Japan stock slump opens the door for increased buybacks- UBS

Investing.com-- A recent slump in Japanese stock markets may provide local firms with an opportunity to increase stock buybacks, UBS said in a note, adding that Japanese stocks still offered value.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indexes plummeted to eight month lows on Monday, wiping out all their gains this year and entering a bear market from recent record highs.

While both indexes recouped some losses on Tuesday, they were still trading well below recent peaks.

A mix of profit-taking, concerns over a U.S. recession, an unwinding carry trade and hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan battered Japanese markets. 

UBS argued that the overall drop in valuations provided companies with an opportunity to increase stock buybacks.

The brokerage recommended focusing on companies that had ongoing buyback programs, as well as companies forecast to potentially announce buybacks in the next three months.

On the latter, UBS presented a list of 14 stocks that it expects to enact buybacks soon, including Itochu Corp. (TYO:8001), Seven&i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382), Suzuki Motor Corp. (TYO:7269) and Olympus Corp. (TYO:7733). 

The brokerage said that planned corporate governance reforms in Japan presented more value for investors. The Tokyo Stock Exchange had enacted sweeping reforms last year, including calling on companies to improve their capital positions. A bulk of these reforms resulted in increased buybacks. 

UBS added that after the recent rout, “high-quality” stocks could be seen as undervalued.