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Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 1
Coca-Cola Hellenic
(NYSE: CCH)
December 2012
Prepared by:
Broyhill Asset Management, LLC
800 Golfview Park
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 758 6100
www.broyhillasset.com
Subscribe At
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 2
DISCLAIMER
The analyses and conclusions of Broyhill Asset Management (“Broyhill”) contained in this presentation are
based on publicly available information including SEC filings and numerous other public sources that we
believe to be reliable. We recognize that there may be confidential information in the possession of the
companies discussed in this presentation that could lead these companies to disagree with our conclusions. If
we have made any errors or if any readers have additional facts or corrections, we welcome hearing from you.
This presentation and the information contained herein is not a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell
any securities.
This document contains general information that is not suitable for everyone. The information contained
herein should not be construed as personalized investment advice. The views expressed here are the current
opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Broyhill. The author’s opinions are subject to change
without notice. There is no guarantee that the views and opinions expressed in this document will come to
pass. Investing in the stock market involves gains and losses and may not be suitable for all investors.
Information presented herein is subject to change without notice and should not be considered as a
solicitation to buy or sell any security.
Our purpose is to disseminate publicly available information that we believe has not been made readily
available to the investing public but is critical to an evaluation of the company. The analyses provided may
include certain statements, estimates, and projections prepared with respect to the historical and anticipated
operating performance of the company. Such statements, estimates, and projections reflect various
assumptions by Broyhill concerning anticipated results that are inherently subject to significant economic,
competitive, and other uncertainties and contingencies and have been included solely for illustrative
purposes. No representations, expressed or implied, are made as to the accuracy or completeness of such
statements, estimates or projections, or with respect to any other materials herein.
Assets managed by Broyhill and its affiliates own shares of Coca-Cola Hellenic (“CCH”). Broyhill manages
accounts that are in the business of trading – buying and selling – securities and financial instruments. It is
possible that there will be developments in the future that cause Broyhill to change its position regarding
CCH. Broyhill may buy, sell, or otherwise change the form of its investment in CCH for any reason. Broyhill
hereby disclaims any duty to provide any updates or changes to the analyses contained here including, without
limitation, the manner or type of Broyhill investment.
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 3
Executive Summary
We believe an investment in Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) represents a compelling opportunity to own a high
quality business characterized by high customer captivity with significant economies of scale at a substantial
discount to intrinsic value. Shares are artificially depressed by the weight of the Athens Stock Exchange,
which is trading at multi-decade lows after falling near 90% from its peak. CCH, headquartered in Athens,
has been dragged down by their Greek affiliation, declining nearly 50% over the past five years while the soft
drink industry has gained a steady 6% annually, even though less than 6% of total CCH volume is sold in
Greece.
The company recently announced their intention to move out of Greece and into Swiss territory, changing
their primary listing from the Athens Stock Exchange to the London Stock Exchange. We believe this move
will serve as a significant catalyst as it should dramatically reduce the firm’s cost of capital and provide the
company with exposure to a new set of investors. The result should be significant multiple expansion
and upside potential for shareholders as the Greek discount is eliminated and CCH trades back
toward its historical average multiple and in line with current industry peers.
Brief Background
A.G. Leventis migrated from Cyprus in 1920 and started the Leventis Group in Nigeria in 1937 to trade
textiles. Leventis grew to be one of the largest distributors in Nigeria and eventually expanded to several
other business ventures in manufacturing, real estate and distribution, including Hellenic Bottling Co in 1969
to distribute Coke products. His son, Anastasios P. Leventis, co-founded Hellenic Bottling. In 1981, Kar-
Tess Holdings, a Leventis family-controlled entity, acquired Hellenic Bottling and merged it with Coca-Cola
Beverages Ltd in 2000 to firm Coca-Cola Hellenic.
Today, Coca-Cola Hellenic produces, sells and distributes ready to-drink beverages in 28 countries. Based on
sales volume, CCH is Coca-Cola’s (KO) third largest bottler globally representing 7.8% of total KO volume,
behind only Coca-Cola Femsa and Coca-Cola Amatil. CCH purchases Coca-Cola concentrate for bottling
and distributes product to customers either directly or indirectly through independent distributors and
wholesalers. They engage in local marketing and promotional activities while they rely on Coca-Cola for
global branding, product development and marketing. CCH has an exclusive bottler’s agreement in their
respective markets and recently extended the terms for another 10 years until December 2023.
