Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

HK Type 4 license through Ballingal Investment Advisors Ltd. ("BIA" or "BIAL")

BACKGROUND
I have 20+yrs experience in Asia doing alternative strategies (i.e. non-delta1 non long-only) in fixed income, equity derivatives, and activist/catalyst/event-driven and long-short equity strategies with most of that time spent managing money. 

4 years in fixed income macro, 8 years running internal hedge fund and 4yrs investment banking at Citi in Japan, 3 years running an Asia multi-strat portfolio at a hedge fund, 4+yrs as an independent special situations analyst.

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Bandai Namco Gets That Last Bit of Gundam: Tender Offer for Sotsu (3711 JP)

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

I expected an "easy" Tender Offer in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bandai-namco-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13435:1" rel="noopener">Bandai Namco Holdings (7832 JP)</a>'s "cleanup" of Gundam merchandising IP licensee/owner <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sotsu-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12978:1" rel="noopener">Sotsu Co Ltd (3711 JP)</a> founder Nasu Yuji's 49.2% stake, which then leads to Bandai Namco owning more than two-thirds, which allows Bandai Namco to squeeze out minorities. Done at a 66% premium to last close and an EV/EBITDA multiple of almost 10x, with almost 90% of the register easily accounted for, I had expected this to go quite smoothly. While it is not a knock-out price, given the founder is selling out his 49.2%, I had not expected anyone would come out against it vocally, but someone has. RMB Capital (“RMB”), an independent investment advisory firm based in Chicago, issued a <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191105006284/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> early this morning Asia time outlining their beef. This is a burger with multiple patties.<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/104/769/original/Screenshot%202019-11-06%20at%209.52.17%20AM.png?1573005152" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="104769"></figure><div class="content-caption">excerpt from the <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191105006284/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Press Release</a>
</div>RMB explains their issues in more detail, and they are interesting. I dig in below.And because it is Sotsu... I offer a gratuitous Gundam gif (the cool retro "tokusatsu" vids are in the previous piece <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/bandai-namco-gets-that-last-bit-of-gundam-tender-offer-for-sotsu-3711-jp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:33017" rel="noopener">Bandai Namco Gets That Last Bit of Gundam: Tender Offer for Sotsu (3711 JP)</a> <figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/104/826/original/gundam.gif?1573019136" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="104826"></figure><hr>For more about the rules, regulations, quirks, and foibles of Japanese M&amp;A, please see the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/quiddity-japan-m-a-guide-2019" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:28911" rel="noopener">Quiddity Japan M&amp;A Guide 2019</a>.

I expected an "easy" Tender Offer in Bandai Namco Holdings (7832 JP)'s "cleanup" of Gundam merchandising IP licensee/owner Sotsu Co Ltd (3711 JP) founder Nasu Yuji's 49.2% stake, which then leads to Bandai Namco owning more than two-thirds, which allows Bandai Namco to squeeze out minorities. Done at a 66% premium to last close and an EV/EBITDA multiple of almost 10x, with almost 90% of the register easily accounted for, I had expected this to go quite smoothly. While it is not a knock-out price, given the founder is selling out his 49.2%, I had not expected anyone would come out against it vocally, but someone has. RMB Capital (“RMB”), an independent investment advisory firm based in Chicago, issued a press release early this morning Asia time outlining their beef. This is a burger with multiple patties.excerpt from the Press Release
RMB explains their issues in more detail, and they are interesting. I dig in below.And because it is Sotsu... I offer a gratuitous Gundam gif (the cool retro "tokusatsu" vids are in the previous piece Bandai Namco Gets That Last Bit of Gundam: Tender Offer for Sotsu (3711 JP) For more about the rules, regulations, quirks, and foibles of Japanese M&amp;A, please see the Quiddity Japan M&amp;A Guide 2019.

Gundam Gets Jiggy - A Voice Cries "Chotto Matte"