One Chinese tech stock got a lot of love from analysts in recent weeks. That’s internet giant Tencent, which is known for its gaming business and runs WeChat, one of the world’s largest messaging apps. Fourteen analysts raised their price targets for the stock and none lowered it in the past three weeks, according to a CNBC Pro screen using FactSet. CNBC Pro screened for stocks that had their price targets raised in that period by all analysts covering them. Tencent was also the only stock that Goldman added to its July version of its monthly Asia-Pacific conviction list. This list includes the bank’s curated picks of between 15 and 30 top buy-rated stocks for the region. Of all Chinese internet stocks, Tencent offers “one of the most visible and sustainable” profit growth of around 20%, Goldman said in its July 1 note. That’s thanks to an “acceleration” in gaming revenue driven by new game titles and advertising market share gains, the bank added. Those two factors are not yet reflected in the stock’s valuation, Goldman said. The bank gave Tencent a price target of 477 Hong Kong dollars ($61), or potential upside of about 24%. In a June note, Jefferies said Tencent has demonstrated “strong execution” on its gaming strategies to “rejuvenate existing games with solid pipeline.” “We consider Tencent a global mobile games leader, with a proven track record in developing successful games,” said Jefferies, reiterating it as its top pick in the China internet sector. “Tencent’s evolution from consumer to industry internet, while retaining its solid foundation in gaming and growing its ad market share, paves the way for future success, in our view,” it added. According to FactSet, 97% of analysts covering the stock give it a buy rating, with 21.8% potential upside on the consensus price target. Tencent shares are up nearly 30% year-to-date. Tencent’s first-quarter earnings showed that they beat estimates for revenue and profit. Its adjusted net profit was up 62% year-on-year – the fastest growth since the March quarter in 2021.
