(Yicai) Jan. 13 -- Shares of WuXi AppTech rose after the Chinese pharmaceutical giant raised its annual revenue forecast for the third time, with profits boosted by investment gains from the sale of equity in affiliated companies and the divestiture of certain businesses.

WuXi AppTec [SHA: 603259] closed 6 percent higher at CNY104.60 (USD15) in Shanghai today. Its Hong Kong-listed stock [HKG: 2359] ended up 8.3 percent at HKD120 (USD15.39).

Net profit is expected to have more than doubled to CNY19.2 billion (USD2.8 billion) last year from 2024, the Shanghai-based company said in its earnings forecast yesterday. Revenue likely rose 15 percent to CNY45.5 billion, with that from continuing operations jumping 21 percent.

In March, WuXi AppTech predicted its annual revenue would increase 10 percent to 15 percent to between CNY41.5 billion and CNY43 billion. It then raised the forecast to up to CNY43.5 billion in July and up to CNY44 billion in October.

Profit excluding non-recurring gains and losses jumped 33 percent to CNY13.2 billion last year from the prior one, WuXi AppTech pointed out.

The company continued to focus on its contract research, development, and manufacturing organization business model in 2025, expanding its production capacity, optimizing production processes, and improving operational efficiency, which drove its business to grow sustainably and steadily, it noted.

Last year, WuXi AppTec sold part of its stake in WuXi XDC Cayman, a bioconjugation drug research and development service provider, bringing CNY4.2 billion (USD602.1 million) in net profit, and 100 percent of its clinical research service subsidiaries WuXi Clinical and WuXi MedKey, earning CNY1.4 billion, it said.

Net profit surged 53 percent to CNY3.5 billion in the third quarter from a year earlier, while income climbed 15 percent to CNY12.1 billion, according to WuXi AppTec's quarterly report released in October.

For the first nine months of last year, net profit soared 85 percent to CNY12.1 billion from a year ago, while revenue rose 19 percent to CNY32.9 billion. Income from its US clients jumped 32 percent to CNY22.2 billion.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Martin Kadiev