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Zhihu

ZH
26
Internet Content & Information · Communication Services
Price
$3.22
+0.01 (+0.31%)
Market Cap
$260.4M
Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
Winston Score
26
Winston is worried
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Mar 31, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Weak
Stability
Data not available
Valuation
Data not available

Share count rising — dilution

+1.1% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 79.2M (2021) → 80.0M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Zhihu is a Chinese online platform where people ask questions and get detailed answers from other users — similar to Quora in the United States. It serves everyday internet users, students, and professionals looking for in-depth information on topics ranging from science and technology to lifestyle and career advice. Zhihu is one of China's largest question-and-answer communities, with hundreds of millions of registered users.

The company makes money through a mix of advertising, paid memberships, and online education or content subscriptions sold to users who want access to premium material. It operates almost entirely within China, making it heavily dependent on the Chinese internet market and its regulations. With a gross margin near 60% but an operating loss still running close to 20%, Zhihu's main challenge is converting its large user base into reliable profits before competition from larger Chinese platforms like ByteDance and Tencent erodes its audience further.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

-11.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue declining

EPS Growth

+8.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow EPS growth

R&D Spend

¥511M/ year

Declining (-31% vs prior year)

19.1% of revenue

1.6x the sector average (12%)

R&D spend declining — could signal cost-cutting or efficiency

Insider Activity

63.0%ownership

Insiders own a meaningful stake in the company

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

¥4.5B cash & investments

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue declining

Zhihu's revenue is actually shrinking. In a growth stock, that removes the core investment thesis. The low Winston Score here may be warranted — unless there's a turnaround story.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
59.6%
Premium pricing power — 59.6% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
-9.7%
Losing money on operations — -9.7%
Return on the money invested
ROCE
-10.3%
Weak — -10.3% return on capital

Negative ROIC means the business is losing money on every dollar invested in it.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
-21.2%
Shrinking sales (-21.2% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
N/A
Data not available
How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
6/8 quarters
Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
N/A
Data not available
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
-16.0%
Burning cash (-16.0%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
N/A
Data not available
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
N/A
Data not available

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
N/M
Negative earnings — P/E not meaningful
Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
N/A
not available
Data not available

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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