Core Viewpoint - Guojin Securities initiates coverage on Meitu Inc. (01357) with a "Buy" rating and a target price of HKD 11.73, emphasizing the company's strong core value derived from its "functional depth + national recognition" in the AI era, which is difficult to disrupt [1] Group 1: Misconceptions in the Market - The market holds four major misconceptions about Meitu's products: 1. Error tolerance misconception: Scenarios involving face editing and character consistency generation have standard answers, but current multi-modal base model capabilities yield unstable results [1] 2. Efficiency in aesthetic activities misconception: Editing images is a self-pleasure activity, and while AI can solve accuracy issues, one-click editing may diminish user experience and satisfaction [1] 3. Natural language interaction misconception: The transition from command line to GUI means that functional buttons represent know-how, and the accuracy of natural language interaction is lower than the drag-and-drop interaction of Meitu's graphical interface [1] 4. Point function misconception: Meitu's products encapsulate a mature workflow in image tools, providing a comprehensive suite of features that meet user needs 100% [1] Group 2: Growth Potential and Revenue Model - The company has a broad long-term growth space, with the potential for a second growth curve driven by international expansion and productivity tools. Since launching Meitu Xiuxiu in 2008, the company has explored various business models, ultimately returning to subscription-based monetization for image editing software [2] - Subscription revenue has grown from CNY 50 million in 2018 to CNY 2.09 billion in 2024, with MAU, ARPU, and payment rate increasing approximately 2%, 25%, and 519% respectively from 2020 to 2024 [2] - Looking ahead, the combination of international expansion and productivity tools is expected to contribute to future MAU growth, while AI-enhanced features and changes in MAU structure may increase ARPU, pushing the payment rate ceiling for tool-based apps above 10% [2]