Orient Securities·2025-05-18 14:13Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Positive" investment rating for the paper and light industry sector [6] Core Viewpoints - The light manufacturing industry index increased by 0.87%, underperforming the market by 0.25 percentage points, while the paper sub-sector declined by 0.47%, underperforming the market by 1.59 percentage points [2][13] - The report highlights that the cultural paper sector is entering an off-season, with pulp and paper prices declining [4] - Recommendations include leading companies in the integrated pulp and paper industry such as Sun Paper (002078, Buy), and special paper leaders like Xianhe Co. (603733, Buy) [4] Summary by Sections Market Review - The light manufacturing industry index rose by 0.87%, while the paper sub-sector fell by 0.47%, ranking 12th among 28 first-level industries [2][13] - The four major sub-sectors of light manufacturing ranked by growth were furniture, packaging and printing, cultural and entertainment products, and paper, with respective increases of 1.67%, 1.09%, 0.21%, and a decrease of 0.47% in the paper sector [2][13] Industry Chain Data Tracking - The report notes a decline in wood pulp product prices, with the average market price for double glue paper dropping by 48 CNY/ton, copper plate paper by 10 CNY/ton, and white card paper by 41 CNY/ton [39] - The profitability of wood pulp products is declining, with small paper companies experiencing a decrease of 78 CNY/ton for double glue paper, while large companies saw a decrease of 48 CNY/ton [49] - Mechanized paper and board production for the first quarter of 2025 reached 38.19 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.8% [58] Raw Materials - Domestic waste paper prices slightly increased by 1 CNY/ton, while foreign waste prices remained stable [24] - The report indicates that the inventory of wood pulp at two major Chinese ports reached 1.81 million tons, a 1% increase from the previous month [25][33] Profitability Levels - Profitability for wood pulp products is declining, with small companies seeing significant drops in profitability across various paper types [49] - The report highlights a divergence in profitability for boxboard paper, with low-grade boxboard increasing by 7 CNY/ton while high-grade boxboard decreased by 8 CNY/ton [56]