-100%
-50%
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%
Coca-ColaHellenic
Coca-ColaEnterprises
Coca-ColaAmatil
Coca-ColaIcecek
Coca-ColaFEMSA
ArcaContinental
FomentoEconomicMexicano
Cumulative Share Price Performance Last 5 Years
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 4
George A. David, nephew of A.G. Leventis, serves as Chairman of the Board for CCH today. Anastassis G.
David serves as a non-executive director of the board. A.P. Leventis continues to serve on the board of
directors as Vice Chairman. Haralambos Leventis serves as non-executive director of the board. All four of
the above mentioned family members were nominated by Kar-Tess Holdings as part of the shareholder
agreement between Kar-Tess and The Coca-Cola Company. Of the five independent directors, KO has
appointed two board members. It is our understanding that the new board and the revised shareholder
agreement between Kar-Tess and KO will look similar to the existing structure once the move to a London
listing is complete.
Kar-Tess Holdings and Coca-Cola each own 23% of the company’s outstanding shares, with the remaining
54% floated in public markets. For this reason, the stock is pretty illiquid with average daily volume for the
ADR at 28,600 and roughly 7.2% of current outstanding shares floated in the US. But, as we discuss below,
that is set to change.
Industry & Competitive Dynamics
Bruce Greenwald and Judd Kahn offered up an excellent overview of the competitive dynamics governing
the soft drink industry in their 2005 book, Competition Demystified. This industry analysis remains as relevant
for the decade ahead as it did for the one just passed. The bottling industry is a rather boring business. It
demands high capital investment and generates limited returns on that capital, but what it offers in exchange
is a rather predictable and growing stream of cash flow. As discussed by Greenwald and Kahn:
The bottlers and distributors are joined to the soda companies at the hip. Many of them have been owned by the
companies at various times, others are franchises. The soda companies charge them for concentrate and syrup and have
raised prices at times on the promise of providing additional advertising and promotional support. Advertising has
generally been split between soda companies and bottlers, whereas promotional costs are borne by bottlers. Whatever the
divisions, these are allied campaigns. The soda companies cannot operate successfully unless their bottlers are distributors
are profitable and content. The bottlers are an integral part of the soft drink industry.
The bottling function is the part of the industry that demands the most capital investment. The high speed lines are
expensive and highly specialized. Cans don't work on lines designed for bottles, nor will twelve-ounce bottle move down
a line intended for quart containers. The demand for capital has been one of the reasons why the concentrate companies
have moved in and out of the bottler segment at various times, adding funds when necessary, then selling shares to the
public when possible.
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 5
Both key indicators of the presence of barriers to entry and competitive advantage – stable market share and a high
return on capital – are present here. The existence of barriers to entry indicates that the incumbents enjoy competitive
advantages that potential entrants cannot match. In the soft drink world, the sources of these advantages are easy to
identify. First, on the demand side, there is the kind of customer loyalty that businesses dream about. People who drink
sodas drink them frequently, and they relish a consistency of experience that keeps them ordering the same brand, no
matter the circumstances. Second, there are large economies of scale in the soda business, both at the concentrate market
and bottler levels. The distribution of soda to the consumer benefits from regional scale economies. Concentrate supplied
by the soda company is sent to bottlers, who add water, bubbles and sweetener, close the containers, and send the drink
on to a variety of retail outlets. The water is heavy and thus expensive to haul over long distances. The more customers
in a region, the more economical the distribution.
The combination of captive customers and economies of scale creates a dominant competitive
advantage for Coca-Cola Hellenic. The company has 250 distribution centers and 86 warehouses, as well
as 295 filling lines within 76 plants for production. Further, these assets are guarded by significant barriers to
entry in the form of exclusive rights to produce and distribute the products of The Coca-Cola Company in
each of their territories.
