UBS Lowers Price Targets for Chinese Developers, Prefers SEAZEN, C&D International Group, and China Resources Land
Profit Forecast for Chinese Developers: UBS predicts that profits for Chinese developers will decline by an average of 34% in 2025 due to narrowing gross margins and asset impairments.
Target Price Adjustments: The firm has reduced target prices for several developers by approximately 16% and downgraded YUEXIU PROPERTY from Buy to Neutral, setting a target price of $4.4.
Top Picks Amidst Industry Challenges: UBS favors developers with strong land reserves and stable income, highlighting SEAZEN, C&D INTL GROUP, and CHINA RES LAND as top picks, with SEAZEN expected to achieve 7% profit growth in 2025.
Profit Contraction for Other Developers: Other developers are projected to experience significant profit declines, with LONGFOR GROUP expected to shift from profit to a 106% loss, while others like MERCHANTS SHEKOU and CHINA OVERSEAS face declines of 11% to 79%.
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HSI Gains 12 Points, Yet Software Stocks and Dotcoms Decline; Coal and Chinese Developers Surge
Market Performance: The HSI closed slightly up at 26,847, while the HSCEI and HSTECH saw minor declines, with total market turnover dropping to $285.433 billion.
Sector Struggles: Software and dotcom sectors faced significant losses, with major companies like TENCENT and MEITU experiencing declines of 3.96% and 11.4%, respectively.
Resource Stocks Rise: Gold and silver prices rebounded, with companies like CHINAGOLDINTL and ZHAOJIN MINING seeing gains, while coal stocks like YANKUANG ENERGY surged by over 10%.
Financial Sector Movements: HSBC and AIA saw slight increases, while HKEX experienced a minor decline; Chinese property developers generally performed well, with several stocks rising between 5% and 10%.
CICC Anticipates Continued Pressure on CN Developers' 2025 Earnings; CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP Maintain Significant Profit Levels
Earnings Forecast: China's real estate sector is expected to see a significant decline in earnings for covered companies in 2025, with firms like CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP projected to experience a 15-20% year-on-year decrease.
Market Sentiment: Despite the anticipated earnings drop, CICC maintains a positive outlook on the real estate sector for 2023, suggesting potential for positive returns and good value in stock selection for 2026.
Company Performance: Some companies, including GREENTOWN CHINA and YUEXIU PROPERTY, may report marginal profits, while others like LONGFOR GROUP and URBAN CONS DEV could face slight losses, with a few firms expected to see steady core profits.
Stock Ratings: CICC has kept its ratings and target prices unchanged for various Chinese developers, highlighting stocks such as BINJIANG GP and SEAZEN HOLDINGS as outperformers in the market.
<M Stanley Research>: Recent Growth in China's Property Market May Not Last; Home Sales and Prices Expected to Decline in the Coming Months
Market Sentiment and Predictions: Morgan Stanley attributes the recent rise in Chinese property developers to improved investor sentiment and increased residential sales, but warns that optimism may be misplaced as seasonal factors and policy effects could lead to a decline in sales and property prices.
Investment Ratings Overview: The report includes investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, indicating a mix of "Overweight," "Equalweight," and "Underweight" ratings based on their performance and market conditions.
Impact of Lunar New Year: The firm anticipates that the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday will negatively impact residential sales, further complicating the market recovery.
Policy Stimulus Likelihood: With the recent uptick in sales in Tier 1 cities, the chances of additional policy stimulus to support the property market are considered to be diminishing.
Citi's Ratings and Target Prices for Chinese Developers (Table)
Citi's Ratings for Chinese Property Developers: Citi has provided investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, with ratings ranging from "Buy" to "Sell/High Risk" based on their performance and short selling ratios.
Target Prices Overview: Target prices for selected developers include Agile Group at HKD 0.53, C&D International Group at HKD 22.5, and China Overseas at HKD 17.2, reflecting varying levels of investor confidence.
