Helium Prices May Rise on Tight Supply in 2026-2027
发布时间:2026-03-28 来源:华泰证券
Recently,geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have constrained helium supply from Qatar,and some helium supply capacity may take 3-5 years to recover.We think that global helium supply could tighten in 2026-2027.Meanwhile,with downstream developments in storage and advanced semiconductor processes,we expect helium demand to remain strong,potentially supporting further price increases.Given that Huate Gas(Huate)holds advantages in helium suppliers and customer resources,it is likely to benefit significantly from the helium upcycle,in our view.Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
We expect helium prices to rise on reduced supply from Qatar
Helium is aby-product of natural gas extraction and is mainly used in semiconductor manufacturing,aerospace,defense,and medical sectors.According to the USGS,Qatar’s helium reserves/production in 2024 were 10.1bn/73mn cbm,accounting for 19%/39%of the global totals.Recently,geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have restricted helium production and transportation in Qatar.According to the QatarEnergy official website,its industrial city in Ras Laffan suffered missile attacks on 18-19 March 2026,damaging liquefied natural gas facilities.As aresult,14%of Qatar’s helium exports are unable to ship,with repairs expected to take 3-5 years.In recent years,helium has played akey role in semiconductor manufacturing,including wafer cooling and lithography in DRAM production.With continued development in downstream memory and advanced process nodes,we expect helium demand to remain strong.Our estimates suggest aglobal helium supply-demand gap of-50mn/-10mn cbm in 2026/2027.According to Business Analytiq and others,the average price of helium in Northeast Asia rose by 13%MoM in March to USD147/kg,while China’s market price for 99.999%purity tube-bundle helium increased by 14%from end-February to RMB80/cbm.We think that under sustained tight supply conditions in 2026-2027,helium prices are likely to continue rising.
Huate may gain from the upcycle with value chain advantages
According to information disclosed on the exchange interactive platform,Huate offers multiple products including liquid helium,high-purity helium,and ultra-high-purity helium.After years of development,it has accumulated agroup of high-quality customers and established long-term partnerships with upstream international suppliers,forming arelatively complete value chain.According to TrendForce,the company has achieved mass production of 6N ultra-high-purity helium and obtained ASML certification,enabling use in chip lithography and etching processes,making it an important supplier in the high-end semiconductor helium market.We think that as helium supply tightens,Huate is well positioned to benefit from its supplier relationships,customer base,and product advantages.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
As we expect helium prices and sales volume to increase,we raise our forecasts for specialty gas ASPs and sales volume,and accordingly revise our 2025/2026/2027 attributable net profit forecasts to RMB0.17/0.26/0.34bn(-5/+48/+32%YoY;previous:RMB0.17/0.22/0.28bn,revisions of 0/+18/+21%).We estimate EPS at RMB1.5/2.2/2.8.We value the stock at 49x 2026E PE,at par with its peers’average on Wind consensus,for our target price of RMB105.40(previous:RMB68.15,based on 47x 2025E PE).Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Risks:lower downstream demand/slower progress in new projects than we expect;volatile raw-material prices.