Zhongyuan Securities·2025-11-10 09:00Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Outperform" rating for the lithium battery industry [1][6]. Core Insights - The lithium battery index has outperformed the CSI 300 index, with a year-to-date increase of 73.20%, surpassing the CSI 300 by 54.39 percentage points as of November 7, 2025 [3][10]. - The industry is experiencing continuous performance improvement, with a revenue of 1.78 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year growth of 12.81% [6][17]. - The demand for energy storage is exceeding expectations, with a significant increase in shipments of lithium batteries for energy storage, which grew by 99.07% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2025 [6][24]. - The report suggests focusing on four main investment lines based on the industry's development trends and price movements in the lithium supply chain [6][32]. Summary by Sections Industry Performance - The lithium battery sector's revenue for 2024 was 2.25 trillion yuan, a slight increase of 0.14% year-on-year, while net profit was 111.39 billion yuan, down 21.68% [6][16]. - In the first three quarters of 2025, the sector's revenue reached 1.78 trillion yuan, with a net profit of 679.5 billion yuan, marking a year-on-year increase of 28.07% [6][24]. Market Dynamics - The sales of new energy vehicles in China reached 11.196 million units in the first nine months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 34.55% [6][24]. - The production of power and other batteries totaled 1,121.90 GWh, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 51.40% [6][24]. Price Trends - The prices of key materials in the lithium supply chain have shown a general upward trend, with lithium hexafluorophosphate prices increasing by 90.40% to 119,000 yuan per ton since the beginning of 2025 [6][24]. - The price of electrolytes has also risen by 44.33% since the start of the year [6][24]. Investment Strategy - The report emphasizes maintaining an "Outperform" rating based on the industry's growth prospects and valuation levels, suggesting continued investment in four main lines [6][32].