Undervalued stocks in Japan and England with Ben Beneche, co-founder Tourbillon Partners | S06 E40
Nov 4, 2024
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Ben Beneche, co-founder of Tourbillon Partners, shares his insights as a global investor in durable businesses. He dives into the unique characteristics that make smaller and mid-sized companies resilient. Discussions include portfolio construction and the importance of cash flow, along with the cultural aspects of Japanese companies. Beneche also examines market dynamics in Japan's drugstore sector and the growth potential of Howden Joinery in the UK. Finally, he offers strategies for finding undervalued stocks, focusing on high-quality investments with a margin of safety.
Torbillon Partners focuses on small to midsize businesses globally, leveraging opportunities not typically available in large-cap firms.
The investment strategy emphasizes identifying durable companies with competitive advantages, narrowing down options to a few hundred strong contenders.
Successful management teams prioritize long-term value creation and transparency, fostering customer loyalty and brand resilience in their markets.
Deep dives
Introduction to Torbillon Partners
Torbillon Partners is an offshore fund that primarily invests in a select number of durable businesses globally, typically ranging from 15 to 25 investments. The firm focuses more on small to midsize companies due to the greater availability of opportunities in this segment compared to large-cap firms. Currently, only about 20% of their portfolio is allocated to U.S.-listed companies, with significant investments in Europe and Japan. The approach emphasizes understanding both qualitative and quantitative factors rather than adhering strictly to conventional small/mid-cap definitions.
Criteria for Investment
The investment strategy is centered around identifying companies with durability, using key characteristics such as scale and scarcity. Companies that have a significant cost advantage or offer unique products with no close substitutes are prioritized. This focus helps narrow down the vast universe of approximately 70,000 companies to a more manageable list of a few hundred that meet these criteria. The ultimate goal is to find businesses that provide real value to customers, thus ensuring their longevity in the market.
Portfolio Construction and Valuation
Portfolio construction emphasizes concentrated investments, with about 80% of the assets typically allocated to the top 10 holdings. The firm employs a methodical approach to sizing investments based on normalized pre-cash flow yield or 'owner earnings', aiming for a yield better than their cost of capital. The strategy also includes selling investments when their yield falls to a certain threshold, effectively managing the trade-off between potential returns and risk. A behavioral element is integrated into this process to maintain flexibility in adjusting the portfolio as needed.
Durability and Management Insights
Durability is assessed by considering management teams that prioritize long-term value creation while managing risks conservatively. Ben emphasizes the importance of management's alignment with shareholders, looking for indications such as skin in the game and long-term thinking. Successful management teams understand their market position and nurture their brand's value over time, often resisting the urge to exploit short-term opportunities that might dilute their advantage. The conversation highlights the rarity of management teams that prioritize transparency about challenges and maintain a stewardship mentality.
Investment Opportunities in Japan and the UK
The discussion touches on the attractive investment landscape in Japan, particularly focusing on well-managed small to midsize companies that have remained undervalued despite their strong operational performance. Companies like Cosmos Pharmaceutical exemplify this trend, showcasing resilience and growth potential despite external market pressures. In contrast, the UK market offers opportunities with lower valuations, particularly among smaller firms. Companies like Admiral Group and Howden Joinery illustrate the potential for strong returns based on solid fundamentals, innovative models, and management practices.
Value: After Hours is a podcast about value investing, Fintwit, and all things finance and investment by investors Tobias Carlisle, and Jake Taylor. See our latest episodes at https://acquirersmultiple.com/podcast
We are live every Tuesday at 1.30pm E / 10.30am P.
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Hi, I'm Tobias Carlisle. I launched The Acquirers Podcast to discuss the process of finding undervalued stocks, deep value investing, hedge funds, activism, buyouts, and special situations.
We uncover the tactics and strategies for finding good investments, managing risk, dealing with bad luck, and maximizing success.
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ABOUT TOBIAS CARLISLE
Tobias Carlisle is the founder of The Acquirer’s Multiple®, and Acquirers Funds®.
He is best known as the author of the #1 new release in Amazon’s Business and Finance The Acquirer’s Multiple: How the Billionaire Contrarians of Deep Value Beat the Market, the Amazon best-sellers Deep Value: Why Activists Investors and Other Contrarians Battle for Control of Losing Corporations (2014) (https://amzn.to/2VwvAGF), Quantitative Value: A Practitioner’s Guide to Automating Intelligent Investment and Eliminating Behavioral Errors (2012) (https://amzn.to/2SDDxrN), and Concentrated Investing: Strategies of the World’s Greatest Concentrated Value Investors (2016) (https://amzn.to/2SEEjVn). He has extensive experience in investment management, business valuation, public company corporate governance, and corporate law.
Prior to founding the forerunner to Acquirers Funds in 2010, Tobias was an analyst at an activist hedge fund, general counsel of a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, and a corporate advisory lawyer. As a lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions he has advised on transactions across a variety of industries in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Australia, Singapore, Bermuda, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Guam.
He is a graduate of the University of Queensland in Australia with degrees in Law (2001) and Business (Management) (1999).
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