Unitree Robotics stock soars over 600% in historic trading debut on China’s STAR Market

Unitree Robotics, the Hangzhou-based company best known for viral videos of its robots doing backflips and martial arts, just delivered one of the most explosive trading debuts China has seen in years. Shares opened at 1,100 yuan on August 19, a 629% jump from the IPO price of 150.8 yuan.

The stock closed with gains exceeding 460%, landing somewhere around 845 yuan.

The numbers behind the frenzy

Unitree, formally known as Yushu Technology Co., raised 6.1 billion yuan (roughly $905 million) through its initial public offering on the STAR Market. That’s China’s Nasdaq-equivalent exchange, designed specifically for high-tech and innovative companies.

At its IPO pricing, the company carried a valuation of approximately 61 billion yuan, or about $9 billion.

The retail investor tranche was oversubscribed by more than 8,000 times. The demand was so lopsided that most individual investors who wanted shares simply didn’t get any, which likely fueled the opening-day price explosion as buyers rushed in on the secondary market.

At its intraday peak, Unitree’s market capitalization reportedly swelled to around 445 billion yuan before settling back down.

Why investors are this excited about dancing robots

Unitree holds the distinction of being the largest humanoid robot company by sales, and it became the first humanoid robot maker to list on mainland Chinese exchanges.

The company has built its brand partly through social media savvy. Videos of Unitree’s robots performing martial arts routines, synchronized dance numbers, and athletic feats have racked up millions of views across platforms.

What this means for the robotics sector

The sheer scale of Unitree’s debut is likely to accelerate the IPO timelines of its competitors. UBTECH and Dobot, two other prominent Chinese robotics firms, have both been eyeing public listings.

The 8,000x oversubscription ratio and 600%-plus first-day pop also carry a warning signal. Chinese IPOs have a history of massive first-day surges followed by prolonged declines as the initial excitement fades and investors start scrutinizing quarterly earnings.

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