ANTA Sports (02020) rose nearly 3% in afternoon trading, up 2.15% as of press time to HK$73.55, with turnover of HK$472 million.

On the news front, BOCI recently noted in a research report that it maintains a relatively cautious view on China's sporting goods market but remains bullish on ANTA Sports, believing the company possesses relatively comprehensive competitive advantages and is its top pick in the sector. If the company's acquisition of a Puma stake is successfully completed, it could also become an important catalyst in the fourth quarter of this year.

CLSA believes that holding a 29% stake in PUMA and Jack Wolfskin could expand ANTA's addressable market in professional sports and mass outdoor segments; productivity improvements, store format upgrades, and online growth are expected to offset store optimization; demand in the third quarter of this year slowed compared to the first half, but after July was affected by extreme weather, sales in August and September have shown improvement, and Golden Week and Double Eleven will be key to the company achieving its FY2026 performance guidance.