Meitu Inc (01357.HK) saw its stock soar 5.15% in early trading on Friday, following news that the company's founder, chairman, and CEO, Wu Zeyuan, had increased his stake in the firm.

According to an announcement made late Thursday, Wu purchased 700,000 shares of the company on the open market of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited at an average price of HK$10.00 per share on August 21, 2025. This latest acquisition brings Wu's total shareholding to approximately 12.89% of the company's issued share capital, up from 12.88% previously.

The move is seen as a strong vote of confidence in Meitu's future prospects. The board of directors reported that Wu has expressed high confidence in the company's business outlook and does not rule out further increases in his shareholding at appropriate times. Notably, Wu has never sold any shares of the company and has been consistently increasing his holdings since May 2018, with this latest purchase bringing his total additional acquisitions to 3.98 million shares.