Ac t i o n | 07 Jan 2026 13:19:54 ET │ 15 pages Leader Drive (688017.SS) A Key Beneficiary of Humanoid Robot and Physical AI Era; Raise TP to Rmb233 CITI'S TAKE With NVIDIA (NVDA.O) demonstrating at CES 2026 again how its open- source platforms (e.g., Omniverse, Issac Sim, Cosmos) can help train robots in physically based virtual environments, we are more confident that humanoid robots' mass production and commercialization are around the corner, echoing mgmt.'s recent comment that Leader Drive's (LD) human ...

Ac t i o n | 18 Dec 2025 11:38:03 ET │ 15 pages Hengli Hydraulic (601100.SS) Raise TP to Rmb135 on Stronger Core Business Guidance and Humanoid Robot Rerating CITI'S TAKE We increase our 2025/26/27E earnings forecasts by 2%/7%/11% as mgmt. turned more bullish than before on 2026 outlook due to recent strong order wins on components for both excavator and non-excavator such as agricultural machinery. For excavator components, the orders are mainly from Chinese OEM's overseas sales and the leading US excavato ...

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for Hengli Hydraulic, anticipating a sequential business recovery driven by improving excavator component demand and potential growth in the humanoid robot sector [3][25]. Core Views - The report highlights that Hengli's earnings growth is expected to accelerate to 17% year-over-year (YoY) in 2Q25, up from only 3% YoY in 1Q25, primarily due to stronger demand for excavator components from Chinese OEMs and foreign customers [1][19]. - Revenue growth for Hengli is forecasted at 13% YoY in 2Q25, driven by the excavator component business, which is outpacing the overall growth of China's excavator industry [2][19]. - The report emphasizes that the market has not fully accounted for Hengli's potential to outgrow the Chinese excavator industry due to increased exports and restocking by foreign OEMs [2][19]. Financial Summary - Hengli's estimated net profit for 2Q25 is projected to be Rmb800 million, reflecting a 17% YoY increase and a 30% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) increase [2][8]. - The target price for Hengli is set at Rmb85.0, based on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 40x for 2025E, which aligns with its historical average [26][7]. - The expected total return for Hengli's shares is 22.1%, comprising a 21.1% price return and a 1.0% dividend yield [4][7]. Market Position and Strategy - Hengli Hydraulic is recognized as China's leading hydraulic parts supplier, focusing on the research, development, and manufacturing of hydraulic components [24]. - The company is preparing to produce up to 100,000 planetary roller screws for humanoid robot clients by 2026, despite uncertainties in demand from clients [25]. - The report notes that losses from Hengli's Mexico and ball screw & linear guide plants are expected to decrease as production ramps up [25].