Regional Scale & Growth Potential
Coca-Cola Hellenic serves a total of 565 million people in countries across Europe. The great majority of
these people are located in what the company classifies as Emerging Markets (47% of total volume) and
Developing Markets (19% of total volume) with Russia and Nigeria making up close to 80% of the EM
population served. While Established Markets comprise only 16.6% of the CCH customer base, this
population makes up 34% of total volume, with Italy being the largest market in this segment. We summarize
CCH geographical distribution below, followed by more specifics on each individual market.
Source: Company Filings
47.2%
33.6%
19.2%
42.1% 41.0%
16.9%
7.9% 9.1% 6.5%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%
Emerging Markets Established Markets Developing Market
Volume, Revenue & Margins by Market
Volume Revenue Adjusted Operating Margins
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 6
Source: Company Filings
Importantly, our investment thesis does not require an economic recovery in the European periphery
to realize the intrinsic value of CCH shares. We believe that if the company can stabilize cash flow
in established markets, its emerging and developing markets should generate substantial and
sustainable earnings growth, driven by rising per capita beverage consumption, expanding market
share and increasing margins.
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 7
As illustrated in the chart below, per capita consumption of sparkling beverages remains very low in both
Emerging and Developing Markets, providing CCH with a long runway for organic growth. These
economies are still growing, their incomes are rising and aspiring consumers continue to look west for bad
habits. Additionally, many of these markets are highly fragmented and underserved, consisting of a number
of small local and regional establishments. As CCH has invested heavily in infrastructure to expand its
footprint and build scale across these markets, margins should improve with volume growth given
the embedded operating leverage in the business.
Source: Company Filings
In addition to the opportunity for increased per capita consumption of carbonated beverages in Emerging
and Developing markets, CCH continues to expand its distribution of non-carbonated beverages (NCBs).
Strong category growth has resulted in NCBs increasing from 10% of total volume in 2001 to 33% of total
volume today. Water, juices and teas are expected to make up the majority of the company’s incremental
volume and value through 2020.
Source: Company Filings
38
119 128 186 198 211 220 222 242
289 304 343 346
377 421 432
655
Total Sparkling Category Servings Per Capita
Developing Market Average: 231 Emerging Market Average: 101
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Sparkling Water Juices RTD-Tea Energy Sports Drinks
Incremental Volume and Value by Total Category: 2011-2020
% of incremental volume
% of incremental value
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 8
Operating Performance
In the most recent calendar year, revenue grew 80 basis points, bringing total sales back to levels just shy of
the 2008 peak. Top line is on pace to grow low single digits in 2012, with the earnings outlook set to improve
dramatically in 2013 and beyond. Current operating performance by market is illustrated in the table below:
Source: Company Filings
Management aims to grow revenue ahead of volume over time, but 2012 has proven to be another tough year
as currency headwinds and a difficult economic environment have had a negative impact on operating
performance. Looking beyond the next few quarters, management has developed a strategic tool for revenue
growth - Occasion, Brand, Package, Price and Channel (OBPPC) - which states that, “for each consumption
occasion, we offer relevant brands and in appropriate packages, at the right price, in the target channel.” The
strategy appears to be working given recent progress in Poland over the past year, where volume growth and
profitable mix increased 13% and 8% respectively, which is well ahead of 6% total company growth.
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 9
In addition to the challenging demand outlook created by an ongoing European deleveraging process,
continued increases in the price of oil and corn have resulted in ongoing cost pressure in key inputs such as
artificial sweeteners, PET resin and fuel costs. While additional increases in the cost of commodities
represent a risk to the industry’s earnings potential, we believe this risk is sufficiently discounted in
CCH’s severely depressed valuation. Furthermore, any moderation in commodity cost pressure –
consistent with recent comments and guidance from major bottlers - would drive significant upside
in CCH given consensus expectations today.
CCH currently claims the absolute lowest margins among its peers in the industry. For perspective, consider
that EBITDA margins have averaged 15.4% over the past decade, more than 300 basis points higher than the
12.3% level reported today. Obviously there is substantial room for improvement relative to the company’s
own history as well as its peer group. Management has embarked on a plan to cut EUR 70 million of annual
costs out of the business by streamlining operations, consolidating and upgrading facilities, and implementing
shared services across the company’s operational footprint. The benefits of this strategy have already begun
to surprise on the upside. With most of the heavy lifting now complete, and the drag from input costs sets to
ease, we see no reason why margins shouldn’t mean revert over our forecast period.
