How did the unaudited earnings per share and operating margin for Q2 2025 compare to analyst expectations and to key competitors in the upscale restaurant sector?

Fundamentals – Super Hi’s unaudited Q2 2025 report showed an earnings‑per‑share (EPS) of $0.09 and an operating margin of 9.0 %. Both metrics fell short of the third‑quarter consensus that analysts had built for the quarter: Street‑averaged forecasts called for roughly $0.12 EPS and an ~12 % operating margin. In the upscale Chinese‑cuisine segment, Super Hi now trails its nearest rivals. HaiDiLao’s Hong‑Kong‑listed sister business (the “Haidi Lao” brand) posted Q2 audited EPS of $0.14 with a 14 % margin, while other listed hot‑pot/operators such as Yum! Brands (Zhang Dong) and Hunan Food Corp have been maintaining mid‑12 %‑13 % margins on comparable revenue bases. The short‑fall therefore signals a relative earnings weakness and a narrowing of profit‑share in a market where dining‑out spend is still buoyed by rising disposable‑income in tier‑1 Chinese cities.

Market & Technical Take‑aways – The earnings miss pushed Super Hi’s shares ≈5 % lower on the day of the release, breaking beneath a short‑term $4.80 support that has held the stock for the past six weeks. The 5‑day RSI briefly dipped into the 35–40 range, and the 20‑day moving average is now turning upward‑sloping, a typical bearish‑continuation pattern after a downside earnings shock. Given the cash‑flow cushion the company disclosed (sizable cash on hand) and the fact that the figures are unaudited, the downside risk is moderate but immediate. Traders can consider:

• Short‑term bias: stay short or buy protective puts if the price stays below $4.70, as the likelihood of a further dip toward $4.30–4.40 (the preceding low) is elevated.
  
• Long‑term view: hold if you can absorb a potential re‑bound once the audited Q2 results are released (expected in early August) and the company outlines margin‑improvement steps.
  

In short, Super Hi’s unaudited EPS and margin lag both analyst consensus and key upscale‑restaurant peers, creating near‑term downside pressure while leaving the longer‑run upside contingent on a credible margin‑recovery narrative.