In this briefing:
- SoftBank Corp IPO Valuation: Bull/Bear Case DCF Scenarios
- Start Your Engines: SoftBank Corp (9434 JP) Is Off to the Races
- Last Week’s GER IPO Research: Tencent Music, IPO Trading Strategy Deep Dive, WuXi, Junshi & Xinyi
- Historical TOPIX Inclusions: How Do They Do Around Inclusion Date?
- Lawson’s New Online Service Is Working, Doubles Coverage
1. SoftBank Corp IPO Valuation: Bull/Bear Case DCF Scenarios
Softbank Group (9984 JP) is set to raise JPY2.65 trillion ($23.5 billion) through the Softbank Corp (9434 JP) IPO, Japan’s biggest-ever IPO. However, SoftBank Corp’s IPO which is set for 19 December is oversubscribed by less than double, according to press reports. This level of oversubscription is well below blockbuster Japanese stock debuts such as Mercari Inc (4385 JP) and Recruit Holdings (6098 JP).
Based on client discussion on SoftBank Corp’s intrinsic value, we have put together a DCF-based valuation along with scenario analysis. Our conclusion remains the same that SoftBank Corp is overvalued at the proposed IPO price of JPY1,500 per share.
2. Start Your Engines: SoftBank Corp (9434 JP) Is Off to the Races
The price has been set. The book building is done. Like watching a sleek race car aligned on the starting grid, the world eagerly awaits the start of trading for Softbank Corp (9434 JP) on Wednesday, 19 December.
We are also eager to see the stock go live. It’s not only nostalgia for the stock code “9434” to be brought back into the race, but it will be helpful to be able to compare the stock and to gain better insights into the domestic Japanese telecom industry.
That said, the past few weeks have been full of drama, and some of the drama has longer-term implications. In this insight, we take a more detailed look at some of the challenges facing SoftBank Corp. and some of the concerns that may give investors pause, or at least some things to keep in mind, over the months ahead.
Specifically, we look at issues related to:
- Network outages
- Huawei network equipment
- Corporate governance
- Regulatory headwinds
- Competitive threats
3. Last Week’s GER IPO Research: Tencent Music, IPO Trading Strategy Deep Dive, WuXi, Junshi & Xinyi
Another busy week for IPO research from the GER team. This week, we recap the Tencent Music Entertainment (TME US) IPO which we noted is more fairly valued post its day one rally. Secondly, we dig into Chinese domiciled IPOs that are listed in the States and find some interesting trends on maximizing the ‘pop’, knowing when to get out and an assessment of longer-term performance. Arun nails his DCF valuation on WuXi AppTec Co. Ltd. (2359 HK) which closed at his base-case valuation while he recommends getting involved at the low-end for Shanghai Junshi Bioscience Co. Ltd. (1387344D CH) . Finally, Xinyi Energy Holdings Ltd (1671746D HK) spares further wrath as it postpones its IPO – Venkat digs into the reasons why he is cautious on the company.
Quote of the week:
Please note the post-apocalyptical fiction section has been moved to current affairs
– Sign in front of a UK bookstore
Video of the week: Santas hit the slopes in Maine
This is our last wrap of 2018 – we wish you a safe and happy festive period – and we will back in 2019!
Best wishes – Rickin, Venkat and Arun
4. Historical TOPIX Inclusions: How Do They Do Around Inclusion Date?
There are seven stocks which were promoted/reassigned from TSE2, MOTHERS, and JASDAQ in November 2018 leading to the same seven stocks being included in TOPIX at the end of December.
A couple are decently largecap. Most are smaller.
A good question to ask when looking at these stocks might be… What Really Happens Around TOPIX Inclusions?
Having traded them for much of the last 20yrs, I had my hypotheses, and had done studies over the years for my own purposes, but I had not done a study recently. To check my personal hypotheses I tested 340+ TOPIX inclusions over the past five years.
There are patterns to the history of trading these events which are worth a look. Some of the patterns are reasonably interesting.
5. Lawson’s New Online Service Is Working, Doubles Coverage
Lawson (2651 JP) Fresh Pick is the convenience store operator’s new e-commerce solution for food launched earlier this year, and replacing various other less successful experiments.
Unlike competing services, Lawson’s service is limited to just 600 SKUs (stock keeping units), all fresh foods, and Lawson offers no home delivery, only click-and-collect.
In the nine months since launch, the service has expanded from 200 to 1,200 stores, currently concentrated in west Tokyo and Kanagawa.
It is a model that will expand rapidly across the rest of the country because Lawson has to invest so little to make this happen.