Source: Bloomberg, Company Filings, Broyhill Asset Management Estimates
CCH is a consistent cash generator with an extremely high quality of earnings as free cash flow has
largely exceeded net income since 2002. Management is targeting zero working capital changes in 2015
and recently reiterated guidance of EUR 1.45 billion in free cash flow net of EUR 1.45 in cumulative capital
expenditures over the next two years. While guidance is skewed towards the back half of the period, it is
consistent with our outlook for improving revenue growth and normalizing margins.
As a result of this predictable cash flow, bottlers typically carry a significant amount of debt. CCH reports net
debt of EUR 1.6 billion, which equates to 1.9x EBITDA and an interest coverage ratio of 4.7x. Given the
new listing, we think the company has the capacity to further leverage the balance sheet, rewarding both
shareholders and family members with significant cash return. For example, CCE management targets 2.5x –
3.0x Net Debt to EBITDA. Assuming similar leverage ratios at CCH would imply that the company
could return an additional 8.8% to 16.0% of its current market capitalization to shareholders.
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
18.0%
20.0%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 TTM
EBITDA Margins
Coca Cola Hellenic Current Peer Group Average
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 10
Valuation
Yogi Berra is credited a variety of luminous observations. One of my personal favorites is that, "In theory,
there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is." As a Yankee fan since childhood,
it is difficult for me to admit that this baseball hall of famer may have missed his calling. Yogi would have
made an excellent economist.
In theory, CCH should be “efficiently priced” by the market as a large liquid company with excellent
governance, operating in a global industry with numerous peers for comparative proposes. However, in
practice, CCH is trading at a substantial discount to the global bottling industry. This is likely attributable to a
single word - “Hellenic” – in the firm’s corporate title. Put simply, the potential investor base has been
drastically reduced by the Greek domicile.
While we think that “Emerging Market Coca Cola” or “Coca Cola Social Media Bottler” may resonate better
with more trendy investors while tacking on a few multiple turns, the company has opted for a less dramatic,
but still, highly effective change. In October, management announced a voluntary offer to acquire existing
Athens-listed shares and exchange them for new shares, listed on the London Stock Exchange. We believe
this shift has the potential to mark an important inflection point in the stock. Moving the
headquarters to Switzerland and listing the shares in the UK should translate into a much broader
investor base with significantly greater liquidity. The company’s current market cap would rank
CCH towards the middle of the FTSE 100 pack, with potential inclusion of new shares in the index
driving technical demand from index investors. Further, we would expect the new structure to have a
positive impact on the company’s credit, reducing CCH’s cost of capital and ultimately resulting in a
valuation more in line with global peers.
This valuation gap can best be seen in examining EV/Sales ratios across the bottling industry. Generally
speaking, companies that have historically generated attractive margins but currently trade at low EV/Sales
ratios may be discounted by the market because other investors assume the decline in profitability is
permanent. In this case, we believe EV/Sales to be a better tool than other valuation metrics. As a result, if
CCH can return to its former level of profitability, than the stock is quite cheap.
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 11
CCH shares are extremely depressed today, trading at 1.1x EV/Sales, which is well below the
majority of the Coke bottlers group, as shown below. Since 2000, CCH has traded between 2.7x (in
2000) and 0.9x (in 2008) EV/Sales. Assuming 2.5% revenue growth for 2012 and a modest top line
recovery of 5% in 2013, the stock would trade at $46.56 on an EV/Sales multiple of 2.0x, in line with
the current industry average, and representing 115.9% upside. If the stock re-rates only to 1.5x from
1.0x today, shares should trade at $33.49, a 55.3% increase. Our downside is based on 1.0x EUR 6.9bn in
sales, putting firm value at $18.56, a 13.9% decline from current levels. Putting this in perspective,
risk/reward ranges from 2:1 to 5:1 under the above assumptions.
