Amino Acids Business Climate Poised For Gradual Recovery
发布时间:2026-08-17 来源:华泰证券
Meihua Holdings has reported 1H26 results:revenue of RMB12.2bn(-0.4%YoY),an attributable net profit of RMB660mn(-63%YoY),and arecurring net profit of RMB450mn(-72%YoY).For 2Q26,revenue came in at RMB6.2bn(+4%YoY,+4%QoQ),with an attributable net profit of RMB540mn(-27%YoY,+361%QoQ),which beat our prior forecast of RMB420mn,mainly due to RMB120mn in other income.Maintain BUY,considering rising penetration in the aquaculture sector,favorable amino acid demand amid soybean meal substitution,and the company’s continued overseas expansion.
Price pressure dragged gross margin down 10.3pp YoY
Feed-grade amino acid revenue fell by 9%YoY to RMB5.14bn in 1H26,mainly on lower product prices.According to Boyar,the average prices for 98.5%lysine/70%lysine/threonine for 1H26 were RMB7.24/4.66/8.51 per kg,down by 21/14/19%YoY.Umami seasoning revenue declined by 10%YoY to RMB3.21bn,driven by lower MSG prices—the 1H26 average was RMB6,787/tonne,down by 6%YoY.Pharmaceutical-grade amino acid revenue rose by 151%YoY to RMB620mn,as the company steadily expanded its domestic and overseas customer channels.Bulk ingredients and by-products revenue rose by 22%YoY to RMB2.31bn.Other revenue grew by 4%YoY to RMB950mn,with the xanthan gum price for 1H26 averaging RMB17.5/kg,down by 23%YoY.The overall gross margin contracted by 10.3pp YoY to 12.9%,primarily reflecting YoY declines in key product prices.
Amino acid cycle to recover;projects progressing on track
According to Boyar,as of 14 August,prices for 98.5%lysine/70%lysine/threonine/MSG/xanthan gum stood at RMB6.35/4.30/7.20/6.91/19 per kg,down by 27/18/30%from end-March for the first three,and up by 2/6%for the latter two.Amino acid prices weakened on rising industry supply and soft end-demand,while MSG and xanthan gum prices firmed on producers’strong price-support stance.We expect the amino acid cycle to recover as farming penetration rises and consumer demand rebounds.
According to the 1H26 report,the company’s 600ktpa lysine project in Jilin reached capacity and efficiency in 1H26,bringing total lysine capacity to 1.6mtpa.The 300ktpa threonine project in Tongliao and the 90ktpa valine project in Xinjiang are progressing well and are slated to come on stream in 2H26.Plumino achieved operating profitability in 1H26,hitting its full-year turnaround target ahead of schedule and starting to generate stable profit.
Meihua has along-standing commitment to shareholder returns:the average dividend payout exceeded 50%over 2016-2025,share buyback programs were rolled out every year from 2019 to 2025,and employee stock ownership plans were implemented continuously from 2021 to 2025.We think that active dividends and buybacks should support along-term valuation re-rating.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
Given that downstream conditions for amino acids and other products still need to recover,we lower our average price and gross margin assumptions.We cut our 2026/2027/2028 attributable net profit forecasts to RMB1.81/2.23/2.46bn(down by 15/13/16%from our prior estimates of RMB2.11/2.56/2.95bn,),-45/+23/+10%YoY with EPS of RMB0.64/0.79/0.88.The company’s peers trade at an average valuation of 11x 2026E PE on Wind consensus.Factoring in the growth potential of pharmaceutical-grade amino acids,Meihua’s industry position in amino acids,a gradual recovery in lysine and MSG cycles,and Meihua’s continued overseas expansion,we apply 15x 2026E PE and derive our target price of RMB9.60(previous:RMB12.75,based on 17x 2026E PE).Maintain BUY.
Risks:slower asset integration and overseas expansion than we expect,weaker downstream demand than we expect,deteriorating competitive dynamics in amino acids/other products,and slower progress on new technologies than we expect.