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Commodities Trading Ideas & Charts

Adbri’s stock price drops but building boom raises profits

Investment Thesis

  • Macro conditions remains uncertain in key regions.
  • Strong pipeline of infrastructure projects over the next 2 years is a positive but timing and execution is a risk. 
  • Solid balance sheet position provides some flexibility to the Company to pursue growth. 
  • Leading positions as a lime producer, concrete products producer and cement and clinker supplier.
  • Outlook for lime looks relatively positive with higher infrastructure projects and resource sector activity
  • Cost-out and vertical integration (cement) programs expected to deliver cost benefits that exceed cost headwinds of $10m in FY21.

Key Risks

We see the following key risks to our investment thesis:

  • Softer sales volume than expected.
  • Loss of market share to competitors or imports and pressure on pricing. 
  • Softer than expected pricing increases.
  • Higher than expected energy prices.
  • Execution risk in relation to Company’s cost-out and vertical integration strategies.
  • Deterioration of A$ relative to other currencies.
  • Unfavorable weather impacts. 

1H21 results summary

  • Revenue was up +7.4% over pcp to $752.3m with robust demand, particularly on the eastern seaboard, driving higher volumes across all products. Lime pricing declined in accordance with contractual arrangements, while average cement price increased marginally, and concrete and aggregate prices were stable overall. 
  • Underlying EBITDA increased +8.7% over pcp to $133.1m with margins improving +20bps to 17.7%, benefitting from disciplined implementation of cost efficiencies across the Group. 
  • Underlying NPAT of $55m was up +15.5% over pcp driven by improved demand for construction materials supported by increased residential housing activity and infrastructure spending. 
  • Operating cash flow of $76.8m declined -34% over pcp, largely due to the one-off benefit in the prior year of Covid-19 stimulus measures with the temporary deferral of GST and PAYG payments that boosted 1H20 cash flow by circa $30m (measures reversed in 2H20 following payment of the deferred liabilities and were not repeated in 1H21). 
  • Capex declined -8% over pcp to $67.6m and was split between stay-in-business capital of $51.8m and development capital of $15.8m. 

Company Description  

Adbri Ltd (ABC) is an Australia listed construction materials and liming producing company. ABC is Australia’s leading (1) lime producer in the minerals processing industry; (2) concrete products producer; and (3) cement and clinker importer. ABC is Australia’s number two cement and clinker supplier to the Australian construction industry and number four concrete and aggregates producer.

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Global stocks Shares

The share price of Pointsbet has dropped as a result of the FY21 performance.

Investment Thesis

  • U.S. growth opportunity – the U.S. online sports betting market continues to open following the 2018 supreme court ruling which legalise the industry. Market growth estimates forecast the industry to grow to US$51bn by 2033.  
  • Strong management team with a solid track record – the ability to grow market share in a competitive and mature market of Australia gives us some confidence the management team have the right strategy in place to build share in the U.S. 
  • Proprietary technology stack – The speed and useability are key differentiating factors. PBH operates proprietary technology, which it developed inhouse. This means new modifications and updates are easier to implement (i.e., more control) with inhouse tech versus outsourced (i.e., having to go to an external provider each time with an update). 
  • Cross sell opportunities with iGaming – PBH’s recently launched iGaming product (online casino) is already highlighting cross-sell opportunities to its customers.

Key Risks

We see the following key risks to our investment thesis:

  • Rising competitive pressures.
  • Adverse regulatory change in key operating jurisdictions (Australia / U.S.). 
  • Loss of market share in key regions or growth rate fails to meet market expectations. 
  • Higher than expected costs – especially around investment in sales & marketing to drive market share. 
  • Trading on high PE-multiples / valuations means the Company is more prone to share price volatility. 
  • Cyber-attack on PBH’s platform. 