The expected shift in the company’s primary listing has already driven valuation higher from 8.3x to
slightly over 9x EV/EBITDA. We believe this upward trend will continue as the stock still falls
short on most valuation yardsticks by a wide degree. For example, we consider what private buyers have
paid for similar businesses in the past, to estimate fair market value. Historically, the median deal has been
executed at 10x EV/EBITDA. The most recent deal between Arca Continental and Grupo Continental in
January 2011 came in at 11x EV/EBITDA. In 2002, Coca-Cola FEMSA (Mexico) acquired Panamerican
Beverages for 10x. Four years later, FEMSA, the largest bottler in the world, purchased Coca-Cola FEMSA
for 11x. PepsiCo acquired two bottling companies in April 2009, PepsiAmericas and Pepsi Bottling Group,
for 11.8x and 10.5x, respectively. So for CCH it seems that 10x is fairly reasonable given recent transactions
as well as the markets they operate in.
Acquirer Name Target Name Announced Date EV/EBITDA
PepsiCo Inc. Pepsi Bottling Group Inc/The 04/20/09 10.5
PepsiCo Inc. PepsiAmericas Inc 04/20/09 11.8
Coca-Cola Femsa SAB de CV Panamerican Beverages Inc 12/23/02 10.0
Coca-Cola Company Coca-Cola Enterprise 3/3/2010 8.3
Arca Continental SAB de CV Grupo Continental SAB de CV 01/24/11 10.0
Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB Coca-Cola Femsa SAB de CV 10/31/06 11.0
LLC Lebedyansky Holdings Lebedyansky JSC 03/20/08 13.2
Suntory Holdings Ltd. Frucor Beverages Group Ltd 10/23/08 43.0
Kirin Holdings Co Ltd. Kirin Beverage Corp 05/11/06 6.3
Coca-Cola West Co Ltd. Kinki Coca-Cola Bottling Co Ltd 02/22/06 3.9
SABMiller PLC Amalgamated Beverage Industries 09/22/04 9.0
Average: 12.5
Median: 10.0
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
COCA COLAHELLENIC
COCA COLAENTERPRISES
FOMENTOECONOMIC
MEXICANO SAB
COCA COLAICECEK AS
COCA COLAAMATIL LTD
ARCACONTINENTAL
SAB
COCA COLAFEMSA SAB
Current EV/Sales
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 12
Using the sales estimates noted previously and giving management some credit for margin improvement gets
us to EUR 1.0bn in EBITDA on relatively conservative assumptions. Affording the stock a multiple of 10.0x
EBITDA results in an estimated firm value of $30.88, a 43.2% increase from current levels. Using historical
EBITDA margins puts firm value at $34.28, or 59.0% upside. Our bear case scenario assumes no growth
from 2012 and values EBITDA at 7.0x, bringing downside to $17.81, or a 17.4% decline. Conversely, if
CCH were to trade in line with its current global peer group at 11.8x EBITDA, investors would
recognize significantly greater upside to shares. We would not be surprised by such a result,
provided that CCH is set to deliver industry leading EBITDA growth in 2013 per Bloomberg
consensus estimates.
Earnings Power Value
In addition to the more traditional valuation metrics noted above, we reviewed CCH’s normalized earnings
power – the amount of cash that it can distribute to its owners each year without impairing the productive
assets of the firm. The starting point in determining EPV is current cash flow. But even current cash flow
may differ from “sustainable average cash flow,” so to determine sustainable distributable earnings, a number
of adjustments are required:
First, in order to eliminate the effects of financial leverage, we begin with operating earnings, EBIT,
rather than net earnings. This allows us to disregard the interest payments a company makes and the
tax benefits it gets from using debt financing. Current earnings are also adjusted for any cyclical
variation that may cause them to be either above or below their sustainable level. The simplest way to
make this adjustment is to calculate the average operating margin over a period of years and apply
that margin to current sales. Margins tend to fluctuate more severely than sales over the business
cycle. However sales are not immune to the cycle so we normalize revenues by assuming the same
top line levels discussed previously and calculate a 9.1% 10-year average operating margin, which
generates normalized operating income of EUR 671 million.
