Guidance raised after exceptional 2Q26 earnings
药明康德(603259)
WuXi AppTec delivered exceptionally strong results in 1H26, with growthaccelerating through the year despite meaningful FX headwinds. In 1H26, totalrevenue rose 38.9% YoY to RMB28.9bn (2Q: +47.7% YoY), while revenue fromcontinuing operations grew 48.0% YoY (2Q: +55.2% YoY). Adj. net profit surged83.2% YoY to RMB11.6bn (2Q: +91.7% YoY), driving the adj. net margin to arecord 40.0%. Demand visibility continued to improve, with backlog for continuingoperations reaching RMB66.4bn as of 30 June. Mgmt. noted backlog/newbookings grew ~30%/ >40% YoY on a constant exchange basis. Mgmt.substantially raised full-year guidance by projecting 2026 revenue to reachRMB58.5-60.5bn (previously RMB51.3-53.0bn), with revenue from continuingoperations to grow by 35-39% YoY (previously 18-22% YoY). Adj. net profitmargin is expected to remain stable.
Broad-based growth led by Chemistry on capacity efficiency gains fromlate-stage and commercial projects. Mgmt. expected for greater successfrom several customers’ products, which we believe will be the main growthdriver of the Chemistry segment in 1H26. Mgmt. emphasized that over 80%of commercial projects were converted internally from its own pipeline, andlate-stage plus commercial projects now contribute more than 50% ofrevenue, a structural mix shift that underpins both growth durability andmargin resilience. Specifically, small molecule D&M revenue jumped 72.7%YoY (2Q26: +66.9%), while TIDES revenue grew 44.3% YoY in 1H26 with74.9% YoY growth in 2Q26, lifting full-year TIDES growth guidance to ~45%(from ~40%). Mgmt. attributed quarterly TIDES volatility to deliveryscheduling and complex supply-chain planning, not underlying demand.Testing revenue rose 31.5% YoY (2Q: +35.1%), with safety assessmentservices up 42.8% YoY. Biology revenue steadily grew 11.2% YoY in 1H26(2Q26: +12.3%). Mgmt. highlighted a recovery in global early-stage R&Ddemand over recent quarters, particularly in new modalities, and viewed AIdriven drug discovery as a positive factor for its early-stage business.
Capacity effectively running at full utilization. TIDES capacity is plannedto reach 130k L by end-2026, with three new workshops under construction -two in Taixing (online in 2027) and one in Singapore (online in 2028). Smallmolecule capacity is targeted at 5mn L by end-2026. The construction of newChangzhou site was initiated ahead of schedule to accommodate demand.The increase of capex to RMB7.5–8.5bn reflects accelerated overseasconstruction and the early Changzhou start, with further potential rise overcoming years. With accelerating backlog, richer late-stage mix and proactivecapacity additions, growth visibility remains well supported through 2H26 andbeyond.
Maintain BUY. To factor in the strong momentum of small molecule D&M andTIDES business as well as continuous recovery of early-stage business, weraise our earnings forecasts, expecting revenue to grow by 31.4%/ 18.3%/15.1% YoY (for continuing operations: 37.5%/ 18.3%/ 15.1% YoY) and adj.net profit to grow by 59.1%/ 14.9%/ 13.6% YoY in 2026E/ 27E/ 28E,respectively. Hence, we raise our DCF-based TP from RMB143.00 toRMB170.00 (WACC: 9.39%, terminal growth: 2.00%; both unchanged).
