PROVEN INVESTMENTS RIGHTS ISSUE Recommendation
Transcription
PROVEN INVESTMENTS RIGHTS ISSUE Recommendation
PROVEN INVESTMENTS RIGHTS ISSUE Recommendation Participate Overview Proven Investments Limited is seeking to raise additional equity financing of approximately US$20Mn by way of a renounceable rights issue. A rights issue is an offering which gives existing shareholders the right to buy additional shares directly from the company in proportion to their existing holdings, within a fixed time period. In a rights offering, the subscription price at which each share may be purchased is usually at a discount to the current market price. In the case of Proven, shareholders will be able to purchase the shares at US$0.16 cents per share which is a discount relative to the current market price of US$0.18. Participants in the rights issue have the option of subscribing in either JMD (at J$18.50) or USD and may also elect to receive dividend payments in either JMD or USD. Given the dual currency option of the issue, PIL will seek to list the shares on both the JSE main USD denominated index and the main JMD denominated index. With the company in acquisition mode, it is expected that the proceeds from the rights issue will be used to fund new ventures as well as to increase its capital base. Each shareholder will be entitled to one ordinary share for every three ordinary shares held. The rights are renounceable, which means that if a shareholder chooses not to take up the offering, it can be taken up by an investor of their choosing or by the general public. Rights Issues have being Proven’s preferred method of raising capital, having raised US$9.6Mn from a rights issue in August 2010 and US$10Mn in May 2014. Issuer Proven Investments Limited Issue 1 Share for every 3 ordinary share held by shareholders in the capital of the company as at the record date Offer Price No. of Offered Ordinary shares Amount to be Raised US$0.16/J$18.50 122,896,618 US$19,663,458.88 Opening Date March 24, 2015 Closing Date April 2, 2015 **March 16 2015 The fair value estimate of the stock is important in determining whether or not investors should participate. Our fair value estimates for Proven were derived using the Dividend Discount Model (DDM) and the Relative Value Approach. The DDM yields a fair value estimate of $0.1765, while the P/E Multiple yields a price of $0.1335. Averaging these two prices yields a fair value estimate of US$0.1550. As such, the offer of $0.16 is within our fair value estimate. While the offer is fairly priced, holders of the stock will realize an immediate capital gain if market conditions and multiples remain the same. The current market price of the stock, at US$0.18, is 12.5% above the offer price. Capital gains aside, returns on the stock are augmented by its attractive tax free dividend. The dividend yield of approximately 6% is more attractive relative to US dollar denominated repos. However in a worst case scenario, the price of the stock could Prepared by NCB Capital Market Research Team: Annya Walker, Research Manager e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2716 Simone Hudson, Senior Research Analyst e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2585 Shellon Williams, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2749 Shaneka Wynter, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2763 1 decline towards our fair value estimate, which is also the 52 week low. However losses would be partially mitigated by the stock’s attractive dividend yield. Additionally the expected foreign exchange gains of between 4% and 6% should also augment returns if participants subscribe in USD. We are also recommending participation in the rights issue on the basis that investments in USD denominated assets, such as PROVEN ordinary shares, provide a hedge against the depreciation of the local currency, and is also good way to hedge the value of ones’ portfolio. The option to subscribe in JMD also provides a good opportunity for participation of institutional investors such as pension funds and other fund managers, which have to adhere to regulations which limit their percentage holdings in USD denominated assets. The Corporate Structure (See Appendix) As an International Business Company (IBC), Proven is not regulated by the Financial Services Commission (FSC). PIL’s business model was the first of its kind in Jamaica and is based primarily on holding tradable securities for investment purposes. However PIL has also sought to pursue private equity opportunities as they arise. To date PIL has closed six private equity transactions, Proven Wealth Limited, Asset Management Company Limited, PWL Transitions Limited, Access Financial Services, Knutsford Express Services and Proven Reit Limited. Proven Wealth Limited is regulated by the FSC. The assets and operations of PIL are managed by Proven Management Limited (PML) which acts as the investment manager. PIL’s performance is hinged on three strategies: carry trade, portfolio positioning and private equity. Carry Trade in its simplest form can be thought of as sourcing low cost funding, and then using these funds to purchase higher yielding investments. The carry trade strategy involves the investment of funds raised through the issuance of short to medium term debt instruments in a