Second, “nonrecurring items” are incorporated into the calculation. We think a sensible way to treat
them when they appear regularly is to calculate the average level over a period of years. As such, we
adjust operating earnings by EUR 50 million which brings adjusted operating income to EUR 621
million and adjusted margins to 8.4% versus 6.8% today.
-
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
COCA COLAHELLENIC
BTLNG-ADR
COCA COLAENTERPRISES
COCA COLAAMATIL LTD
FOMENTOECONOMIC
MEXICANO SAB
COCA COLAFEMSA SAB
ARCACONTINENTAL
SAB
COCA COLAICECEK AS
Current EV/EBITDA
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 13
Third, we note that accounting depreciation, as calculated for financial statements, may diverge
widely from true economic depreciation, which is best estimated by maintenance capital expense, and
omits capital expenditures for growth. Our discussions with management indicated that growth cap
ex is in line with peers – two-thirds growth and one-third maintenance. As such, we add back 75%
of growth capital expenditures.
Finally, taxes charged for accounting purposes may vary widely from year to year. Pretax operating
earnings should be converted to after-tax earnings using an average sustainable tax rate. After taking
out 25% in taxes, adjusted income is EUR 791 million, a 10.7% margin versus 4.6% currently.
Earnings power is an annual flow of funds. To convert it to an Earnings Power Value (EPV), the first step is
to divide earnings power by the cost of capital. The EPV calculated here is that of the firm as a whole. The
value of the equity is this total value less the value of the firm’s outstanding debt. Because growth has been
excluded from this valuation, and because it uses current cash flow, EPV is far less subject to error
than valuations dependent on estimating a terminal value many years into an uncertain future. Put
simply, this is the point in our analysis where we get very excited as we can explicitly demonstrate
the value unlocked by a relisting of shares from Athens to London. Let’s review a few different
scenarios:
The Greek Discount: The financing situation for both public and private companies is particularly
dire in Greece, with lending slowing to a trickle and funds deserting the market, resulting in a
punishingly high cost of capital for local companies. CCH has not gone unscathed as the company’s
current weighted average cost of capital (WACC) stands at a staggering 14.4%. Capitalizing our
adjusted income estimate above at the current WACC equates to a total enterprise value of EUR
5.5bn. Netting out debt and cash brings our total EPV to EUR 3.8 billion or $13.65 per diluted
share, a 36.7% decline from current prices. This is simply the penalty the company pays for listing in
Athens.
Peer Pressure: Global peers currently boast an average WACC of 8.5%, significantly below CCH’s
14.4% inflated cost of capital today. Assuming investors ultimately afford the company with a level
playing field, an 8.5% WACC would result in an EPV of EUR 9.3 billion, a firm value of EUR 7.6
billion, or $27.30 per diluted share – 26.6% upside from current levels.
De-Greeking Coke: We wrote extensively on Swiss interest rates earlier this year. To summarize,
they are low, very low. So low indeed, that it is worth considering the impact that a simple domicile
change may have on the cost of CCH capital and ultimately on the value of the shares. To fully
capture this premium, we recalculate CCH’s cost of capital by using the Swiss risk-free rate of 50 bps
and country premium of 10.0% - these simple changes reduce the firm’s cost of equity down from
19.0% to 9.8%, reducing their WACC to 7.4% (before the financial crisis, CCH’s WACC averaged
6.8%). The result is a firm value of EUR 10.7 billion or $32.25 per diluted share, or 49.6% upside
from current levels.
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 14
In our view, the first scenario has largely been taken off the table with the move of CCH headquarters to
Switzerland. This leaves us with a base case of $27 and a bull case of $32 based upon current normalized
earnings power and assuming no growth in the future. This is even before we consider the following:
First, CCH is currently constrained by uncertain tax treatments on dividends in Greece. We can
assume that the new holding company structure and listing would permit a return to dividend
payouts and perhaps greater authority on future share repurchases. Considering the free cash flow
expected over the next few years, and assuming a targeted leverage ratio of 2.5x to 3.0x, management
would have nearly enough cash to take the company private at current levels.
And finally, assuming management is comfortable with such a targeted leverage ratio, the firm’s
WACC would drop to as low as 6.8%, resulting in additional upside to shares. Calculating firm value
using this reduced WACC results in a target value of $35.52 per share or roughly 64.7% upside from
current levels.
