CATL(SZ:300750) Minmetals Securities·2025-11-17 06:33Investment Rating - The investment rating for the electric equipment industry is optimistic [2] Core Insights - The report indicates a tight balance between supply and demand in the lithium battery materials industry, with expectations for this trend to continue into 2026 [4][9] - The report highlights significant growth in energy storage demand, with global shipments of energy storage batteries reaching 428 GWh in the first nine months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 90.7% [4] - The report suggests that the lithium battery sector is entering a new cycle, driven by rising prices in certain segments and improved profitability across the industry [6][9] Summary by Sections Supply Side Analysis - Profitability across various segments has improved, with no overall losses reported in Q3 2025, marking a turnaround for the industry [4] - Capital expenditure has seen a year-on-year increase across multiple segments, indicating a positive outlook for future expansion [4] - Cash flow has slightly improved, although a significant portion is attributed to CATL [4][20] Inventory Analysis - The inventory level is considered reasonable, with the inventory-to-total-assets ratio increasing in Q3 2025 [29] Demand Analysis - The demand for energy storage has exceeded expectations, with a cumulative sales increase of 55.8% in China's power and other batteries from January to September 2025 [4] Supply and Demand Balance - A tight balance between supply and demand has led to price increases in certain segments during the peak demand season of 2025, with expectations for this trend to strengthen in 2026 [4][9] Market Investment Opportunities - The report recommends focusing on opportunities within the lithium battery sector, particularly in energy storage batteries, lithium hexafluorophosphate, lithium iron phosphate cathodes, and silicon-carbon anodes [4][9] Financial Performance Indicators - The lithium battery sector's net profit growth rate for Q3 2025 was +61%, marking three consecutive quarters of positive growth [12] - The overall net profit margin for the lithium battery sector in Q3 2025 was reported at 9.2%, showing improvement [12] Cash Flow Indicators - The cash flow situation for the industry has shown positive growth for two consecutive quarters, although the strength is uneven across different companies [20][21] Capital Expenditure Indicators - The industry has experienced a positive year-on-year growth rate in capital expenditure for three consecutive quarters, with the battery segment showing particularly strong growth [23][27] Inventory Indicators - The inventory-to-total-assets ratio for the lithium battery materials industry is at a relatively reasonable level, with a slight increase noted in Q3 2025 [29]