Meituan's Q2 results exceeded market expectations, returning to profitability after the impact of competition in the food delivery market, and losses in new businesses were also lower than expected. However, Bernstein did not significantly shift its bullish stance as a result. While Meituan did not follow ByteDance's large-scale subsidies for low-priced dine-in services in Q2, thus sacrificing some market share, it began to focus on gaining market share again in Q3.
Macroeconomic environment and competitive pressures continue to limit revenue growth, and with the increasing overlap between food delivery, e-commerce, and instant retail, this competition may periodically re-emerge in the future.
Therefore, Bernstein maintains its "market perform" rating on Meituan with a target price of HK$85, a level of expectation it has maintained since downgrading Meituan's rating last June.