Bottom Line
Common wisdom today is that the really prime, risk free assets are the bonds of globally well-known, established corporate brands
that span borders of tax starved developed markets and risky often thugocracy emerging markets, capable of moving cash from one
country to another and protecting their cash flows and your investment in any market situation. Banks, high tech names, and
transportation companies don’t fit the bill as their assets are ephemeral, technology that is always moving on, or they are tied to
one place or another.
Names that seem to fit this elite bracket can be found in many countries. In the US, besides Coca-Cola there are Johnson &
Johnson, Microsoft, Exxon-Mobil, IBM, and McDonald’s and probably another five to ten names. In Europe there are
Unilever, Nestle, Siemens, Shell, British Petroleum, Bayer, and Daimler among a half dozen others. Japan has Toyota, Honda,
and Matsushita. There will always be some uncertainty as to who should be at the top of the mountain, but being ranked AAA
by S&P would be a good start. However, those that are really at the top never need to borrow any money so there aren’t any
bonds to buy. Although some compromises need to be made, these investments would seem to be far better at preserving value than
their host countries.
One company, Coca-Cola Hellenic, serves to highlight the dichotomy. The company, the second largest Coca-Cola bottler in the
world, having less than 5% of its sales in Greece with production in 27 other countries has moved its corporate headquarters to
Switzerland and its share trading to London, cutting the capitalization of the Athens equity market by about 25%. The
company’s CEO commented that the move made “clear business sense” as it would provide “flexibility to fund our future growth
on competitive terms.” What he is really saying is that his company can borrow much cheaper as a Swiss company than a Greek
one. Local companies are penalized by the credit worthiness of their sovereign, and borrowing below the sovereign rate has been
very unusual in the past. A major reason for this is that a rich company is often the best source of tax revenue for a government
desperate to find revenue. This certainly describes Greece and it is not surprising that the highest quality names in Greece,
assuming that their assets are not tied down, are leaving the country.
- John R. Taylor, Jr., Chief Investment Officer, FX Concepts
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 15
We endorse Mr. Taylor’s assessment. Coca-Cola Hellenic is the highest quality name in Greece. We
believe an investment in CCH represents a compelling opportunity to own a high quality business
characterized by high customer captivity with significant economies of scale at a substantial
discount to intrinsic value. Shares have been dragged down by the weight of the Greek stock index at the
same time that revenues have suffered from volume declines in established markets, further compounded by
double-digit cost inflation which has proven to be detrimental to margins. Importantly, each of these factors
appears to be transitory. If we are right, we should get paid in two ways as both the earnings and the multiple
improve.
The coming shift in the company’s listing from Athens to London appears to have sparked a change
in investor sentiment. We expect this move to serve as an inflection point for the stock, driving
further multiple expansion over time. While current sales and future growth are largely driven by the
world’s emerging market population, investors have been unable to take their eyes off of the slow-motion
European train-wreck represented by CCH’s more mature market exposure - at least until now. We believe
the voluntary share exchange and the London listing should do the trick and properly refocus investor
attention on fundamentals.
Importantly, our investment thesis does not require an economic recovery in the European periphery to
realize the intrinsic value of CCH shares. We believe that if CCH can stabilize cash flow in established
markets, its emerging and developing markets should generate substantial and sustainable earnings
growth, driven by rising per capita beverage consumption, expanding market share and increasing
margins.
Furthermore, we believe input costs are more likely to present a tailwind than a headwind over our forecast
period. At the same time, CCH has been investing heavily in infrastructure to expand and build scale across
emerging markets, while streamlining operations across its geographical footprint. With most of the heavy
lifting now complete, and the drag from input costs sets to ease, margins should improve with
volume growth given the embedded operating leverage in the business.
Finally, given the new listing, we think the company has the capacity to further leverage the balance
sheet and the opportunity to reward shareholders with a significant return of capital. Considering the
free cash flow expected over the next few years, and assuming a targeted leverage ratio of 2.5x to 3.0x,
management would theoretically have enough cash to take the company private at prices well above recent
lows, providing investors with a comfortable floor for the shares.
Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) | Page 16
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