Earnings Temporarily Constrained, Eyes on Operational Improvement
发布时间:2026-09-10 来源:华泰证券
Sonavox has released its 1H26 results: revenue/attributable net profit (NP)/recurring NP were RMB1,424/40/39mn (+4.23/-53.07/-50.20% YoY). For 2Q26, revenue grew QoQ, but the attributable NP fell sharply QoQ, which we think was mainly impacted by downstream auto demand fluctuations, intensified industry competition, and exchange rate volatility. In 1H26, the company actively promoted project nomination conversions and overseas client expansion, with the Hefei plant achieving stage-wise profitability and losses at the Czech plant narrowing significantly YoY. Despite short-term profitability pressure, we remain upbeat on medium-to-long-term operational improvement. Maintain BUY.
1H26: Demand, competition, FX volatility weigh on profitability
Sonavox’s 1H26 revenue/attributable NP were RMB1,424/40mn (+4.23/-53.07% YoY). During the period, downstream auto market demand fluctuated and industry competition intensified, leading to modest top-line growth. Fierce price competition in the domestic auto market exerted pressure on upstream supply chains, combined with raw-material price changes, providing challenges for the overall gross margin. On the expense side, sales/R&D expenses grew by 20.71/9.52% YoY. Meanwhile, USD and EUR depreciation led to FX losses of RMB25mn, compared with FX gains of RMB41mn in 1H25, driving financial expenses up from -RMB26mn in 1H25 to RMB44mn, notably denting the net profit. On the positive side, cash collections increased in 1H26, driving the net operating cash flow up by 47.11% YoY. The Hefei plant turned profitable stage-wise, and Czech plant losses narrowed substantially YoY.
2H26: Projects advance, operational efficiency poised to improve
Sales momentum for the company’s three main product categories remained solid, continuing to advance mass production conversions of pipeline and nominated projects. The company secured new project nominations from automakers such as NIO and Geely, as well as multiple vehicle models featuring smart cockpits from leading domestic brands. Overseas, newly developed client YAMAHA commenced mass production deliveries for domestic matching models, while order expectations from Mercedes-Benz and various Volkswagen brands remain favorable. Looking to 2H26, the company is poised to advance new project conversions and overseas client expansion while boosting operational efficiency through smart manufacturing upgrades, supply chain optimization, and lean production. The Hefei plant turned profitable stage-wise in 1H26, and Czech plant losses narrowed significantly YoY. Separately, the company advances R&D in premium acoustic products, diamond tweeters, novel diaphragm materials, digital speakers, and MEMS speakers, which we expect to further enrich its high-margin product matrix.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
Considering weaker-than-expected downstream auto demand and top-line growth, alongside gross margin impacts from industry competition and cost pressure, plus 1H26 FX loss drags, we lower our 2026/2027/2028 revenue forecasts by 8.8/7.3/5.3% to RMB3,251/3,792/4,344mn (previous: RMB3,564/4,093/4,585mn) and cut our attributable NP forecasts by 20.1/16.1/11.4% to RMB200/283/320mn (previous: RMB250/337/362mn). Reflecting the company’s product and tech competitiveness in automotive acoustics, we value the stock at 20.6x 2026E PE, a 20% premium over its peers' average of 17.1x on Wind consensus (previous: 19.0x), for our target price of RMB24.89 (previous: RMB34.67, based on 22.8x 2026E PE). We remain optimistic about room for growth driven by automotive acoustic upgrades, premium product expansion, and the ongoing overseas push. Maintain BUY.
Risks: weaker downstream auto consumption than we expect; slower overseas expansion and client project execution than we expect.