diversified portfolio of securities. This strategy, given the longer duration of liabilities, provides greater stability in PIL’s fund raising relative to the repo-based model employed by most local securities dealers Portfolio Positioning PIL currently generates most of its revenues from actively analyzing regional and global markets, in an attempt to identify attractive investment opportunities Private Equity-PIL also actively seeks lucrative private equity investments which have led to the acquisition of a 100% stake in Guardian Asset Management Jamaica Limited (later rebranded as PROVEN Wealth Limited (PWL)) and Asset Management Company Limited (AMCL). PWL, a securities dealer, is regulated by the FSC and engages in the management of client portfolios while AMCL, the owner of the ‘Easy Own’ brand, is a hire purchase financing company. PIL signed an agreement in April 2014 to acquire 100% of the shareholdings of First Global Services Limited (FGFS). Following the acquisition, FGFS was later rebranded to PWL Transitions Limited (PWLTL). The core business of PWLTL is that of securities dealing, asset management, corporate finance advice and pension fund management. PIL also has an 85% stake in Proven REIT Limited (PRL), a company established to facilitate real estate related investments. Proven Kingsway Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of PRL, and is the vehicle through which the sole property owned by PIL was purchased in February 2012. The Kingsway development began in March 2014 and is expected to be completed in April 2015 and will feature a total of 31 apartment units The most recent equity investment of PIL was the acquisition of a 49% stake in micro-lender Access Financial Services which took place in December 2014 for J$1.2Bn. Prepared by NCB Capital Market Research Team: Annya Walker, Research Manager e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2716 Simone Hudson, Senior Research Analyst e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2585 Shellon Williams, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2749 Shaneka Wynter, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2763 2 Purpose of Offer The net proceeds from the offer will be used by the company to bolster its capital base. In addition, the company intends to use the capital raised to pursue expansion and acquisition opportunities. The positive movements in the bond market benefitted PROVEN’s portfolio positioning strategy. US corporate bonds accounted for 18% of PIL’s investment portfolio. The strategy also benefitted from the rallying of emerging market bond prices. As a result, gains on securities trading amounted to US$2.72Mn compared to US$1.99Mn a year earlier. Financial Performance-Nine Months to Dec 2014 Breakdown of PIL’s Investment Portfolio For the nine month period ended December 2014, PROVEN reported earnings of US$4.68Mn (EPS:US$0.0127) which represented a 67.6% increase relative to the US$2.79Mn reported in the corresponding prior year period. The increase in earnings largely reflected extraordinary gains arising from the acquisition of FGFS. If we were exclude extraordinary gains and losses, PIL would have reported a 7.6% increase in earnings over the nine month period. PWLTL contributed US$2.50Mn to earnings for the seven months since the acquisition date. U.S. corporate bonds posted positive total returns in 2014, boosted by falling yields on intermediate- and longterm Treasuries and the comparatively higher coupons corporates offer. A wide range of factors came together to fuel the bond market's strong performance primarily in the second and third quarters of 2014. Economic data continued to point to an environment of steady growth, positive enough to support the performance of corporate and high yield bonds. Historically, an improving economy has been supportive for corporate bonds, pushing prices higher relative to Treasuries. Concerns about the likelihood of the US Federal Reserve increasing short term rates was not enough to trump bond prices as the market came to the realization that the Fed was in no hurry to increase rates. Adding to the positive performance of US bonds was geopolitical iinstability , which further boosted Treasuries by encouraging a flight to quality. Prepared by NCB Capital Market Research Team: We are of the opinion that gains from fixed income trading could fall this year as the outlook for the bond market for 2015 indicates limited upside potential. PIL will likely have to diversify its portfolio across fixed income sectors and non-bond sources of income in order to improve return potential. Considering that the US equities market has been showing resilience, there will have to be some portfolio repositioning in order to shore up trading gains. Given the less optimistic outlook for fixed income trading it is less likely that PIL will be able to execute on a growth strategy by way of capital gains from assets. The company may have to rely more heavily on generating interest income. Other non-interest bearing line items such as fees & commission had meaningful impact, growing to US$1.46Mn from US$33,398 as a result of the acquisition of FGFS and its pension portfolio. During the nine month period, gains on foreign currency positions decreased by 63% to US$0.33Mn. With the majority of non-interesting