Report
Guy Sips ...
  • Jacob Mekhael
  • Kristof Samoy
  • Livio Luyten
  • Lynn Hautekeete
  • Michiel Declercq
  • Thibault Leneeuw
  • Thomas Couvreur
  • Wim Hoste
  • Wim Lewi

Dynamic Top Pick List Update February 2026: Removing ASMi; Adding UCB

After today's changes (ASMi out, UCB in), we maintain a balanced approach in our Dynamic Top Pick List, with a particular emphasis on value stocks that have been overlooked. Our defensive holdings are overweight, including real estate, which stands to benefit from lower interest rates.

We remove ASMi from our Dynamic Top Pick List as the recent share price performance has driven the valuation meaningfully ahead of fundamentals. Since early December, FY27 diluted EPS expectations have risen by approximately 9%, while the share price has rallied by around 40% over the same period, resulting in a rerating that outpaces earnings momentum. The fundamental improvement is supported by ASMi's announcement on 15 September, in which the company stated that order intake and revenue would exceed expectations, driven by stronger demand from China and advanced logic. These drivers have contributed to a notable sentiment shift: the market's earlier concern about ASMi's limited memory exposure has been replaced by a view of the company as a structural beneficiary of the future AI equipment roadmap.

UCB announced a second FY25 guidance upgrade on 5 December 2025. Revenue is now expected to exceed €7.6b, representing +24% y/y (previously at least € 7bn). The upgraded guidance reflects - next to the continued growth of Rystiggo, Zilbrysq, Fintepla and Evenity – strong performance of Bimzelx, including a strong momentum in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and a favorable payer mix in the US. This second guidance upgrade underscores Bimzelx' strong clinical data in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondylarthritis, and hidradenitis suppurativa, which has led the product to outperform commercial expectations. Ahead of the upcoming FY25 results on 26 February, we recently updated our model to increase our Bimzelx sales expectations to € 2,128m (vs. consensus of € 2,030m). Given the company's guidance for FY25 revenue to exceed € 7.6bn vs. consensus of € 7.5bn, we look forward to the update which could come with another beat on expectations, further solidifying the company's strong execution to date. As such, we add the company to our Dynamic Top Pick List.
In our Benelux selection, we now have a 40% exposure to cyclical industrials at attractive valuations, which have often underperformed the market. The technology sector holds a 7% weight in our portfolio. We've observed that some stocks have been significantly impacted by minor setbacks, but these may prove to be more resilient over FY26 as investors seek out undervalued opportunities.

Since the publication of our Dynamic Top Pick List for 2026 on 4 December 2025 the average performance of the stocks in our Dynamic Top Pick List was +11.2% compared to +4.0%, +10.9% and +4.3% for respectively the AEX, Bel20 and Eurostoxx50. The best performers were IBA (+40.3%), D'Ieteren (+35.1%), ASMi (+31.9%) and DEME (+23.2%) while the worst performers were Wolters Kluwer (-24.2%), Argenx (-10.2%) and Shurgard (0%).
Underlyings
Aedifica SA

Aedifica is a property company, which is specialized in residential real estate. Co.'s portfolio has a superstructure of more than 225,911 sq. m as of June 30 2010. It owns: residential or mixed buildings in Belgian cities with classical leases; buildings with furnished apartments buildings in the heart of Brussels with shorter term leases; senior houses and serviceflats with very long term and triple net leases; and hotels. Co. invests: in existing and already leased buildings; and in projects with future completion. Co.'s activities can be divided into four segments: Residential or mixed buildings; Furnished apartments buildings; Senior houses; and Hotels and others.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Anheuser-Busch Inbev is engaged in the brewing of beer. Co. manages a portfolio of well over 200 brands that includes brands such as Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck's; multi-country brands such as Leffe and Hoegaarden; and other brands such as Bud Light, Skol, Brahma, Quilmes, Michelob, Harbin, Sedrin, Klinskoye, Sibirskaya Korona, Chernigivske and Jupiler. Co. also produces and distributes soft drinks, particularly in Latin America. Co.'s operations are organized along seven business segments: North America, Mexico, Latin America North, Latin America South, Europe, Asia Pacific and Global Export & Holding Companies.

ArGEN-X SE

Argenx N.V. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer. Utilizing its suite of differentiated technologies, Co. is focused on developing product candidates with the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known, but complex, targets in order to treat diseases with a significant unmet medical need.

