IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

Arun has over 15 years’ experience covering the Technology sector. During this time, he has worked with technology start-ups and as an equity analyst in investment banks and independent research firms. He was formerly a Technology Analyst for Canaccord Genuity, Altium Securities, Espirito Santo Investment Bank, Noble Group and Clear Capital. He has a dual Master’s degree in Financial Engineering and Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He is also a CFA charterholder.

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Dingdong IPO Initiation: An Arms Race Is Brewing

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<div><p><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/dingdong-maicai" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33461:1" rel="noopener">Dingdong Maicai (DDL US)</a> is an online grocery platform in China. The <em>Dingdong Fresh</em> mobile app and mini-programs enable Chinese consumer to shop online for groceries and other products. Dingdong notes that its market share in the on-demand e-commerce industry as measured by GMV (gross merchandise value) was 10.1% in 2020, according to CIC. Dingdong is backed by Shunwei China Internet Fund V (5.7% of outstanding shares), General Atlantic (5.6%), SoftBank Vision Fund (5.6%), CMC Capital (5.3%) and DST Asia (5.1%). </p></div><div><p>At the mid-point of the proposed IPO price range of $23.50-25.50 per ADS, Dingdong will have a market cap of $6.0 billion. At the mid-point of the IPO price range, the net proceeds are $314.9 million, below the rumoured $500 million raise target. Dingdong has received $200 million indications of interest from existing shareholders Aspex Master Fund ($50 million), Coatue ($50 million), SoftBank Vision Fund ($50 million) and Tiger Global ($500 million). </p></div><div><p>In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/dingdong-ipo-initiation-an-arms-race-is-brewing" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:53334" rel="noopener">Dingdong IPO Initiation: An Arms Race Is Brewing</a>,  we stated that t<span>he current frenzy around the online grocery delivery market in China is reminiscent of the bike-sharing frenzy a few years.</span><span> The resulting arms race has led to specialists (such as Dingdong and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/missfresh-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33468:1" rel="noopener">Missfresh (MF US)</a>), tech goliaths (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pinduoduo-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27250:1" rel="noopener">Pinduoduo (PDD US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan-dianping" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a>) and traditional offline stores (such as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/wm-tech-corporation" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32976:1" rel="noopener">WM Tech Corporation (WMT HK)</a>) reporting heavy losses for their online grocery segments in the quest to grab market share. </span><span>The online grocery delivery market is set for a shakeout which means that like bike-sharing, it will result in significant shareholder value destruction. We concluded that we would pass on the IPO and wait on the sidelines to see how this plays out.</span></p></div><div><div class="content-highlight"><p>Our valuation analysis suggests that Dingdong trades at attractive multiples (EV/Sales and growth adjusted EV/Sales) compared to its peers. The strong indications of interest suggest ongoing support from shareholders. While the fundamentals are less than ideal, the undemanding rating implied by the IPO price range offers a reasonable risk-reward profile. We think that Dingdong is worth a punt for investors seeking to play the first-day IPO pops or gain exposure to a pure-play online grocery delivery platform. </p></div></div><div><p><strong><em>For readers interested in peer</em></strong>, Missfresh, which also launched its Nasdaq IPO, we highlight our note - <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/missfresh-ipo-initiation-no-so-fresh" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:53139" rel="noopener">Missfresh IPO Initiation: No so Fresh</a>. WM Tech has also filed for an HKEx IPO to raise potentially $1 billion, according to press reports. We discussed this in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/wm-tech-ipo-initiation-food-for-thought" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:49914" rel="noopener">WM Tech IPO Initiation: Food for Thought</a>. </p></div>

Dingdong Maicai (DDL US) is an online grocery platform in China. The Dingdong Fresh mobile app and mini-programs enable Chinese consumer to shop online for groceries and other products. Dingdong notes that its market share in the on-demand e-commerce industry as measured by GMV (gross merchandise value) was 10.1% in 2020, according to CIC. Dingdong is backed by Shunwei China Internet Fund V (5.7% of outstanding shares), General Atlantic (5.6%), SoftBank Vision Fund (5.6%), CMC Capital (5.3%) and DST Asia (5.1%). At the mid-point of the proposed IPO price range of $23.50-25.50 per ADS, Dingdong will have a market cap of $6.0 billion. At the mid-point of the IPO price range, the net proceeds are $314.9 million, below the rumoured $500 million raise target. Dingdong has received $200 million indications of interest from existing shareholders Aspex Master Fund ($50 million), Coatue ($50 million), SoftBank Vision Fund ($50 million) and Tiger Global ($500 million). In Dingdong IPO Initiation: An Arms Race Is Brewing,  we stated that the current frenzy around the online grocery delivery market in China is reminiscent of the bike-sharing frenzy a few years. The resulting arms race has led to specialists (such as Dingdong and Missfresh (MF US)), tech goliaths (Pinduoduo (PDD US) and Meituan (3690 HK)) and traditional offline stores (such as WM Tech Corporation (WMT HK)) reporting heavy losses for their online grocery segments in the quest to grab market share. The online grocery delivery market is set for a shakeout which means that like bike-sharing, it will result in significant shareholder value destruction. We concluded that we would pass on the IPO and wait on the sidelines to see how this plays out.Our valuation analysis suggests that Dingdong trades at attractive multiples (EV/Sales and growth adjusted EV/Sales) compared to its peers. The strong indications of interest suggest ongoing support from shareholders. While the fundamentals are less than ideal, the undemanding rating implied by the IPO price range offers a reasonable risk-reward profile. We think that Dingdong is worth a punt for investors seeking to play the first-day IPO pops or gain exposure to a pure-play online grocery delivery platform. For readers interested in peer, Missfresh, which also launched its Nasdaq IPO, we highlight our note - Missfresh IPO Initiation: No so Fresh. WM Tech has also filed for an HKEx IPO to raise potentially $1 billion, according to press reports. We discussed this in WM Tech IPO Initiation: Food for Thought. 

Dingdong Maicai

Dingdong IPO: Valuation Insights