What Else Could Tencent Sell After Meituan?

Despite the tech conglomerate mulling a sale of its 17% stake in Meituan, our fair value estimates for both companies remain unchanged

Kate Lin 17 August, 2022 | 9:10AM
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After undertaking a repurchase program in July, internet giant Tencent Holdings (00700) is reportedly planning to divest its 17% equity stake in food delivery platform Meituan (03690), according to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources. Calculated based on Meituan’s closing price on August 16, Tencent’s stake would be worth HKD 176.8 billion.

Kai Wang, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, says Meituan may be challenged by headline risks but he does not expect the event to have any changes to the intrinsic value of a business or its future cash flows. As a result, he retains his fair value estimates for both companies. However, Meituan, which earns a three-star rating, took a dive as the news came out, closing the day down 9%. Five-star Tencent edged up 1%, remaining in the undervalued zone.

What Else Could Tencent Sell?

Scrutiny of anti-competitive practices was central to China’s regulatory crackdown that began in 2021. According to the Reuters report, the sale of stake may have been part of the actions taken by the technology conglomerate to comply with anti-trust rules by reducing the concentration of power.

"Should this be the case, there are other possible names that could be affected in the future if Tencent is forced to sell stakes in other companies," says Wang. Here’s a list of Tencent’s ownership in fellow Chinese technology names:

Meituan Looks Cheap After Selloff

The cheapened shares in Meituan may result in a lower eventual value if Tencent ultimately sells its stake. This could, in turn, concern Tencent’s shareholders as the market value of Tencent’s ownership in Meituan may shrink. Will this drag Tencent’s share price, too?

Wang explains: "We believe lower Meituan prices should have a limited impact on Tencent’s valuation. Tencent’s Meituan stake is worth about CNY 160 billion, or 7% of Tencent’s market cap. Therefore, a 1% decline in Meituan’s market value would correlate to 0.07% of Tencent’s market cap."

What Does This Mean for Meituan’s Core Business?

Considering the timing of the disposal, possibilities remain that Tencent might want to offload the stake in Meituan because of a negative business outlook for the food delivery platform. "As for Meituan, we do not think the news directly reflects its second-quarter results, but nevertheless we are cautious on its outlook given the announcement prior to next week’s earnings call."

Wang cautions against Meituan for two reaons.

First, Meituan has yet to breakeven and new investments are hefty. Over the past 12 months, the loss-making business poured a total of RMB 94.2 billion on new initiatives. This compares to an operating loss of RMB 9 billion in the first quarter of 2022. Although the loss has narrowed 10% from a quarter back, which Wang thinks is signs of improvement, the firm’s path to flip to profitability remains "murky".

Secondly, there’s a lack of concrete plan on how it plans to scale up without incurring additional heavy losses. Tencent’s sale of its stake, if it eventually happens, would add to the operational risk to Meituan.

"Although Tencent owns only 17% of Meituan, we believe that this is significant to exert operational influence that can help guide Meituan on certain matters," Wang adds. 

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
Bilibili Inc ADR19.19 USD3.62Rating
Bilibili Inc Class Z147.60 HKD-1.27Rating
Kuaishou Technology Ordinary Shares - Class B46.40 HKD-11.70Rating
Meituan ADR44.61 USD2.18
Meituan Class B246.10 MXN8.35
PDD Holdings Inc ADR116.49 USD-1.01Rating
Tencent Holdings Ltd407.60 HKD-0.78Rating
Tongcheng Travel Holdings Ltd18.04 HKD-1.53Rating
Zhihu Inc ADR3.65 USD1.39
Zhihu Inc Class A9.11 HKD1.22

About Author

Kate Lin  is a Data Journalist for Morningstar Asia, and is based in Hong Kong

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