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BYD shares fall as intense domestic competition and rising costs pressure earnings

The Chinese electric vehicle giant reported a drop in first-half net profit despite a surge in vehicle exports.

The short version

  • BYD's Hong Kong-listed shares fell nearly 5% following the release of its interim financial results.
  • Despite a 30% rise in second-quarter net profit, BYD's first-half net profit dropped by 20.5% year-on-year to 12.3 billion yuan.
  • The automaker attributed profit margin pressure to slugging domestic demand, intense local competition, and rising commodity and raw material costs.

Key facts

  • BYD's net profit for the first half of the year fell 20.5% year-on-year to 12.3 billion yuan ($1.7 billion), while total first-half revenue declined 7.1% to 344.8 billion yuan.[CNBC]
  • The company's second-quarter net profit increased by 30% year-on-year to reach 8.2 billion yuan, even as Q2 revenue dipped 3% to 194.6 billion yuan.[CNBC]
  • First-half vehicle exports from BYD increased 67.8% year-on-year, totaling 792,000 units.[CNBC]
  • Sales of BYD's luxury and premium brands—FANGCHENGBAO, Denza, and Yangwang—grew 61% year-on-year, making up 12.8% of passenger vehicle sales.[CNBC]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether BYD will meet full-year projections remains to be seen, though Citi analysts forecast a full-year net profit of 41.2 billion yuan.[CNBC]

Sources