Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the overseas education sector, particularly highlighting New Oriental as a key player [10]. Core Insights - The overseas education sector is experiencing improved operational efficiency and accelerated profit margin expansion, with New Oriental expected to report a revenue of $1.165 billion for Q2 FY26, representing a year-on-year growth of 12.2% [5][10]. - The report anticipates a significant increase in non-GAAP net profit for New Oriental, projected at $63 million, which is a 77.8% increase year-on-year, with a non-GAAP net profit margin of 5.4%, expanding by 2 percentage points [5][10]. Summary by Sections 1. Overseas Education - **Market Review**: The education index rose by 2.8% in the week of December 19-25, outperforming the Hang Seng Index by 1.8 percentage points, with a year-to-date increase of 13.1% [4]. - **Company Update**: New Oriental's revenue is expected to reach $1.165 billion, with the education business (including cultural tourism) contributing $957 million, a growth of 11% year-on-year [5][10]. - **Study Abroad Business**: The revenue from study abroad exam training and consulting is projected to decline by 3% to $242 million, reflecting a slowdown in growth due to high base effects from the previous year [2][5]. - **New Business Growth**: New business segments, including K9 competency training and learning machine services, are expected to grow by 21% to $364 million, driven by differentiated offerings for primary and secondary education [3][6]. - **Operating Profit Margin Improvement**: Despite a slowdown in high-margin study abroad business, the increase in competency business margins is expected to offset this. The non-GAAP operating profit margin is projected to expand by approximately 2 percentage points to 4.7% [6][10]. 2. Overseas Pharmaceuticals - **Market Review**: The Hang Seng Healthcare Index saw a slight increase of 0.02%, underperforming the Hang Seng Index by 1.24 percentage points [12]. - **Key Events**: Notable transactions include Sanofi's $2.2 billion acquisition of vaccine company Dynavax, which has a marketed hepatitis B vaccine and a promising shingles vaccine candidate [14]. - **Investment Recommendations**: The report suggests focusing on innovative drug companies with active business development opportunities and clinical progress in key pipelines, including companies like BeiGene and Innovent Biologics [15]. 3. Overseas Social Services - **Ctrip's Q3 Performance**: Ctrip reported a 16% year-on-year revenue increase to $18.4 billion, with strong performance across various business segments, particularly in international OTA platforms [17]. - **Tongcheng Travel's Q3 Performance**: Tongcheng Travel's revenue grew by 10% to $5.5 billion, with a notable increase in accommodation and core OTA business revenues [18]. - **Key Focus**: The report highlights potential growth in the outbound travel sector and the importance of hotel management services as additional growth drivers [19].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a positive outlook on the overseas education sector, particularly on New Oriental, with an investment rating of "Buy" [12]. Core Insights - New Oriental is expected to achieve revenue of $1.165 billion in 2QFY26, representing a year-on-year growth of 12.2%. The education business (including cultural tourism) is projected to generate $957 million, up 11% year-on-year, while other businesses (mainly Dongfang Zhenxuan) are expected to reach $208 million, growing 18% year-on-year. The Non-GAAP net profit attributable to the parent company is anticipated to be $63 million, reflecting a significant year-on-year increase of 77.8% [6][12]. - The report highlights a slowdown in the growth of the study abroad business, with expected revenue of $242 million in 2QFY26, down 3% year-on-year. This slowdown is attributed to high-end consumption challenges in the one-on-one exam preparation segment. The company is adapting by shifting from one-on-one to one-to-many class formats to lower per-class costs and expanding services to younger students [2][6]. - New business segments, including K9 competency training and learning machine services, are projected to grow by 21% year-on-year to $364 million in 2QFY26. The company aims to enhance operational efficiency and profit margins through improved utilization of existing teaching resources [3][7]. Summary by Sections Market Review - The education index increased by 2.8% during the week, outperforming the Hang Seng Index by 1.8 percentage points. Year-to-date, the education index has risen by 13.1%, lagging behind the Hang Seng Index by 9.18 percentage points [5]. Company Updates - New Oriental's revenue forecast for 2QFY26 is $1.165 billion, with a Non-GAAP net profit of $63 million and a Non-GAAP net profit margin of 5.4%, expanding by 2 percentage points year-on-year [6][12]. - The report notes a significant decline in the growth rate of the study abroad business, with a projected revenue decrease of 3% year-on-year [2][6]. - The new business segment is expected to maintain strong growth, with a projected revenue increase of 21% year-on-year [3][7]. Investment Analysis - The report recommends focusing on Hong Kong vocational education companies, particularly China Oriental Education, due to a rebound in vocational training demand and the company's proactive operational adjustments. It also suggests monitoring higher education companies as profitability is expected to improve [12].