21世纪经济报道·2025-09-01 13:31Core Viewpoint - The rare earth sector has emerged as the strongest track in A-shares this year, with an average increase of 150.8% as of the end of August, leading all sub-industries in the Shenwan index [1] Group 1: Industry Performance - The rare earth industry has seen a recovery in profitability after two years of decline, with significant performance improvements in 2023 [1][3] - The average profit growth rate for four major rare earth companies reached 723%, with North Rare Earth's net profit growth soaring by 1952% [3][5] - The prices of praseodymium and neodymium metals increased by 11.9% and 12.7% respectively in the first half of the year, supported by stable domestic demand [2] Group 2: Company-Specific Insights - North Rare Earth reported a significant recovery in sales, with a 32.33% increase in rare earth metal product sales and a 17.93% increase in functional materials [3] - Other companies like Shenghe Resources also showed recovery, with profits rebounding from a loss of 0.69 billion to a profit of 3.77 billion in the first half of the year [3] - The gross profit margin for North Rare Earth improved by 4.32 percentage points to 12.28%, while Guangsheng Youse's margin increased by 5.1 percentage points to 6.4% [2] Group 3: Market Valuation - The market has assigned higher valuation premiums to rare earth companies, with North Rare Earth's annualized valuation reaching 74 times based on expected earnings [6] - Other companies in the sector also maintain high valuation levels, with Shenghe Resources at 62.2 times and Guangsheng Youse at 101 times [6] - The increase in valuations is attributed to the strategic importance of rare earth products and recent regulatory measures enhancing industry standards [6]