: A Melco Spin-Off Turning Profitable
- Studio City (新濠影汇) IPO: Attractive Valuation with Options for Long-Term Upside (Part 2)
- Studio City (新濠影汇) IPO Trading Update: Performance Within Expectations, Near-Term Upside Capped
3. Changliao (畅聊) AKA Paipai (派派) Pre-IPO Review – Self-Sufficient
Changliao Inc (CL HK) is looking to raise about US$100m in its upcoming IPO. The company just filed its draft prospectus with the HKEX last week.
Changliao is a fast-growing social networking entertainment platform. The business model of engaging and monetizing users through interactive games is interesting.
However, the need for an IPO is questionable since the company has a healthy net cash balance sheet and it had paid out dividends in the past two years. It can easily finance its growth through debt or operating cash flow.
Tencent is an investor in the firm, however, it had only invested RMB9m in the company in FY2016. There are no other notable investors despite several rounds of financing.
In this insight, we will look at the company’s business model, analyze its financial performance and operating metrics.
4. Rakuten IPO Redux: Pinterest Surfaces More Liquidity but Not Paper Profits
Rakuten Inc (4755 JP) investee Pinterest Inc (PINS US) has filed its IPO prospectus implying a lower valuation than its last venture round but a robust increase in value since Rakuten led the Series C round in May 2012. We think an initial ¥4bn investment could be worth ¥25-30bn at the midpoint of the suggested IPO range.
- As with Lyft, the absolute value again and shift to greater liquidity are positive as it gives Rakuten more financial flexibility as it ramps up investments in the mobile business.
- Unlike Lyft, the Pinterest IPO value is down from the latest funding round which impacts paper profits that provide cover for spending on mobile albeit at a fraction of the upside from Lyft.
Pinterest doesn’t generate the same headlines as Lyft but a second IPO of a Rakuten investment as its cash needs expand can only be good news
5. JD.com (JD): Cancels Delivery Man’s Basic Salary, Adapts to Growth of Commission Business
* JD cut delivery men’s salary by 25% last week.
* JD ever generated cash flows by accounts payable in direct sales, but cost control is necessary when the commission business grew faster than the direct sales business.
* We believe that the overwhelming majority of delivery men will stay with JD after the salary cut, as many small delivery companies went bankrupt in 2018.
* we believe JD will be able to control costs well and keep close-to-zero net margin in 2019.
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