On August 18, ASMPT fell 3.19% in regular trading, trading at HK$176.3/share, with turnover of HK$134 million. The decline came as short-term profit-taking pressure mounted following a cumulative monthly gain exceeding 20%.

The prior rally was driven by the company's Q2 results that significantly beat expectations, with adjusted net profit of HK$638 million surpassing market consensus by 76%, revenue of HK$4.94 billion exceeding guidance midpoint by 10.5%, and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.43x reaching a five-year high. Management guided Q3 orders to grow by high single digits sequentially, led by thermocompression bonding and optical communications.

However, market analysis noted that semiconductor equipment sector valuations have reached a reasonably expensive level, with the valuation anchor shifting from PE multiples to order growth rates. Should wafer fab capex decelerate or major customers cut orders, the market has virtually no margin for error. Following the rapid advance, selling pressure from short-term capital locking in gains has intensified.

(The above content is based on publicly available market information, generated by a program or algorithm, and is intended solely as a stock movement alert. It does not constitute investment advice or a basis for trading decisions.)