Daily Brief TMT/Internet: Kokusai Electric , AEM, iFAST, Micron Technology, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) – ADR, Plover Bay Technologies, WCP, Novatek Microelectronics Corp, Pureprofile Ltd, Palo Alto Networks and more

• The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) calculates Free-Float Weight (FFW) for each listed company and uses this value as a key component of TOPIX Index Calculation.
• For companies with “low liquidity” the FFW will be multiplied by a fixed liquidity factor of 0.75 to derive the final FFW used for index calculation.
• Every April, the application of this liquidity factor is reviewed by the TSE. In this insight, we take an early look at what could happen in April 2024.

• AEM (AEM SP) reported FY23 results which showed a decline of 45% in annual revenues and a small loss on the net income line. Guidance is only given for 1H24.
• Senior management will forego all bonuses, the CFO departs and the old CEO is coming back as a consultant. AEM’s stock closed down 20% after the FY23 results publication.
• A potential new Trump presidency would push an “America First” agenda likely benefiting Intel and indirectly AEM in a big way.

For our next Corporate Webinar we are glad to welcome iFAST’s Executive Director and Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Jean Paul Wong. 

In the upcoming webinar, Jean will share a short company presentation after which, he will engage in a fireside chat with Smartkarma Insight Provider, Alec Tseung.

Alec will also be providing an industry overview, featuring landscape commentary and returns analysis. The Corporate Webinar will include a live Q&A session.

In the spirit of giving back to our community, one of the attendees will also be awarded an Amazon Kindle as part of our exclusive lucky draw. 

The Corporate Webinar will be hosted on Thursday, 7 March 2024, 19:00 SGT.

About iFAST Corporation 

iFAST Corp (stock code: AIY) is a wealth management Fintech platform, with assets under administration (AUA) of S$19.83 billion as at 31 December 2023. Incorporated in the year 2000 in Singapore and listed on the SGX-Mainboard in December 2014, the Group is also present in Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, and UK. Through the years, the Group has built a well-established Fintech ecosystem connecting its product providers and clients. iFAST Corp holds the requisite licences in the various jurisdictions it operates in to provide a wide range of products and services.

As at end December 2023, the Group offers access to over 21,000 investment products including over 13,000 funds from over 320 fund houses, over 2,400 bonds, stocks and ETFs listed on the Singapore, Hong Kong, US, Malaysia, UK, and China A stock exchanges, as well as services including pension administration solutions, online discretionary portfolio management services, research and investment seminars, Fintech solutions, and investment administration and transaction services.

• Competition in the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) space is intensifying; Micron shares have rallied after it announced HBM3e mass production; SK Hynix has outperformed since its earnings release.
• Nvidia’s H200, its most advanced chip for generative AI, leans heavily on HBM3e memory for its increased performance vs. the previous H100 generation. Memory leaders are key for Nvidia’s success.
• Taiwan’s Nanya Tech appears to be watching HBM competition between Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung from the sidelines; can its shares get back into the game?

• Mediatek Top Performer; Showcasing New AI Capabilities at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona
• Memory Monitor: Competition Is Hotting Up for Key Memory Chips Nvidia Depends On; Nanya Left Out?
• Novatek (3034.TT): It Has Been Qualified by the IPhone 16 for OLED Driver IC

• Plover Bay Technologies (1523 HK) reported an 8.5%/ 24YoY increase in revenue/profits (%). Profits increased due to a net margin expansion of 370 bps to 29.8%. 
• The company had positive news in January when Peplink announced that it had agreed with SpaceX’s Starlink to become an authorized technology provider using Peplink SD-WAN routers.
• Trading at 11x/10x PE FY23/FY24e, with an 8.2% trailing dividend yield and ~60% ROE, this is another growth/dividend gem worth exploring.

• We discuss the end of the mandatory lock-up periods for 51 stocks in Korea in March 2024, among which 5 are in KOSPI and 46 are in KOSDAQ.
• These 51 stocks on average could be subject to further selling pressures in March and could underperform relative to the market.
• The top five market cap stocks including those of which at least 1% of outstanding shares could be sold include APR, WCP, DS Dansuk, GI Innovation, and Geolit Energy.

• The supply chain received good news that Novatek Microelectronics Corp (3034 TT) as successfully passed iPhone 16 OLED DRIVER IC (DDIC) qualification.
• Novatek’s recent alliance with ARM to develop Neoverse V2 is a noteworthy development.
• Novatek’s 1Q24F forecast remains unchanged, but the outlook for 2024F is likely to show positive growth.

• Pureprofile Ltd (ASX:PPL) is a data analytics, consumer insights and media company underpinned by proprietary technology, servicing business decision makers in brands and media companies as well as market researchers.
• Pureprofile has confirmed, as previously announced on 30 January, that H1 FY24 revenue was $24.0m, with platform revenue contributing $4.4m, a 104% increase on the previous corresponding period (pcp).
• EBITDA, adjusted for significant and non-cash items, increased 9.6% to $2.37m.

• Palo Alto Networks’ Q2 2024 earnings highlight indicate the company’s continued success in executing its profitable growth strategy.
• The cybersecurity giant achieved significant top-line growth with revenues surging by 19% YoY, the RPO growing by 22%, and billings increasing by 16% YoY. Impressive, non-GAAP operating margins of 28.6% expanded roughly 600 basis points YoY, generating $2.9 billion in adjusted free cash flow on a trailing 12-month basis.
• Baptista Research looks to evaluate the different factors that could influence the company’s price in the near future and attempts to carry out an independent valuation of the company using a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) methodology.