AZELIS GROUP NV

Corbion NV

Corbion is an internationally operating company engaged in the development, production, sale and distribution of bakery supplies and food ingredients. Co. is engaged in the Bakery Supplies and Lactic Acid business. Co.'s operations are divided into two segments: Bakery operations and Lactic acid operations. Co.'s Bakery operations comprise the development, production and sale of bakery ingredients and products. Co.'s Lactic acid operations involve the production of lactic acid and lactic acid derivatives which are used in food, pharmaceutical and technical products. Co. operates mostly in Europe and North America. Co.'s brands are Waldkorn, Kate's cakes, Purac, Carel, MeisterMarken.

D'Ieteren SA

D'Ieteren is engaged in two sectors of services to the motorist: Automobile Distribution, which is a distributor of Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche, and Yamaha brands in Belgium; and Vehicle Glass, which is engaged in the repair and replacement of vehicle glass mainly in Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand through Belron s.a. and notably its CARGLASS®, AUTOGLASS® and SAFELITE® AUTO GLASS brands.

DEME GROUP NV

EVS Broadcast Equipment SA

EVS Broadcasting Equipment is engaged in the development and marketing of audiovisual equipment relating to the processing of pictures and sound. Co. provides solutions based on tapeless workflows with a consistent modular architecture. Co.'s activities are divided into the following regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and America.

Ion Beam Applications SA

IBA- Ion Beam Applications develops and markets technologies and pharmaceutical products for the healthcare sector, with a focus on cancer diagnosis and therapy. Co. is also engaged in the sterilization and ionization market. Co. operates in two primary business segments: Equipment and Pharmaceuticals. Co.'s Equipment segment encompasses development, fabrication, and services associated with medical and industrial particle accelerators, proton therapy systems, and a range of dosimetry products, while Co.'s Pharmaceuticals segment encompasses the production and distribution of radiopharmaceutical agents as well as its bioassay operations.

Royal Vopak NV

Royal Vopak is a holding company. Via its subsidiaries, Co. acts as a tank storage provider for the oil and chemical industry. Co. operates a network of terminals located at locations along trade routes. Co. also provides a range of additional services, from loading and unloading a range of transport modalities to heating, cooling, blending and customs formalities. The customers Co. serves range from global to local clients and include national and global producers, governments, distributors and traders of liquid and gaseous bulk products. Co.'s customers are active in the production, trading and marketing of oil products, chemicals, gases, biofuels, edible oils and liquefied natural gas.

SHURGARD SELF STORAGE LIMITED

Sofina SA

SOFINA is an investment company whose portfolio consists of shareholdings in various companies. Co. manages a portfolio of long-term and short-term investments. Its portfolio comprises investments in companies which are active in sectors such as: Energy and Services (GDF Suez, Suez Environnement, bioMerieux and Exmar); Retail (Colruyt, Delhaize); Consumer goods (Danone, Rapala, B & W Group, and Chapoutier); Satellite operators (SES); Finance Companies (Eurazeo, Caledonia, Luxempart, RAB Capital); Industry (Petit Forestier, Landis + Gyr, Carbone Lorraine and Deceuninck) and Alternative assets (Private equity, Hedge funds).

UCB S.A.

UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on severe diseases in two therapeutic areas, namely central nervous system disorders and immunology. In the area of central nervous system disorders, Co. is focused on advanced Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, restless legs syndrome and epilepsy. In the area of immunology disorders, Co. is focused on rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, post-menopausal osteoporosis, systemic lupus erythematosus and immunological diseases.

Warehouses De Pauw SCA

Warehouses De Pauw and its subsidiaries are engaged in investment in the Belgian semi-industrial property market. Co. is a closed-end property investment company which specializes in: development of storage and distribution premises; customized projects in line with the user's request; acquiring premises for customers who wish to engage in sale and leaseback transactions.

Wolters Kluwer NV

Wolters Kluwer operates through four divisions: Health is a global provider of information for medical and health professionals; Financial & Compliance Services is a U.S. provider risk management, compliance, finance, and audit professionals the services they need to optimize risk and business performance, and ensure compliance with local, regional, and global regulation; Tax & Accounting is a provider of tax, accounting, and audit information, and services; and Legal & Regulatory provides customers with expert content, software, and services in the areas of law, business, and regulatory compliance in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

Provider
KBC Securities
KBC Securities

We are a financial services provider for several types of professional clients, each with distinct needs.

 

Analysts
Guy Sips

Jacob Mekhael

Kristof Samoy

Livio Luyten

Lynn Hautekeete

Michiel Declercq

Thibault Leneeuw

Thomas Couvreur

Wim Hoste

Wim Lewi

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