Month: December 2025

Serendip (7318): One of My Bad Calls in 2025: A Limit-Down on 11/14/25 and Slow Recovery Despite a 25% DCF Discount

Serendip (7318): One of My Bad Calls in 2025: A Limit-Down on 11/14/25 and Slow Recovery Despite a 25% DCF Discount My serial‑acquirer picks have underperformed: Serendip and f-‑Cord remain weak, though Next Gen 319A is tracking in line. However, my recent meeting with Serendip was constructive. Serendip is a business-succession–focused M&A grower, distinguished by its fully …

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Link&Motivation (2170): Weaknesses Mitigated and IR Engagement Accelerates before Topix rebalancing

I received some constructive feedback on my Link & Motivation (LMI) note, which I had shared with LMI management (please let me know if you have not seen my original LMI note) 1. TOPIX Rebalancing Before sharing LMI’s responses, I need to point out one stock driver which I neglected to point out in my …

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Link&Motivation (2170): Three‑in‑One: Government HCM Policy Tailwinds, OpenWork, and FCE at 8x EV/EBITDA/35% ROE

The company’s sales grew low double digit y/y since the COVID lows, yet the below peer comp table shows the company is trading at the lowest PE. Based on my SOTP analysis, the company is trading at roughly a 17% discount to its NAV. Management is aware of this disconnect between intrinsic value and market …

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Next Generation Tech Group (319A) – Why has Next Gen outperformed so far?

For the past six months, I have been trying to understand why NextGen has consistently outperformed other serial acquirers. After recently catching up with the NextGen team, several factors became clearer. 1. Valuation: From 36x to 21x *While the current FY12/25 EV/EBITDA multiple appears high at 36x (based on ¥2,400M EBITDA), this figure is misleading …

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TokyotoKeiba (9672): Two Growth Engines: Online Betting Consistency & Tokyo Real Estate Expansion

TokyotoKeiba (TK: MC ¥158bn) is the landowner behind Oi Racecourse. I know that for some people, that alone is a turnoff—“gambling stock,” “sin stock,” or even concerns about animal welfare. But the reality in Japan is a bit different. Horse racing is a well-established, socially acceptable leisure activity, probably more “mainstream” than pachinko at this …

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M&A Brokers vs. Regional Banks: Who Best Leverages Japan’s Successor M&A Boom?

I was preparing a note on Strike (6196). The thesis was straightforward: Rising M&A volume From January–September 2025, disclosed deals by listed companies rose 11% y/y to 985. Including private transactions, Strike estimates ~11,000 deals in 2024 (2018–24 CAGR: 7.6%). Successor-seeking M&A should remain strong as SME owner ages rise (60.9 in 2015 → 63.6 …

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