Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

HK Type 4 license through Ballingal Investment Advisors Ltd. 

I'm a highly experienced sell-side analyst with in excess of 22 years of covering Asia Pacific equities, the past 19 years immersed in event strategies encompassing M&A risk arbitrage, directional long/short, stub trades and restructuring.  

My background also includes accountancy (liquidation/bankruptcy/receivership) earlier in my career and as a chief financial officer of a global commodity company based in the US and Mexico.

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

StubWorld: Intouch/Gulf, Yodogawa/Sheng Yu Steel, Pan Asia Chemical/Taichung Commercial

The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma - GoTo, Digital Astra, and Monde Nissin

StubWorld: Gulf's Questionable Stake In Intouch

StubWorld: Reverse Intouch's Stub; (Potentially) Set Up PICC (1339 HK)'s

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

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<p>On the 26 June 2020, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gulf-energy-development-public-company-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26038:1" rel="noopener">Gulf Energy Development Public Company (GULF TB)</a> disclosed it held 147mn shares (~4.58%) in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/intouch-holdings-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17638:1" rel="noopener">Intouch Holdings (INTUCH TB)</a>. Gulf continued to increase its stake - and make public announcements after the fact - culminating in a holding of 15% on <a href="https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30402235" target="_blank" rel="noopener">28 January</a>.</p>
<p>In its FY20 results, the <a href="https://www.set.or.th/dat/news/202102/21018001.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">management discussion</a> shed no new light as to their forward intention on Intouch.</p>
<p>Technically, Gulf could take its take all the way up to 24.99% before it was obligated to make an MGO - see <em><a href="https://skr.ma/m2vxP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quiddity M&amp;A Guide 2021: Thailand</a></em>.</p>
<p>But an energy company making a tilt for a satellite, internet, and telecommunications company?</p>
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<h3>The New News</h3>
<p>Gulf has <a href="https://www.set.or.th/set/pdfnews.do?newsId=16187886028860&amp;sequence=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> it intends to make a Voluntary Tender Offer (VTO) for shares not held in Intouch at Bt65/share. If it gets to 50%, it will make a downstream offer for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/advanced-info-service-pcl-ca1a971f-2f70-4565-b1fd-dda5b533acd3" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27653:1" rel="noopener">Advanced Info Service PCL (ADVANC-R TB)</a> at Bt122.86/share. The VTO is conditional, amongst other things, on a waiver NOT to make a  downstream offer for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/thaicom-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18019:1" rel="noopener">Thaicom Pcl (THCOM TB</a>.</p>
<p>Bt65/share is bang-in-line with Intouch's NAV/share.</p>
<p>The Tender Offer has no minimum acceptance condition.</p>
<p>Gulf currently holds 18.93% (there was no prior announcement they had cleared 15%) of shares outstanding. If Singtel (21%) and Temasek (5.2%) tender, Gulf only needs another 4.87% to clear 50%.</p>
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<p>Talk about being caught off-guard. I did not expect Gulf to lift its stake from 5% to 10%, then again to 15%. And I certainly did not expect a full Offer for Intouch.</p>
<p>More below the fold.</p>
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On the 26 June 2020, Gulf Energy Development Public Company (GULF TB) disclosed it held 147mn shares (~4.58%) in Intouch Holdings (INTUCH TB). Gulf continued to increase its stake - and make public announcements after the fact - culminating in a holding of 15% on 28 January.
In its FY20 results, the management discussion shed no new light as to their forward intention on Intouch.
Technically, Gulf could take its take all the way up to 24.99% before it was obligated to make an MGO - see Quiddity M&amp;A Guide 2021: Thailand.
But an energy company making a tilt for a satellite, internet, and telecommunications company?




The New News
Gulf has announced it intends to make a Voluntary Tender Offer (VTO) for shares not held in Intouch at Bt65/share. If it gets to 50%, it will make a downstream offer for Advanced Info Service PCL (ADVANC-R TB) at Bt122.86/share. The VTO is conditional, amongst other things, on a waiver NOT to make a  downstream offer for Thaicom Pcl (THCOM TB.
Bt65/share is bang-in-line with Intouch's NAV/share.
The Tender Offer has no minimum acceptance condition.
Gulf currently holds 18.93% (there was no prior announcement they had cleared 15%) of shares outstanding. If Singtel (21%) and Temasek (5.2%) tender, Gulf only needs another 4.87% to clear 50%.



Talk about being caught off-guard. I did not expect Gulf to lift its stake from 5% to 10%, then again to 15%. And I certainly did not expect a full Offer for Intouch.
More below the fold.


Intouch Holdings: Gulf's Inexplicable Offer