items registering growth, 3 Annya Walker, Research Manager e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2716 Simone Hudson, Senior Research Analyst e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2585 Shellon Williams, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2749 Shaneka Wynter, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2763 this allowed for a 46.0% increase in non-interest income to US$5.26Mn. Good interest spread management through its carry trade strategy allowed for growth in net interest income by 49.7% to US$4.04Mn. Vital Statistics Year end 31-Mar Stock code PIL Participate in Rights Issue US$0.21/US$0.16 Recommendation 52-wk high/low Operating expenses rose significantly (83.1%) to US$6.14Mn as a result of the amalgamation of PWLTL and higher dividends on Manager’s preference shares1 during Q3 2014. The Manager’s Preference shares also carry the right to a dividend equal to 25% of PIL’s profits earned in excess of the hurdle rate, payable quarterly. The hurdle rate is a percentage return on PIL’s average equity in each financial year, set annually at the 12 Month LIBOR rate prevailing at the beginning of the financial year plus 200 bps, with a permanent ceiling of 6% and a floor of 5% for PIL’s first two years of operation. As a result the group’s efficiency ratio deteriorated to 66% from 53% in the corresponding prior year period. Balance Sheet Total assets amounted to US$347.00Mn as at December 2014, up from US$146.4Mn as a result of the acquisition and the consolidation of PWLTL and additional investments in associate companies-Access Financial Services and Knutsford Express Limited. The increase in total liabilities (+ 137%) to US$304.47Mn also bore the effect of repurchase agreements from PWLTL. At the end of December 2014 shareholder’s equity stood at US$42.4Mn (BVPS:$0.11505). The projected BVPS following the rights issue is US$0.1263. Current Price US$0.18 Trailing EPS 1.60cents (US$0.016) Trailing P/E Trailing P/E @ IPO Price Forward Price Current Book Value Current Price to Book Ratio IPO price to book value Book Value Post Rights Issue 11.25X 10.00X US$ US$0.11505 1.56X 1.39X US$0.1263 Projections & Valuations Based on PIL’s nine months performance to December 2014, we are of the opinion that earnings will close the year at US$5.51Mn (EPS:$0,0150), up 45.9% over the prior year, primarily as a result of consolidation with PWLTL (formerly FGFS). PIL’s carry trade strategy is expected to be of great focus in 2015 relative to portfolio positioning as market opportunities such as the rallying of GOJ and US corporate bond prices seen in 2014 are not likely to recur with such significance this year. With interest rates in the US likely to increase this year we are of the opinion that US corporate bonds prices will suffer some falloff, limiting securities trading gains. Emerging market bonds could also see some price falloff given the expected increase in interest rates in the US as funds flow towards safer assets. As it relates to GOJ global bonds, we are of the view that the positive outlook of the sovereign has been fully priced-in, and prices should stabilize which should limit the upside potential on these bonds. 1 MPS Holdings Limited (“MPS”),an investment holding company incorporated in St.Lucia as an IBC, with the same shareholders as PML, holds the 10,000 Manager’s Preference Shares in PIL which carry the rights.. Prepared by NCB Capital Market Research Team: Annya Walker, Research Manager e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2716 Simone Hudson, Senior Research Analyst e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2585 Shellon Williams, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2749 Shaneka Wynter, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2763 4 The company is also expected to continue to pursue its private equity strategy. This will result in some volatility in earnings but bodes well for inorganic growth. The recent acquisition of 49.27% stake in the fast growing micro lender, Access Financial (AFS) provides an opportunity to benefit from the growth potential and further upside expected of AFS. PIL recently sold the loan portfolio of Asset Management Company Ltd (AMCL) to AFS. Assumptions Variables Dividend Payout Risk Free Rate Comments 50% 12.17% Growth 7.55% Justified P/E 11.916X FY 2015 0.0150 Core EPS FY2015 FY 2016 0.0112 0.0116 Stated Dividend policy according to prospectus Yield on the GOJ 2039s and a 5% equity risk premium Projected ROE times 55% retention ratio according to stated dividend policy Derived from the aforementioned variables As per projections As per projections Fair Value Estimates The fair value estimates for Proven were derived using the Dividend Discount Model (DDM) and Relative Value Approach. The DDM yields a fair value estimate of $0.1765, while the P/E Multiple yields a price of $0.1335. Averaging these two prices yields a fair value estimate of US$0.1550. As such, the offer of $0.16 is within our fair value estimate. Dividend Discount Model Year 1 2 3 Dividends 0.00897 0.00639 0.00740 0.01003 0.01239 Discounted CFS 0.00800 0.00508 0.00524 0.00634 0.00697 TV 4 5 0.2294 0.144882 Value per Share 0.1765 While the offer is fairly priced, holders of the stock will realize an immediate capital gain if market conditions and