Overseas Chinese Equities, Aequitas Research

Ming Lu

Overseas Chinese Equities

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Bottom-Up

Alibaba Group Holding  / Equity Bottom-Up

Alibaba Group Holding Limited provides online sales services. The Company provides internet infrastructure, electronic commerce, online financial, and internet content services through its subsidiaries. Alibaba Group Holding offers its products and services worldwide.

<ul>
<li>Customer management as the largest business began to increase compared to the past two stagnant quarters.</li>
<li>We believe margin will continue to decline as the company turned its focus to growth.</li>
<li>We conclude an upside of 41% for March 2025 based on peer companies’ P/S ratios.</li>
</ul>


Customer management as the largest business began to increase compared to the past two stagnant quarters.
We believe margin will continue to decline as the company turned its focus to growth.
We conclude an upside of 41% for March 2025 based on peer companies’ P/S ratios.


Alibaba (9988 HK): 4Q24, Main Business Began to Grow

Tencent Holdings Limited operates as an investment holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides Internet and mobile value-added services (VAS), online advertising, and e-commerce transactions. Tencent Holdings offers services to users worldwide.

<ul>
<li>The operating margin in 1Q24 reached the highest since 2Q16, as the gross margins of all businesses improved.</li>
<li>The growth rate of online advertising is high than our estimate, but the growth rate of FinTech is lower than our estimate.</li>
<li>We believe there is still an upside of 9% and the price target will be HK$415 for the end of 2024.</li>
</ul>


The operating margin in 1Q24 reached the highest since 2Q16, as the gross margins of all businesses improved.
The growth rate of online advertising is high than our estimate, but the growth rate of FinTech is lower than our estimate.
We believe there is still an upside of 9% and the price target will be HK$415 for the end of 2024.


Tencent (700 HK): 1Q24, Highest Margin in Seven Years

BYD Company Limited, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells automobiles. The Company also researches, develops, manufactures and sells batteries, which are applied on mobile phones, cordless phones, power tools and other kinds of portable electronic devices.

<ul>
<li>The new energy vehicle producers’ ranks changed a lot in April.</li>
<li>GAC began to sell batteries to outside new energy vehicle producers.</li>
<li>Kuaishou’s GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) increased by 420% YoY during the Labor Day.</li>
</ul>


The new energy vehicle producers’ ranks changed a lot in April.
GAC began to sell batteries to outside new energy vehicle producers.
Kuaishou’s GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) increased by 420% YoY during the Labor Day.


China Consumption Weekly (13 May 2024): Guangzhou Auto, NIO, CALT, Kuaishou, Trip.com, Seres

<ul>
<li>We believe total revenue will grow by 7% YoY in 1Q24 and faster in the remaining three quarters of 2024.</li>
<li>We believe EPS will grow by 41% to HK$3.80, which is higher than the market consensus.</li>
<li>The stock has risen by 26% since our last Buy rating, but there is still an upside of 9% till the end of 2024.</li>
</ul>


We believe total revenue will grow by 7% YoY in 1Q24 and faster in the remaining three quarters of 2024.
We believe EPS will grow by 41% to HK$3.80, which is higher than the market consensus.
The stock has risen by 26% since our last Buy rating, but there is still an upside of 9% till the end of 2024.


Tencent (700 HK): 1Q24 Preview, EPS Up by 40%, But Upside Narrowed by Significant Price Rise

<ul>
<li>We believe revenue will grow by 6% YoY in 4Q24, but by 11% for FY2026 (roughly 2025 calendar year).</li>
<li>We believe Alibaba has been actively raising its revenue growth, but this the effect cannot be seen in the short run.</li>
<li>We conclude the stock has an upside of 46% and a price target of US$120.</li>
</ul>


We believe revenue will grow by 6% YoY in 4Q24, but by 11% for FY2026 (roughly 2025 calendar year).
We believe Alibaba has been actively raising its revenue growth, but this the effect cannot be seen in the short run.
We conclude the stock has an upside of 46% and a price target of US$120.


Alibaba (BABA US) 4Q24 Preview: Many Moves Under One-Digit Growth, 46% Upside

A veteran with 19-year experience in equity research.

Geographical coverage:
* Companies operating in China, but listed in Hong Kong and the U.S.
* Previously China A-share (listed in mainland China).

Equity sector coverage:
* Chinese App / Internet-based consumption in China, e.g., Alibaba, Tencent, etc.
* Previously covered education, transportation, telecom, power, bank, advertisement, hotel, etc.

Research methods:
* Generally bottom-up.
* Talk to related people on the ground.  Talk to readers and independent writers for analyzing a news portal.  Talk to parents and teachers for analyzing a tutoring school. 
* Visit stores and show photos as evidence in notes.
* Do technical analysis when finding a short-seller attacking an equity.

Languages:
* English
* Mandarin Chinese (Official language of China)
* Shanghainese (Language of Shanghai, the most developed city in China)
* Cantonese (Language of Hong Kong and Canton Province, one of the most developed provinces in China)