SINGAPORE, Jan 7, 2026, 14:58 SGT — Regular session
- Yangzijiang Shipbuilding shares rose about 1.7% in afternoon trade, briefly matching a 52-week high
- The move comes as Singapore equities hover near record levels after Tuesday’s benchmark jump
- Focus shifts to early-March results for order wins, margins and dividend signals
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (Holdings) Ltd shares rose 1.7% on Wednesday, briefly matching a 52-week high as the Singapore market stayed firm. The stock was up S$0.06 at S$3.62 by 2:40 p.m. SGT, after gaining 2.6% on Tuesday. It traded between S$3.57 and S$3.68, the top of its 52-week range.
The move extends a broader upswing in Singapore stocks after the Straits Times Index closed at a record 4,739.97 on Tuesday, helped by Wall Street’s surge and a steady bid for local names. Carmen Lee, head of equity research at OCBC Group Research, said there would be “more focus” on small and mid-cap stocks in 2026, while UOB Kay Hian analyst Adrian Loh forecast a 5,000 year-end target for the STI.
Industrial shares have been early winners in 2026 after a strong 2025 run. The FTSE ST Industrials Index was up about 3% in early January as of Jan 6, after returning 44% in 2025, and Yangzijiang was among the index’s leading performers in the second half of last year, Singapore Business Review reported. 1
For Yangzijiang, investors are weighing a large backlog against the pace of new contract wins. The shipbuilder said in November it had secured about US$2.2 billion of orders year-to-date, versus US$11.6 billion in the same period a year earlier, and its outstanding order book stood at about US$22.8 billion across 245 vessels. Executive chairman and CEO Ren Letian said better macro clarity had improved sentiment and supported a “modest recovery” in order momentum.
Analysts tracked by SGX put the consensus target price at S$4.524, according to Beansprout, implying roughly 25% upside from Wednesday’s trading level. The same compilation shows the stock is mainly rated “buy,” leaving the next set of results as a key test for the rally. 2
But shipbuilding is cyclical and contract risk remains a live issue, especially when buyers face financing or compliance hurdles. In September, the group terminated about US$180 million of product tanker contracts after it said the buyer’s main shareholder was involved in a scheme to circumvent U.S. sanctions, Maritime Executive reported.