Citi's Ratings for Brokerage Platforms: The investment ratings for Chinese brokerage platforms and project managers also indicate a "Buy" recommendation for companies like KE Holdings and Greentown Management, with target prices set at USD 22.6 and HKD 3.45, respectively.
Market Reactions and Short Selling: The report highlights significant short selling activity across various stocks, indicating market volatility and investor caution, particularly in the context of the Chinese real estate sector.
Daiwa: 'Three Red Lines' Phase-out Provides Minimal Enhancement to Credit Conditions in China's Property Sector
Chinese Property Developer Stocks Rally: Stocks of Chinese property developers surged following reports that authorities will no longer require the monthly "Three Red Lines" reports, which were initially aimed at controlling excessive debt.
Impact of "Three Red Lines" Policy: Daiwa noted that the "Three Red Lines" policy has become irrelevant to most developers' financing, as bond issuance remains frozen for many, pushing developers to rely on operational loans.
Normalization Signs in Credit Environment: Despite the limited improvement from the removal of the "Three Red Lines," there are signs of normalization in the credit environment, highlighted by successful offshore bond issuances from several developers.
Market Sentiment and Future Outlook: Analysts, including those from JPM, remain optimistic about the Chinese property sector's performance, expecting it to continue outperforming until April.
HSI Rises by 141 Points on Settlement Day as Chinese Developers Soar; Consumer Stocks Improve After Noon
Market Performance: Hong Kong stocks rose on the settlement date, with the HSI increasing by 141 points (0.5%) to close at 27,968, while the HSCEI gained 40 points (0.4%) to finish at 9,552. The HSTECH, however, fell by 59 points (1%) to close at 5,841.
Chinese Developers Surge: Significant gains were observed among Chinese developers, attributed to reports that they are no longer required to report the "Three Red Lines" metrics monthly. Notable increases included KWG GROUP (+40.96%), CHINA AOYUAN (+32.88%), and SUNAC (+29.13%).
Short Selling Activity: The short selling activity was notable, with various developers experiencing high ratios, such as SHIMAO GROUP (6.765%) and CIFI HOLD GP (1.472%), indicating a mix of investor sentiment in the market.
Consumer Stocks Rise: Consumer stocks also saw increases, with ZJLD surging by 12.35% and CTG DUTY-FREE by 7.98%, alongside other notable gains in companies like TSINGTAO BREW (+5.63%) and ANTA SPORTS (+4.80%).
HSI Gains 12 Points, Yet Software Stocks and Dotcoms Decline; Coal and Chinese Developers Surge
Market Performance: The HSI closed slightly up at 26,847, while the HSCEI and HSTECH saw minor declines, with total market turnover dropping to $285.433 billion.
Sector Struggles: Software and dotcom sectors faced significant losses, with major companies like TENCENT and MEITU experiencing declines of 3.96% and 11.4%, respectively.
Resource Stocks Rise: Gold and silver prices rebounded, with companies like CHINAGOLDINTL and ZHAOJIN MINING seeing gains, while coal stocks like YANKUANG ENERGY surged by over 10%.
Financial Sector Movements: HSBC and AIA saw slight increases, while HKEX experienced a minor decline; Chinese property developers generally performed well, with several stocks rising between 5% and 10%.
CICC Anticipates Continued Pressure on CN Developers' 2025 Earnings; CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP Maintain Significant Profit Levels
Earnings Forecast: China's real estate sector is expected to see a significant decline in earnings for covered companies in 2025, with firms like CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP projected to experience a 15-20% year-on-year decrease.
Market Sentiment: Despite the anticipated earnings drop, CICC maintains a positive outlook on the real estate sector for 2023, suggesting potential for positive returns and good value in stock selection for 2026.
Company Performance: Some companies, including GREENTOWN CHINA and YUEXIU PROPERTY, may report marginal profits, while others like LONGFOR GROUP and URBAN CONS DEV could face slight losses, with a few firms expected to see steady core profits.
