Expecting Optical Fiber & Cable Boom to Boost Earnings
发布时间:2026-05-11 来源:华泰证券
Hengtong Optic-Electric reported 2025 revenue of RMB66.86bn(+11.45%YoY),attributable NP of RMB2.68bn(-3.20%YoY),and recurring NP of RMB2,565mn(-0.43%YoY).In 1Q26,revenue reached RMB17.79bn(+34.09%YoY,+3.23%QoQ),attributable NP was RMB1,105mn(+98.53%YoY,+263.07%QoQ),and recurring NP stood at RMB1,133mn(+107.68%YoY).During 1Q26,global fiber spot prices rose rapidly.This,coupled with strong demand for North American data communication fiber and drone fiber,heralds the industry's entry into ahistoric upcycle with both volume and price increases.Leveraging its integrated fiber preform-cable capabilities and specialty fiber expertise,the company achieved significant earnings and profitability improvement in 1Q26,while accelerating its entry into North American data center long-term agreements.We expect Hengtong to continue benefiting from industry recovery and demand structure upgrades.Maintain BUY.
2025 operations robust;overseas expansion gathering pace
By segment,the smart grid business benefited from steady growth in grid investment,generating revenue of RMB24.80bn(+11.77%YoY)in 2025;marine energy&communications revenue was largely flat YoY;optical communications revenue declined 14.53%YoY to RMB5,609mn due to temporary pressure in domestic telecom demand in 2025;and industrial&new energy intelligent revenue reached RMB7,308mn(+8.01%YoY).As of 1Q26,the company's order backlog in energy interconnection,including submarine cables,marine engineering,and land cable products,amounted to approximately RMB22bn;marine communications order backlog stood at around RMB7bn;the PEACE transoceanic cable communication system operation project had an order backlog exceeding USD300mn.Overseas markets became akey growth driver,with revenue up 29.85%YoY to RMB14.7bn,highlighting the advantages of its global industrial layout.
1Q26 profitability notably up;expense ratio optimizing
In 4Q25,GPM was 9.89%,up 1.36pp YoY;attributable NPM was 1.77%,down 0.82pp YoY.In 1Q26,GPM reached 15.98%,up 2.36pp YoY,while attributable NPM stood at 6.21%,up 2.02pp YoY.The YoY improvement in profitability in 1Q26 was likely driven by fiber price increases and better product delivery mix.Expense optimization continued,with 2025/1Q26 operating expense ratios down 0.34/0.48pp YoY.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
We are optimistic about the investment opportunities in the fiber optic cable sector:on the demand side,AI data center construction and applications like drones are driving rapid growth in fiber consumption,while supply remains constrained by the 18-24-month expansion cycle for preform capacity and high utilization rates,leading to awidening S/D gap.The industry is transitioning from recovery to full-fledged prosperity.Leveraging its integrated preform-fiber-cable capabilities and specialty fiber expertise,the company achieved significant improvements in both performance and profitability in 1Q26,while accelerating its entry into long-term agreements for North American data centers.It is poised to benefit from the industry's rising prosperity and demand structure upgrades.Given the notable improvement in the fiber optic cable industry's outlook since 2026,we forecast attributable NP for 2026/2027/2028 at RMB8.37/10.16/11.80bn(previous:2026/2027 forecast of RMB3.64/4.52bn,up by 129.82/124.78%).Referencing its peers’2026 average PE on Wind consensus,we assign a22.8x 2026E PE,yielding atarget price of RMB77.33(previous:RMB25.73).Maintain BUY.
Risks:Policy and market risks,shareholder pledge risk,overseas investment,and operating risks.