GS Holdings Ltd., SAP SE, BB Biotech AG: Great services for society!

GS Holdings Ltd - Integrated ways in service

One of the most Western-looking metropolises in Asia is undoubtedly Singapore. If it weren't permanently 30 degrees with almost 100% humidity, even Europeans would be able to stand it because the standard of living is very high. The city-state charges for the high level of service, so life in Singapore is not exactly cheap. The cleanliness, which can be felt everywhere and is strictly sanctioned, is impressive, and the punctuality of public transportation deserves an award. In the Covid pandemic, Singapore is taking a very regulated approach. The local people can feel "at ease" even with this burden because the impressive standard and security are always palpable and present.

A highly flexible local service provider is GS Holdings Ltd, a specialist in providing end-to-end cleaning services to the food and beverage (F&B) industry. The investment holding Company focuses on two areas, with concepts covering the hospitality and lifestyle industries. Besides hospitality solutions such as dishwashing, they also offer franchise models and management services for restaurants, hotels and cafes. Known citywide are the three food courts in Bukit Batok and Sungei Kadut Way, a halal restaurant and a famous chicken and rice restaurant under the brand "Sing Swee Kee."

"Raffles Coffee" has a Starbucks feel to it and, with its modern appearance, is considered a pearl for the future growth of the group. Marketing also comes from a single source, with subsidiary Wish Hospitality handling branding management for the startups, providing operational assistance and coordinating central procurement. A newer business line also includes recruitment and training for health and lifestyle centers or F&B outlets in China. The significantly higher standard is likely to be well received there, in particular.

In this challenging environment, GS Holdings Ltd. will continue to add new service concepts and, if necessary, grow more strongly externally. The group is financially strong and makes half a million SGD profit per half-year. With modern service concepts for the local population, the story can now be rolled out perfectly.

SAP SE - Data Analytics Subsidiary Aims for Nasdaq Listing

SAP and Microsoft want to cooperate more closely in the future. According to recent statements, the integration of Microsoft Teams into existing SAP solutions is planned. The two companies wish to enable their customers to move more quickly to the cloud. SAP and Microsoft had already agreed to cooperate in 2019 to introduce new offerings in cloud automation and integration for SAP S/4-Hana on Microsoft Azure. The cloud segment, in particular, had disappointed recently, causing SAP's share price to plunge more than 30%.

Apart from work on product integration, SAP, Microsoft and participating system integration partners will continue to provide roadmaps for the overall "Digital Enterprise" solution. These include reference architectures and technical support for user companies on their way to the cloud. Finally, the two software houses plan to increase investments in their platforms and infrastructure.

According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, at subsidiary Qualtrics, SAP raised the price range to USD 27 - 29 from the previous USD 22 - 26. This increase would mean revenues of up to USD 1.7 billion. In the best case, Qualtrics would now have a market value of around USD 15 billion, which would be almost double the takeover price that the Walldorf-based Company put on the table two years ago. Even after the IPO, SAP retains an 84% stake in Qualtrics. The Qualtrics platform allows companies and government agencies to collect feedback and data from customers and employees for real-time analysis and processing.

The business model is reminiscent of Palantir. We believe that the growth of the new platform can accelerate very quickly. Partnerships with SAP competitors such as Salesforce.com or Workday, which were previously difficult to achieve, could also contribute. It feels like the turnaround at SAP has already happened and the course has been set correctly.

BB Biotech AG - Profit increase and higher dividend

BB Biotech AG has done a great job over the last 10 years. As a biotech investment Company, it posted slightly higher profits in the past fiscal year than in the previous year. Shareholders are to participate in this in the form of another dividend increase. According to Friday's AdHoc, the Company posted a net income of about SFR 691 million in 2020, up about 2% from the previous year. A regular dividend of SFR 3.60 per share is proposed to the annual general meeting on March 18, 2021 - another increase over the previous year's SFR 3.40 and quite a handy 5% yield.

In particular, Moderna, in which BB Biotech has a stake, shot up significantly following the approval of the Corona vaccine. BB Biotech took profits in the fourth quarter accordingly, in addition to Moderna, Halozyme, Myovant, Crispr Therapeutics and Scholar Rock. The proceeds were mainly reinvested in the expansion of existing positions. In the final quarter, three new positions were added to the portfolio - Mersana, Biogen and Beam Therapeutics.

In the current year 2021, the Company expects exciting fundamentals from the biotech sector and numerous vaccine campaigns against the Covid-19 virus. As a result, asset allocation is focused not only on established areas but also on rapidly developing future technologies. The new Biden administration's stance will play a significant role in healthcare. President Trump had rolled back some of the improvements from Obama Care; newcomer Biden is likely to be keen to push ahead again with drug pricing reform. Particularly in the Corona pandemic, improving access to necessary health care is expected to be a goal. BB Biotech remains well positioned with its US-heavy portfolio, boasting a 30% gain in one year. A solid story with a human touch!