Stock Ratings: CICC has kept its ratings and target prices unchanged for various Chinese developers, highlighting stocks such as BINJIANG GP and SEAZEN HOLDINGS as outperformers in the market.
<M Stanley Research>: Recent Growth in China's Property Market May Not Last; Home Sales and Prices Expected to Decline in the Coming Months
Market Sentiment and Predictions: Morgan Stanley attributes the recent rise in Chinese property developers to improved investor sentiment and increased residential sales, but warns that optimism may be misplaced as seasonal factors and policy effects could lead to a decline in sales and property prices.
Investment Ratings Overview: The report includes investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, indicating a mix of "Overweight," "Equalweight," and "Underweight" ratings based on their performance and market conditions.
Impact of Lunar New Year: The firm anticipates that the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday will negatively impact residential sales, further complicating the market recovery.
Policy Stimulus Likelihood: With the recent uptick in sales in Tier 1 cities, the chances of additional policy stimulus to support the property market are considered to be diminishing.
Citi's Ratings and Target Prices for Chinese Developers (Table)
Citi's Ratings for Chinese Property Developers: Citi has provided investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, with ratings ranging from "Buy" to "Sell/High Risk" based on their performance and short selling ratios.
Target Prices Overview: Target prices for selected developers include Agile Group at HKD 0.53, C&D International Group at HKD 22.5, and China Overseas at HKD 17.2, reflecting varying levels of investor confidence.
Citi's Ratings for Brokerage Platforms: The investment ratings for Chinese brokerage platforms and project managers also indicate a "Buy" recommendation for companies like KE Holdings and Greentown Management, with target prices set at USD 22.6 and HKD 3.45, respectively.
Market Reactions and Short Selling: The report highlights significant short selling activity across various stocks, indicating market volatility and investor caution, particularly in the context of the Chinese real estate sector.
Daiwa: 'Three Red Lines' Phase-out Provides Minimal Enhancement to Credit Conditions in China's Property Sector
Chinese Property Developer Stocks Rally: Stocks of Chinese property developers surged following reports that authorities will no longer require the monthly "Three Red Lines" reports, which were initially aimed at controlling excessive debt.
Impact of "Three Red Lines" Policy: Daiwa noted that the "Three Red Lines" policy has become irrelevant to most developers' financing, as bond issuance remains frozen for many, pushing developers to rely on operational loans.
Normalization Signs in Credit Environment: Despite the limited improvement from the removal of the "Three Red Lines," there are signs of normalization in the credit environment, highlighted by successful offshore bond issuances from several developers.
Market Sentiment and Future Outlook: Analysts, including those from JPM, remain optimistic about the Chinese property sector's performance, expecting it to continue outperforming until April.
HSI Rises by 141 Points on Settlement Day as Chinese Developers Soar; Consumer Stocks Improve After Noon
Market Performance: Hong Kong stocks rose on the settlement date, with the HSI increasing by 141 points (0.5%) to close at 27,968, while the HSCEI gained 40 points (0.4%) to finish at 9,552. The HSTECH, however, fell by 59 points (1%) to close at 5,841.
Chinese Developers Surge: Significant gains were observed among Chinese developers, attributed to reports that they are no longer required to report the "Three Red Lines" metrics monthly. Notable increases included KWG GROUP (+40.96%), CHINA AOYUAN (+32.88%), and SUNAC (+29.13%).
Short Selling Activity: The short selling activity was notable, with various developers experiencing high ratios, such as SHIMAO GROUP (6.765%) and CIFI HOLD GP (1.472%), indicating a mix of investor sentiment in the market.
Consumer Stocks Rise: Consumer stocks also saw increases, with ZJLD surging by 12.35% and CTG DUTY-FREE by 7.98%, alongside other notable gains in companies like TSINGTAO BREW (+5.63%) and ANTA SPORTS (+4.80%).
