Transformation Challenges Before Cyclical Upturn
发布时间:2026-05-13 来源:华泰证券
For 2025, StarPower Semiconductor's revenue climbed by 18.34% YoY to RMB4,012mn, but attributable net profit fell by 20.18% YoY to RMB405mn. The latter missed our estimate of RMB520mn, due mainly to destocking in the new energy industry since 4Q25, price cuts for new projects, and the company's fixed asset depreciation. For 4Q25/1Q26, revenue was RMB1,023/864mn (+4.80/-6.00% YoY), and GPM was 20.76/21.08% (-10.45/-9.30pp YoY). Due to the aforementioned factors, 4Q25/1Q26 attributable net profit fell by 72.27/74.32% YoY to RMB23/27mn. Currently, in-house capacity is ramping up, guided by its "Fablite" strategy. We expect the company to navigate sector downturns and resume rapid growth by introducing multiple product categories such as MCU, IPM, MOS, and GaN/SiC and integrating them with the existing IGBT semiconductor segment. Our target price is RMB115.68. Maintain BUY.
Revenue and profit faced pressure in 2025 and 1Q26
In 2025, revenue from industrial/new energy/home appliance solutions changed by -6.38/+27.05/+56.03% YoY and accounted for 25.7/63.6/6.7%. 1) New energy vehicle solutions: Revenue climbed by 22.14% YoY, as the company's 6-inch SiC MOSFET production line ramped up rapidly and was onboarded into clients' main drive control systems. 2) Revenue from new energy power generation solutions rose by 55.68% YoY, driven by robust energy storage system (ESS) demand and the rush to install PV modules in 1H25. For 2025, revenue from IGBT modules was RMB3,353mn (+7.69% YoY). Its proportion of total revenue fell by 8.26pp YoY to 83.57%, reflecting the rapid scaling of diverse categories such as SiC and IPM. For 2025, fixed asset depreciation/R&D expenses were RMB434/482mn (+107/+35.94% YoY), pointing to phased challenges amid business transformation. For 1Q26, revenue fell by 6.00% YoY to RMB864mn, and GPM fell by 9.30pp YoY to 21.08%, which we attribute to rising depreciation expenses, cost hikes, and price cuts for some new downstream projects.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
To factor in the uncertainty over the pace of end-market destocking in the domestic new energy industry, we lower our 2026/2027 revenue forecast by 9.5/7.9% to RMB4,733/5,890mn (previous: RMB5,230/6,400mn), and add our 2028 forecast of RMB7,001mn. Considering the company's transition to "Fablite" and end-market price pressure, we lower our 2026/2027 GPM assumption to 23.9/24.7% and add our 2028 assumption of 25.5%. Ultimately, we lower our 2026/2027 attributable net profit forecast by 47/38% to RMB369/565mn (previous: RMB700/910mn), and add our 2028 forecast of RMB785mn. As the company has completed its transition to the semi-IDM model and is investing heavily in assets, we adopt the PB valuation method. Based on 2026E BVPS of RMB30.52, we value the stock at 3.8x 2026E PB, 20% above its peers' average of 3.2x on Wind consensus. We assign this premium mainly because we are optimistic about the company's stronger profitability and a broader product portfolio under the Fablite model. Our target price is RMB115.68 (previous: RMB119.26, based on 41.0x 2026E PE). Maintain BUY.
Risks: Intensifying competition, product price declines, new technology/product R&D falling short of our expectations.