Bank of America Securities has released a research report adjusting its target price for ALI HEALTH (00241) from HK$6 to HK$5.1, while reiterating a 'Buy' rating. The revision is based on lowered profit and free cash flow growth forecasts. The firm maintains a positive long-term view on the digitalization opportunities within the industry and believes ALI HEALTH is well-positioned due to its integration across B2C and O2O channels, as well as its synergy with the parent company's AI business initiatives.

Management outlined a new development strategy during an investor meeting aimed at capturing significant market opportunities. The report identifies two key areas of opportunity for the company: (1) The pharmaceutical category is expected to remain the fastest-growing vertical in online retail, driven by incremental factors such as instant retail and direct-to-consumer sales of innovative drugs; and (2) AI technology has the potential to significantly enhance physician productivity.

Consequently, the company's new strategy includes providing comprehensive pharmaceutical retail services by integrating B2C, O2O, and digital tracking operations. This integration aims to achieve synergies in traffic, fulfillment networks, and data insights, enabling efficient omnichannel retail services for innovative pharmaceutical companies. Additionally, the company is launching an AI medical assistant model named "Hydrogen Ion," designed to assist doctors with natural language searches, evidence-based Q&A, literature reviews, and Chinese-English comparison functions. Management aims to attract 2 million monthly active doctors (equivalent to a 40% penetration rate) to register within three years, with the firm seeing monetization potential from subscriptions and pharmaceutical company budgets.

The report notes that ALI HEALTH's fiscal year 2026 performance was within guidance but slightly below market expectations due to a slowdown in the second half. Looking ahead, the firm anticipates ALI HEALTH will increase investment in its new strategy, which is expected to boost revenue growth but may also pressure short-term profitability. Therefore, the firm forecasts an acceleration in revenue growth to 14% for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, while simultaneously lowering its adjusted net profit forecasts for those years by approximately 20%.