Summary of the Conference Call on China Battery Materials Industry Overview - The report focuses on the **China Battery Supply Chain**, particularly the **Energy Storage System (ESS)** battery demand, which is experiencing significant growth [1] Key Insights - **Production Pipeline Growth**: The top-5 battery manufacturers are expected to see an **11% month-over-month (MoM)** increase in production in October 2025, marking the first double-digit MoM increment of the year [1] - **Battery Types Performance**: - **NCM (Nickel Cobalt Manganese) batteries** are projected to increase by **3% MoM** - **LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries** are forecasted to surge by **14% MoM** [1] - **Downstream Demand**: The strong demand for ESS is driving the production pipeline for battery materials, which is expected to rise by **4-8% MoM** [1] Company Highlights - **Top Picks in Supply Chain**: The report identifies **CATL, EVE, CALB, and Hunan Yuneng** as the top companies in the battery materials supply chain [1] Financial Valuations - **CALB Group Co Ltd**: - Target price set at **HK$33.40** based on a **2026E P/E of 20.6x** - Concerns regarding lower gross profit margins compared to peers may affect valuation visibility [11] - **CATL**: - Valued at **HK$621/share** based on a **17.3x 2025E EV/EBITDA** - Target price implies **36.6x 2025E P/E** and **27.9x 2026E P/E** [13] - **Eve Energy**: - Target price set at **Rmb93.9/share** using a sum-of-the-parts approach, with a focus on battery business valuation at **15.3x 2026E EV/EBITDA** [16] - **Hunan Yuneng New Energy Battery Material**: - Valued at **Rmb57.9/share** based on a **14.4x 2026E EV/EBITDA** [19] Risks Identified - **General Risks**: - Weaker-than-expected battery demand - R&D challenges - Strong competition and operational challenges - Customer concentration and litigation risks [12][14][18][20] Additional Insights - The report emphasizes the importance of monitoring the **global ESS demand**, which is expected to continue influencing the battery materials market positively [1] - The production forecasts for various components of battery manufacturing, including cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes, are also projected to see increases of **8% MoM**, **5% MoM**, and **6% MoM**, respectively [5][10][7]