GANFENGLITHIUM's stock experienced a sharp decline of 5.00% during intraday trading on Thursday, as the company faced pressure from both internal developments and broader sector challenges.

The sell-off was triggered by news that major institutional investor Baillie Gifford & Co reduced its stake in the company by 2.4971 million shares, representing a decrease in ownership from 6.12% to 5.61%. Additionally, the company disclosed that its 2022 stock option incentive plan failed to meet performance targets for the fourth exercise period, leading to the cancellation of 551,250 stock options. Further adding to negative sentiment, Vice President Fu Lihua announced plans to reduce holdings by up to 40,000 shares to repay equity incentive loans.

Industry factors also contributed to the downward pressure, with lithium carbonate futures contracts falling 4% intraday to CNY 193,720 per tonne. Analysts noted concerns that at current lithium carbonate prices around CNY 200,000 per tonne, the internal rate of return for some energy storage projects could fall below 6%, potentially impacting future demand in the sector.