Bottom line: A third-party buyout offer for eHi could presage a wave of similar new bids for undervalued, profitable Chinese companies, while withdrawal of Jumei’s buyout bid could be followed by a new, lower offer.
eHi gets buyout offer
After a period of relative quiet, the privatization wave that swept US-listed Chinese companies nearly two years ago is bubbling back into the headlines with a couple of stories from different directions. In the “leaving” direction there’s car rental comp eHi Car Services (NYSE: EHIC), which has received a third-party offer to privatize for a slight premium to its latest stock price. In the other direction there’s cosmetics e-commerce firm Jumei International (NYSE: JMEI), which is finally withdrawing its management-led buyout offer nearly two years after first receiving the bid.
There’s no broader theme to these two deals, except perhaps that investors have become quite skeptical about such offers. The Jumei deal’s collapse shows why such skepticism is sometimes merited, though it’s also worth pointing out that about two-thirds of US-listed companies that announced plans to privatize during the wave in early 2015 actually completed those plans. Lackluster response to the eHi deal also shows a certain skepticism, probably because shareholders are still worried that many of these buyout bids are low-balling companies’ real values. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: The strong reception for Huaitai Securities’ Hong Kong IPO reflects growing international investor appetite for Chinese stocks, which could help to lift shares of New York-traded Chinese companies like newly listed Baozun and eHi.
Baozun turns in choppy IPO
A flurry of IPO news is reflecting the growing attraction of listing closer to home for Chinese firms, whose New York-traded shares have languished these days due to lack of familiarity by local investors. Two new US-based listings have performed reasonably well but not spectacularly, led by modest gains for newly listed shares of web design services firm Baozun (Nasdaq: BZUN) in their trading debut. At the same time, recently listed rental car company eHi (NYSE: EHIC) raised a modest amount of money in a secondary offering, again reflecting tepid investor interest in its story.
While those 2 listings got so-so receptions, the response was far stronger for Huatai Securities, China’s fourth largest brokerage, whose shares priced at the top of their range as Hong Kong investors scrambled to buy into the mainland’s ongoing stock market boom. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on April 2. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China To Punish Tencent, Youku Tudou, Other Video Sites For Pornography (English article)
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on January 22. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Spring Airlines (Shanghai: 601021) Jumps 44 Pct In Shanghai Trading Debut (Chinese article)
Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) Seeks Stake In Insurer New China Life (HKEx: 1336) – Paper (English article)
Huawei, Global Union Partner On OTT TV Service (English article)
Dalian Wanda Group Pays 45 Mln Euros For Soccer Club Atletico Madrid (Chinese article)
eHi (Nasdaq: EHIC), Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) Launch Next Phase Of Partnership (PRNewswire)
Bottom line: A weak debut for eHi reflects waning investor enthusiasm for Chinese IPOs, while a new $585 million investment in Huayi Bros reflects strong growth prospects for the independent filmmaker.
eHi IPO sputters out of the gate
A flurry of fund-raising events are in the headlines today, led by a weak trading debut for car rental specialist eHi Car Services (NYSE: EHIC) and a big capital infusion for Huayi Bros (Shenzhen: 300027), one of China’s leading independent film makers. Rounding out the activity are reports confirming that smartphone high-flyer Xiaomi has made its largest investment to date, spending $300 million for a stake in iQiyi, China’s second largest online video site owned by Internet search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU). Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 19. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) Sues Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) For Attack On Reputation (Chinese article)
Bottom line: A year-end rush of Chinese IPOs will include mostly second-tier firms seeking to capitalize on positive market sentiment, leading to weak pricing and delayed trading debuts.
eHi IPO delayed
The year-end rush of IPOs that I’ve been predicting has hit a speed bump, with word that one offering set to debut last week has been delayed and a second has been scaled back dramatically. The first piece of news saw car rental specialist eHi (NYSE: EHIC) unexpectedly delay its offering at the last minute, reportedly after the company came under suspicion of submitting false information in some of its earlier IPO filings. Meantime, Sky Solar Holdings (Nasdaq: SKYS) had to dramatically scale back its planned US listing after meeting with lukewarm demand, as it became the first solar panel-linked company to make a US listing in 4 years. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 15-17. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Major Hedge Funds Piled Into Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) In Third Quarter (Chinese article)
eHi Car Services (NYSE: EHIC) IPO Delayed By False Information Claims (Chinese article)
Bailian Group Takes 10 Pct Of Shanghai Disneyland (NYSE: DIS) Operator (Chinese article)
China Mobile’s (HKEx: 941) TD-LTE Subs Reach 50 Mln (English article)
Home Inns (Nasdaq: HMIN Removes All Listings From Qunar (Nasdaq: QUNR) (Chinese article)
US-listed Chinese companies have made a flurry of strategic moves on Wall Street over the long October 1 holiday, with former high-flyers Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) and 58.com (NYSE: WUBA) taking steps to prop up their sagging share prices. The correction now taking place is long overdue, following huge run-ups in New York-traded Chinese stocks over the last year and a half. Still, the sell-off doesn’t bode too well for car rental firm eHiCar Services, which has just become the first major Chinese firm to file for a Wall Street IPO following the blockbuster listing for Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) last month. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 8. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China’s CIC, AVIC End Talks To Acquire Aircraft Leaser Avolon: Sources (English article)
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) Sells NY’s Waldorf Astoria to Anbang Insurance For $1.95 Bln (Businesswire)
Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) Gives Update On Japanese Utility-Scale Pipeline (PRNewswire)
Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) Announces $200 Mln Share Repurchase Plan (PRNewswire)
The Rent-A-Car Of China: eHi Car Services Files For $100 Mln US IPO (English article)