FY21 headline results

  • PBH group revenue of $194.7m was up +159% YoY. 
  • Gross profit of $87.6m was up +129% YoY. 
  • PBH made heavy investment in sales and marketing over the year, with S&M expense of $170.7m significantly above the $38.2m in pcp. The Australian segment accounted for $51.4m (higher due to brand campaign with Shaquille O’Neal). However, the U.S. accounted for most of the uplift in marketing spend (total $119.2m) given the increased number of operating jurisdictions. As the footprint in the U.S. continues to expand, management noted the market spend will continue to increase. 
  • At the end of the period, Australia has 196,585 cash active clients (vs. 90,422 in pcp) and the U.S had 159.321 cash active clients (vs 20,939 in pcp). 
  • Group normalised EBITDA for the year was a loss of $156.1m vs loss of $37.6m in the pcp, as PBH continues to invest in the business to scale the U.S. business and invests in its technology stack.
  • Australian Trading segment reported revenue of $150.7m (vs $68.2m in pcp) and EBITDA of $9.2m (vs $6.9m in the pcp). A solid result given the significant increase in marketing spend over the year. 
  • USA segment reported revenue of $42.3m (vs $7.0m in pcp) and EBITDA loss of $149.6m (vs loss of $38.2m in pcp). During the year, PBH operational in six U.S. states: New Jersey, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, and Michigan. 
  • Balance sheet is in a good position to support investment in growth, with pro forma cash balance of $665.2m (post the July 21 capital raising).

Company Description  

PointsBet Holdings Ltd (PBH), founded in 2015, is a corporate bookmaker with operations in Australia and the United States (New Jersey, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana). PointsBet has developed a scalable cloud-based wagering platform which offers customers sports and racing wagering products. PBH’s key products include fixed odds sports, fixed odds racing and PointsBetting.

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Fixed Income Fixed Income

Suncorp’s stock is in the spotlight following the announcement of a $350 million capital round.

final margin set at 2.90%. The margin is also in line with the recent issuances from Westpac Capital Notes 8 (WBCPK) and Macquarie Capital Notes 3 (MBLPD) (MBPLD are trading largely in line with par value since listing). We note this is a new issuance and therefore has no rollover or reinvestment plan attached to it. The underlying issuer, Suncorp Group, is a strong business and a regular issuer of debt in the market. We would have liked to have seen the final margin at the upper end of the indicative range (3.1% above BBSW). However, the demand for this relatively small issuance ($375m market cap) is also likely to be high given the issuer is someone other than the big 4 banks (although the sector exposure is the same, therefore we are not fully convinced of the diversification benefits here). Our positive view on these is a relative call.

Security Description: 

SUNPI securities are fully paid, subordinated, perpetual, redeemable, convertible, unsecured, non-cumulative, subject to a capital trigger event and non-viability trigger event, listed securities. The securities are scheduled to convert into ordinary shares on 17 Dec 2030 (subject to the conversion conditions being satisfied). 

Issuer Description: 

Suncorp is an ASX-listed company and financial services provider in Australia and New Zealand, and the ultimate parent company of the Suncorp Group, with a market capitalisation of approximately $16 billion as at 27 August 2021. The Suncorp Group offers insurance and banking products and services in Australia and New Zealand. 

KEY RISKS

  • The market price of SUNPI may fluctuate due to various factors that affect financial market conditions. It is possible that SUNPI may trade at a market price below their Issue Price of $100. Interest Rate will fluctuate with changes in the market rate.
  • Significant economic shock to the Australian economy, including a severe and prolonged downturn in the Australian economy. These capital notes are not deposit liabilities or protected accounts.
  • There is a risk that Distributions will not be paid given they are discretionary.
  • Unless exchanged on or before that date, SUNPI are expected to Convert into Ordinary Shares on the Mandatory Conversion Date. However, there is a risk that Conversion will not occur on the Mandatory Conversion Date because the Scheduled Conversion Conditions are not satisfied due to a large fall in the Ordinary Share price relative to the Issue Date VWAP, or if Ordinary Shares cease to be quoted on ASX or have been suspended from trading for a certain period. Mandatory Conversion may therefore not occur when scheduled or at all. The Ordinary Share Price may be affected by transactions affecting the share capital of Suncorp Group, such as rights issues.
  • The market price of SUNPI (and the Ordinary Shares into which they are expected to Convert) may be affected by Suncorp Group’s financial performance and position.

Interest Rate: Margin of 2.9% above the 90day BBSW rate. 

Interest / Distribution Payments: Discretionary, Non-cumulative and subject to following conditions: (1) Distributions will be paid if Suncorp’s capital requirements are sufficient as required by APRA. (2) Distributions will not cause Suncorp to become insolvent. (3) APRA not objecting to distributions being paid. Distributions are expected to be fully franked but not guaranteed.

Mandatory Conversion: On 17 Dec 2030, SUNPI Holders will receive ordinary shares worth $101 per note. Conversion may not occur on 17 Dec June 2030, being the first possible Mandatory Conversion Date, or at all if the Conversion Conditions are not satisfied.  Holders have no right to request that their Notes be Converted, Redeemed or Transferred.  Holders would need to sell their Notes on ASX at the prevailing market price to realise their investment. That price may be less than the Face Value (initially $100 per Note) and there may be no liquid market in the Notes.

