SMIC(00981) 第一上海证券·2024-11-15 06:17Investment Rating - The report assigns a "Buy" rating to the company with a target price of HKD 32.00, indicating a potential upside of 19.63% from the current stock price of HKD 26.75 [1][3]. Core Insights - The company's revenue for Q3 2024 reached USD 2.17 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 34.0% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 14.2%, aligning with market expectations [1]. - The production capacity utilization rate has improved to 90.4%, up 13.3 percentage points year-on-year and 5.2 percentage points quarter-on-quarter [1]. - The average selling price (ASP) of wafers reached USD 966, showing a slight year-on-year increase of 0.5% and a quarter-on-quarter rise of 15.5% [1]. - The company anticipates a revenue increase of 0%-2% for Q4 2024, projecting revenue between USD 2.17 billion and USD 2.21 billion, which is above market consensus [1]. - The AI sector is expected to be a major growth driver in the coming year, with domestic substitution demand gradually being released [1]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - Q3 2024 operating profit was USD 170 million, a year-on-year increase of 94.4%, while net profit attributable to shareholders grew by 58.3% to USD 150 million, with a net profit margin of 6.9% [1]. - The company’s gross margin improved by 6.6 percentage points to 20.5% quarter-on-quarter [1]. - The projected revenue for 2025 is expected to grow by 28.1% year-on-year, reaching USD 8.1 billion [1]. Capacity and Demand - The company plans to add an average of 50,000 pieces of 12-inch wafer capacity annually, with new orders primarily coming from AI edge products [1]. - The total monthly capacity is expected to reach 920,000 equivalent 8-inch wafers by 2025 [1]. Market Position - The company currently holds a 5.5% share in the global wafer foundry market, which is projected to increase to 8.0% by the end of the year [1]. - The report highlights that one-third of the supply chain is expected to complete domestic substitution in the long term [1].