Summary of Key Points from the Conference Call Company and Industry - **Companies Involved**: NetEase, Bilibili, Kuaishou - **Industry**: China Digital Entertainment Core Insights and Arguments 1. **Stock Performance**: China digital entertainment stocks have seen significant YTD performance with Kuaishou, NetEase, and Bilibili rising by +75%, +57%, and +30% respectively, compared to HSI's +27% [1][11] 2. **Downgrade Ratings**: NetEase and Bilibili have been downgraded from Overweight (OW) to Neutral due to less attractive risk-reward profiles after recent stock rallies [1][11] 3. **NetEase Earnings Outlook**: Limited earnings upside for NetEase is anticipated due to rising game promotion expenses and a lack of blockbuster game launches in the second half of 2025. The estimated P/E ratio for 2025 is 16x, with a projected EPS CAGR of 6% for 2026-2027 [1][11][26] 4. **Bilibili Revenue Growth**: Bilibili's revenue growth is expected to decelerate from over 20% in the first half of 2025 to 5% in the second half, primarily due to a high comparison base from mobile games [1][11] 5. **Investment Recommendations**: The report suggests accumulating stocks with reasonable valuations (less than 20x P/E) and double-digit profit CAGR, favoring Kuaishou with a 14x P/E and 20% profit CAGR [1][11] Financial Forecasts and Changes 1. **NetEase Financials**: - Revenue forecast for 2025 is RMB 113.54 billion, with an adjusted net income of RMB 39.87 billion [22] - Expected net profit growth to slow to -1% in Q4 2025 and -9% in Q1 2026 [11][26] 2. **Bilibili Financial Revisions**: - Net revenue for 2025 revised down by 1% to RMB 30.20 billion, with mobile games revenue down by 6% [5] - Advertising revenue forecasted to decline by 3% [5] Other Important Insights 1. **Market Conditions**: The digital entertainment sector is influenced by themes such as AI and the experience economy, which are seen as safer investments compared to e-commerce and local services [1] 2. **Competition and Regulation**: Increased competition in the gaming market and potential regulatory changes in China pose risks to revenue growth for both NetEase and Bilibili [11][15] 3. **Valuation Metrics**: NetEase's valuation is at a 20% discount to its five-year average P/E, reflecting a cautious outlook on its future performance [14][17] Conclusion The conference call highlights a cautious outlook for NetEase and Bilibili amidst strong past performance, with concerns over rising costs and competition. The recommendation is to focus on companies with solid growth potential and reasonable valuations within the digital entertainment sector.

Summary of NetEase, Inc. Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: NetEase, Inc (NTES.O, NTES US) - **Industry**: China Internet and Other Services - **Market Cap**: US$78,716 million - **Stock Rating**: Overweight - **Industry View**: Attractive - **Price Target**: US$138.00, with a 12% upside from the current price of US$122.76 as of May 15, 2025 [8][8][8] Key Points Overseas Expansion Strategy - NetEase has clarified its overseas expansion strategy, focusing on online games while de-emphasizing single-player games, which are seen as culturally specific and a barrier to global expansion [2][4][4] - The preview of the new game "Sea of Remnants" is viewed positively as a strong addition to its game pipeline [2][3] Upcoming Game Releases - Upcoming titles include "Destiny: Rising" and "Marvel Mystic Mayhem," both utilizing existing intellectual properties (IPs), which may result in lower gross profit margins (GPM) due to revenue-sharing agreements [3][3] - The company plans to launch "Where Winds Meet" globally and introduce e-sports for "Marvel Rivals" to boost its popularity [3][3] Financial Outlook - Management expects sales and marketing expenses to stabilize at 13-14% of revenue, recovering from previous volatility linked to "Eggy Party" [6][6] - The industry standard for marketing expenses is 20-25% of new games' annual revenue and 8-10% for existing titles [6][6] Gross Profit Margin (GPM) Concerns - The GPM is a focal point, with discussions around potential declines in revenue-sharing ratios with platforms like iOS and Android being more of an industry-wide issue rather than specific to NetEase [5][5] - NetEase is actively negotiating with platforms to lower costs, maintaining a track record of success in this area [5][5] Impact of AI on Game Development - NetEase has been a pioneer in integrating AI into game development but acknowledges that current AI technology is not yet ready for critical tasks like 3D asset modeling [7][7] - The company plans to reinvest manpower saved through AI into enhancing game quality [7][7] Management Insights - Management provided more visibility on operational expenditure (opex) outlook, indicating a strategic shift towards online gaming development [2][2] Additional Insights - The shift in strategy has led to the shutdown of certain studios, reflecting the company's commitment to its new direction [4][4] - The overall sentiment towards NetEase's future performance remains positive, with analysts expecting attractive growth in the gaming sector [8][8][8]