Non-Viability Trigger Event:  In case of the event that APRA considers Suncorp non-viable, these notes will be written off (in all or in part) or Converted into Ordinary Shares and Holders will hold Ordinary Shares and rank equally with other holders of Ordinary Shares in a subsequent Winding Up of the Bank. Following a Non-Viability Trigger Event, if Conversion does not occur within five Business Days for any reason, those Capital Notes 4 that are required to be Converted will be Written-Off and Holders will not receive any Ordinary Shares with respect to those Capital Notes 4.

Ranking: In the event of a Winding Up, if the Notes are still on issue and have not been Redeemed or Converted, they will rank ahead of Ordinary Shares, equally among themselves and with all Equal Ranking Capital Securities and behind Senior Creditors (including depositors and holders of Westpac’s senior or less subordinated debt). This means that if there is a shortfall of funds on a Winding Up to pay all amounts ranking senior to, and equally with, the Notes, Holders will lose all or some of their investment.

The above is a brief summary of the terms and risks. Investors should read the PDS for more information.

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Daily Report Financial Markets

Shanghai Market Outlook – 06 September 2021

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Daily Report Financial Markets

Indian Market Outlook – 06 September 2021

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Daily Report Financial Markets

European Market Outlook – 06 September 2021

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Daily Report Financial Markets

Japan Market Outlook – 06 September 2021

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Daily Report Financial Markets

USA Market Outlook – 06 September 2021

Categories
Global stocks Shares

Wesfarmers reported solid revenue in FY 21

Investment Thesis:

  • Ongoing momentum in discretionary spending, fueled by rising property values.
  • Diversified asset base with core assets continuing to grow.
  • Expect improved performance from Target and Industrials business.
  • Continued emphasis on shareholder return, including a high yield.
  • A capable management team.
  • A strong sense of balance allows to seize opportunities as they emerge.
  • Potential  Capital management initiatives.

Key Risks:

  • Due to competitive pressures, margins are eroding.
  • Bunnings earnings have been disappointing.
  • The macro picture is deteriorating, resulting in decreasing retail sales activity and volumes.
  • Metrics on the balance sheet have deteriorated.
  • Adverse movements in AUD/USD.

Key highlights of FY21: Relative to the pcp:

  • During the year WES revenue rose by 10% to $33.9bn relative to previous year.
  • During the year 2020, WES revenue from continuing operation arises broadly from the following segment : 62% from Bunnings,19 % from kmart group, 11% from WesCEF , 6%from Office work  and 2% from Industrial and safety.
  • Bunnings delivered a 15% increase in revenue to $16,871m. Kmart Group revenue increased by 8.3% to $9,982m. Officeworks revenue increased by  8.7% to $3,029m . Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy &Fertilisers (WesCEF) revenue increased by 2.9% to $2,146m.  Industrial and Safety saw revenue increased by 6.3% to $1,855m
  • NPAT from continuing operations increased by 16.2 % to $2.4 billion (excluding major items).
  • Operating cash flows of $3,383m were 25.6% lower over pcp as strong earnings growth businesses was offset by the normalisation in working capital positions across the retail combined with gross capex of $896m (+3.3% higher over pcp) due to increased investment in data and digital initiatives across all divisions, the conversion of Target stores to Kmart stores, as well as the ongoing development of the Mt Holland lithium project .
  • The company announced a $2.3 billion capital return in the form of a $2 per share payment on top of a final dividend of 90 cents per share, bringing the total payout for the year to $3.78 per share.
  • The Board declared a fully franked final dividend of 90cps, taking the full-year dividend to 178cps (up by 17.1% over pcp) and recommended a return of capital of 200cps, equating to total shareholder return for the year of 378cps.
  • The Company maintained significant balance sheet flexibility, ending the year with a net cash position of $109m.

Company Profile

Wesfarmers Limited (WES) operates convenience stores, home improvement stores, office supply stores, and department stores, among other businesses. Chemicals and fertilisers, industrial and safety items, and coal are all part of the industrial sector of the corporation. Wesfarmers has a workforce of about 220,000 workers.

General Advice Warning

Any advice/ information provided is general in nature only and does not take into account the personal financial situation, objectives or needs of any particular person.

Categories
Daily Report Financial Markets

Australian Market Outlook – 06 September 2021