Brief TMT & Internet: Alps Alpine Buyback Proceeding Apace and more

In this briefing:

1. Alps Alpine Buyback Proceeding Apace
2. Sea Ltd (SE US): Placement a Good Opportunity to Enter an Attractive Story
3. Sea Ltd Placement – Capitalizing on Momentum
4. Bharti Airtel Buy on Short Lived Breach Below Support
5. HK Connect Discovery – February Snapshot (Tencent, COFCO Meat)

1. Alps Alpine Buyback Proceeding Apace

Late last year, in the final run-up to the vote to determine whether Alpine (6816 JP) investors would subject themselves to a bad share exchange ratio or would choose to oblige Alps (6770 JP) to have another run at it in a different format, Alps announced a shareholder return policy which included buying back ¥40 billion of shares. 

It is to be noted that this meant that the combined entity was going to be left with less cash than the total deemed necessary by the two companies just a very short while before. Why? Because Alps – with the strong governance it has – obviously had the right amount – and Alpine also had the right amount (it needed substantial equity-funded cash as “working capital” because otherwise it would run a serious danger of business disruption and deterioration. So despite this severe business risk, the two companies effectively announced they would disburse 90% of Alpine’s cash on hand to shareholders POST-MERGER through the special dividend offered to sweeten the pot to get the merger through, and the ¥40 billion buyback. 

The merger, of course, went through, and the ¥28.4 billion* buyback is proceeding apace.

2. Sea Ltd (SE US): Placement a Good Opportunity to Enter an Attractive Story

Last Friday, Sea Ltd (SE US) unveiled plans to raise around $1 billion (based on the closing price on 28 February) through an underwritten public offering of 50 million ADS. The fundraising was inevitable due to the high cash burn and net cash position.

3. Sea Ltd Placement – Capitalizing on Momentum

Sea Ltd (SE US) is looking to raise about US$1.2bn in its upcoming placement. It will be larger than its IPO in 2017, which raised about US$880m.

The deal scores well on our framework owing to decent valuation, strong price and earnings momentum but had little track record for comparison. The company announced a strong set of FY2018/Q4 2018 results which had beaten estimates. 

Even though, the deal size is large, representing 23.2 days of three-month ADV, there is enough time between the announcement to the end of the bookbuild to price in the impact of the placement. 

4. Bharti Airtel Buy on Short Lived Breach Below Support

Bharti Airtel (BHARTI IN) corrective cycle does not appear complete with risk of a final spike lower  below key pivot support. It is this crack lower that we want to take advantage of.

Sell volume spike implies the flat range will break lower. 

Daily cycle triangulation sides with a press below pivot support. An upside break of this triangle would trigger a tactical long but would lack needed gas for a sustainable drive.

Weekly MACD is seeking a bottoming/basing cycle that will turn the cycle higher once we see a final capitulation spike below pivot support as we did back in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

5. HK Connect Discovery – February Snapshot (Tencent, COFCO Meat)

This is a monthly version of our HK Connect Weekly note, in which I highlight Hong Kong-listed companies leading the southbound flow weekly. Over the past month, we have seen the outflow continue from January. In February, we have seen Chinese investors were selling Tencent in February after buying Tencent in January. Chinese investors were also buying domestic automotive manufacturers and Macau gaming sectors.

Our February Coverage of Hong Kong Connect southbound flow

• HK Connect Discovery Weekly: China Tower, Geely, COFCO Meat (2019-02-15)
• HK Connect Discovery Weekly: Geely, Great Wall Motor and Sands China (2019-02-22)