Tencent Holdings LtdAI capex surge and negative free cash flow overshadow modest profit growth

Tencent Holdings slipped 0.2% to HK$440 Friday after dropping 3.7% Thursday, as investors weighed a massive jump in AI-related capital expenditure against modest profit growth. Second-quarter revenue rose 11% to RMB204.8 billion, but IFRS profit attributable to shareholders edged up just 0.7% to RMB56 billion. Quarterly capital expenditure surged 176% year-over-year to RMB52.8 billion, pushing free cash flow from positive RMB43 billion to negative RMB13.8 billion. Domestic gaming revenue grew 17%, marketing services jumped 22%, and cloud revenue rose at a low-20% rate, while non-IFRS profit attributable to shareholders climbed 9% to RMB68.4 billion. Net cash plunged 60% sequentially to RMB58.2 billion after investments, buybacks, and dividends.
Tencent Holdings LtdAI capex surge and negative free cash flow overshadow modest profit growth
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