3Q26: Earnings Edged Down QoQ Amid Lithium Price Declines
发布时间:2026-10-23 来源:华泰证券
For 9M26,YongXing Special Materials(YongXing)posted revenue/attributable net profit/recurring attributable net profit of RMB7,703/1,378/1,307mn(+38.87/+159.26/+180.58%YoY).For 3Q26,revenue was RMB2,620mn(+41.36%YoY,-1.27%QoQ),the attributable net profit was RMB419mn(+220.65%YoY,-10.76%QoQ),and the recurring attributable net profit was RMB393mn(+182.49%YoY,-9.09%QoQ).For 9M26,revenue growth was mainly driven by higher lithium carbonate prices.We view YongXing as abenchmark player in lepidolite-based lithium extraction and maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Lithium price fell by 14.2%QoQ in 3Q26
For 9M26,the GPM rose by 10.88pp YoY to 26.92%.For 3Q26,the GPM rose by 8.09pp YoY but fell by 0.90pp QoQ to 24.65%,with quarterly revenue and earnings slightly below the 2Q26 levels,mainly because the average lithium carbonate price fell by 14.2%QoQ to RMB148,000/tonne in 3Q26.For 9M26,investment income was RMB70.11mn(+48.09%YoY),mainly coming from higher returns from wealth-management products.The net operating cash flow was RMB1,022mn(+119.84%YoY,mainly driven by higher gross profit from the lithium-ion battery material business).
An integrated value chain helps save costs
On the mining side,YongXing has accelerated extraction to build up raw-material inventories;on the beneficiation side,it has smoothed the production rhythm between mining and smelting.On the smelting side,it has leveraged the commissioning of its integrated lepidolite lithium extraction technical upgrade project.In 1H26,the overall beneficiation recovery rate improved,by-products such as tantalum-niobium-tin and feldspar-quartz gained value,and the roasting system delivered more stable operations and ahigher lithium recovery rate.In special steel,the company has concentrated resources on high value-added products,including automotive steel,high-efficiency energy steel,duplex steel,and super austenitic steel.Steel for AI liquid cooling has achieved volume sales,shifting per-tonne gross profit towards the higher value-added range.
ESOP subscription in progress
In August 2026,YongXing disclosed adraft employee stock ownership plan(ESOP),under which it is to transfer up to 2.6mn repurchased shares(around 0.48%of total share capital)at RMB30/share,with alock-up period of no less than 12 months.Using 2025 as the base,the draft sets three thresholds for 2026 attributable net profit growth—150/165/180%—corresponding to company-level unlocking ratios of 60/80/100%.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
Given the recent pullback in lithium prices and bearish demand outlook,we cut our 2026/2027/2028 attributable net profit forecasts by 13.1/25.6/21.8%to RMB1,739/1,845/2,661mn.On asum-of-the-parts(SOTP)basis,we forecast 2026 attributable net profits of RMB488/1,251mn for the special steel&other segments/lithium-ion battery materials segment,and value them at 13.1/14.3x 2026E PE,in line with their peers’averages on Wind consensus.Our target price is RMB45.03(previous:RMB67.23,based on 13.0/20.1x 2026E PE for special steel/lithium-ion battery materials).Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Risks:sharper-than-expected declines in lithium carbonate prices,weaker-than-expected downstream demand,slower-than-expected progress in mining rights approvals and project development,and risks related to production and operations,safety and environmental protection,and ESOP implementation.