Shares of Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable (06869.HK) plunged on Tuesday, closing down 13.3% despite the company announcing a staggering 226% year-over-year surge in first-quarter net profit.
The dramatic sell-off, which saw the stock dip as much as 15% during the day, was not lost on analysts at UBS. The investment bank is holding firm against the negative market sentiment, reiterating its "Buy" rating and maintaining a HK$290 price target on the stock.
The paradox is explained by a significant earnings miss. While net profit hit 495 million RMB, it fell well short of the market's consensus expectation for a figure between 800 million and 1 billion RMB. The company's revenue for the quarter was 3.7 billion RMB, an increase of 28% from the previous year, while gross profit jumped 90% to 1.5 billion RMB.
This event highlights a sharp divergence between the market's focus on short-term targets and an analyst's long-term fundamental outlook. UBS expressed confidence that improving product mixes and the gradual reflection of rising fibre optic prices in contract renewals will bolster gross margins in the coming quarters. The bank also pointed to sustained, strong demand from data centers as a key growth driver that will help the company meet full-year forecasts, suggesting the market is overreacting to the quarterly miss.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.