multiples remain the same as the current market price of the stock, at US$0.18, is 12.5% above the offer price. Capital gains aside, returns on the stock are augmented by its attractive dividend yield. Considering that PROVEN is a St. Lucian IBC, dividends are remitted tax free. With immediate capital gains of 12.5% and approximate dividend yield of 6%, the stock’s estimated total return is 18.5%, which we consider our base case estimate. If we assume a worst case scenario that the market price of the stock declines to our fair value estimate of US$0.1550, this would result in a total loss of -5.1%, after accounting for capital losses of 11.1% and a dividend yield of 6%. Within the context of a depreciating local currency, which we project will lose 4% to 6% of its value this year, holding equities denominated in US$ will help to boost the return on your portfolio. As it relates to the JMD subscription, this provides a good opportunity for participation of institutional investors such as pension funds and other fund managers, which have to adhere to regulations which limit their percentage holdings in USD denominated assets. Prepared by NCB Capital Market Research Team: Annya Walker, Research Manager e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2716 Simone Hudson, Senior Research Analyst e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2585 Shellon Williams, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2749 Shaneka Wynter, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2763 5 Appendix PIL’s Corporate Structure PROVEN Management Limited (PML) (Investment Manager) Prepared by NCB Capital Market Research Team: Annya Walker, Research Manager e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2716 Simone Hudson, Senior Research Analyst e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2585 Shellon Williams, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2749 Shaneka Wynter, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2763 6 Disclosures NCB CAPITAL Markets Third Floor, “The Atrium” 32 Trafalgar Road Kingston 10 Phone: 876-960-7108 Toll Free: 1-888-3342953 Fax: 876-920-4313 Company Identification: NCB Capital Markets Ltd (formerly Edward Gayle and Co.) established in 1968 is Jamaica’s oldest stockbrokers. The company became a part of the NCB Group in 1994 and a fully owned subsidiary in October 2002. In December 2002, the then Edward Gayle and Co. was merged with another NCB subsidiary, NCB Investments. The products distributed by this combined subsidiary cover the traditional money market product offerings (J$ and US$ Repos), primary dealer services, stock brokerage and investment advisory services. Edward Gayle was renamed NCB Capital Markets Ltd. in October 2003. Important Disclosures The views expressed in this report are the views of NCB Capital Markets Ltd at the date of this report. Disclaimer: This report is for distribution to the clients of NCB Capital Markets Ltd. It does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific recipient. It is published only for informational purposes. No guarantee is provided in relation to the accuracy and completeness of the information contained herein, nor is it intended to be a complete statement or summary of securities, markets or developments referred to in this report. The report should not be regarded by recipients as a substitute for the exercise of their own judgment. In accordance with Section 39 (I) of the Securities Act of 1993, NCB Capital Markets Limited hereby states that it is a subsidiary of the NCB Jamaica Ltd. and to that extent may be regarded as interested in the acquisition or disposal of the shares of NCB Jamaica Ltd. However, the company acts in a proper and professional manner in making any recommendations regarding shares listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. Share prices may fluctuate and past performance is not necessarily a guarantee of future returns. Ratings Definitions: BUY: We believe the stock is attractively valued. The company has sound or improving fundamentals that should allow it to outperform the broader market. We anticipate the stock will outperform the market over the next 12 months. The risk factors to achieving price targets are minimal. HOLD: We believe the stock is fairly valued at the current price. The company may have issues affecting fundamentals that could take some time to resolve. Alternatively, company fundamentals may be sound, but this is fully reflected in the current stock price. The risk factors to achieving price targets are moderate. Some volatility is expected. Do not accumulate additional shares. SELL: (1.) We believe the stock is overpriced relative to the soundness of the company’s fundamentals and long-term prospects. The company has significantly weak fundamentals or a flawed business model. (2.) The stock is fully priced at current market price; investors should seek to take profits at this time. Prepared by NCB Capital Market Research Team: Annya Walker, Research Manager e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2716 Simone Hudson, Senior Research Analyst e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 935 2585 Shellon Williams, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2749 Shaneka Wynter, Research Analyst e-mail:[email protected] Tel: 935 2763 7