Core Viewpoint - The report from Citi indicates that Huahong Semiconductor's Q2 revenue reached $566 million, showing a quarterly increase of 4.6%, nearing the upper limit of the company's guidance of $550 million to $570 million [1] Financial Performance - Gross margin for Q2 was 10.9%, an improvement of 1.7 percentage points from Q1, exceeding the guidance of 7% to 9% [1] - Capacity utilization increased by 5.6 percentage points to 108.3% [1] - Net profit was $8 million, a quarterly growth of 112.1%, but still below market expectations of $12.8 million [1] Market Outlook - Despite early inventory buildup in the first half of the year, demand in the second half is expected to be similar to the first half [1] - Price adjustments began in Q2, with expectations for average selling prices to see single-digit increases in the second half [1] Future Projections - The gross margin for Q4 is anticipated to maintain the level seen in Q3 [1] - The expansion of the 12-inch wafer fab (Fab 9) is progressing well, with new capacity expected to come online in 2027 [1] - Earnings forecasts for Huahong Semiconductor have been raised by 18% and 12% for 2026 and 2027 respectively, while the 2023 earnings forecast has been lowered by 31% due to increased tax [1] Investment Rating - The rating remains "Outperform" with the target price increased from HKD 36.9 to HKD 50.5 [1]
大行评级｜里昂：上调华虹半导体目标价至50.5港元 维持“跑赢大市”评级