北方华创（002371）：Building for the next leg of WFE growth

北方华创(002371) 　　Naura reported FY25 revenue of RMB39.4bn, up 31% YoY and broadly in linewith our and Bloomberg consensus, while net profit declined 1.8% YoY toRMB5.5bn, below expectations due to heavier R&D investment and opexassociated with increased hiring and Kingsemi consolidation. While 4Q margincame under pressure, we view this primarily as a result of intensified productvalidation rather than deterioration in end demand. Encouragingly, the Companycontinued to deliver strong top-line momentum on robust IC equipment growth(50%+ YoY) and ongoing product expansion into higher-value process steps.We remain positive on Naura’s positioning as a core beneficiary of China’s WFElocalization trend and domestic foundry capex expansion. Maintain BUY andraise TP to RMB540, based on 35x 2027E P/E (prev. 35x 2026E P/E), as welook through near-term margin headwinds and focus on the sequential recoveryand the anticipated earnings inflection in 2027E. 　　Naura’s etching and deposition segment revenue both exceededRMB10bn in FY25, driving IC equipment revenue growth of more than 50%YoY, per mgmt. We believe this performance shows Naura’s strengtheningposition in China’s domestic WFE supply chain. Looking ahead, new productofferings such as 12-inch PVD, vertical furnace systems and HBM-relatedhybrid bonding solutions should support deeper penetration into logic,memory and advanced packaging, providing a broader and higher-qualitygrowth runway into 2026E and beyond. We expect IC equipment sales togrow by over 40% YoY in 2026E. 　　Near-term profitability softened on investment and validation butshould improve as scale benefits emerge. Naura’s 4Q margins werepressured by elevated component upgrade costs during client validation fornew products and weaker profitability in non-IC segments such as PV. At thesame time, Naura continued to invest aggressively for future growth, withR&D expenses up 46% YoY and admin expenses rising 102% YoY followingthe Kingsemi consolidation and headcount expansion. We expectprofitability to improve progressively as validated tools move into volumeproduction, product mix shifts further toward IC equipment, and operatingleverage strengthens into 2H26. 　　Maintain BUY with TP revised to RMB540, based on its three-yearhistorical forward average P/E. We remain bullish on China’s WFE sector,as accelerating domestic substitution and sustained capex from logic andmemory foundries continue to reinforce a strong multi-year growth backdrop.With the most comprehensive WFE portfolio among domestic peers, Naurais positioned to capture this opportunity across a broadening range ofprocess steps. We expect margin expansion to reaccelerate from 2027Eonward, driven by a more favorable mix shift toward higher-marginadvanced-node products and stronger operating leverage as scalecontinues to build.