MaxSoar Updates Research Coverage on Longwei with Rating of "Outperform" and Raises Its Fair Value Assessment to $5.67 per Share

TAIYUAN CITY, China, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Ltd. (NYSE MKT: LPH) ("Longwei" or the "Company"), an energy company engaged in the storage and distribution of finished petroleum products in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), today announced that MaxSoar Financial and Investments LLC ("MaxSoar") has updated its research coverage on Longwei with a rating of "Outperform" and raised its fair value assessment to $5.67 per share based on an intrinsic valuation detailed in its research report.

"The Company is attractive to investors because it kept its return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) at approximately 20%. The major catalyst for future stock price appreciation is the completion of the acquisition of [the] Huajie facility, which at full capacity will double the Company's capacity," states the MaxSoar research report.

The updated MaxSoar research report concluded, "Based on our valuation, the fair value of Longwei's stock price per share is $5.67 based on an intrinsic valuation, and the range is $5.18-$5.87 based on comparable company analyses with American large-cap comparable companies and Chinese/Asian small-cap comparable companies. This indicates that the current market price of Longwei's stock is significantly undervalued, as the potential price upside is over 200%."

To download a free copy of the MaxSoar research report, go to: http://www.maxsoar.com/research_reports/MaxSoar Research Report No. 201210-1.pdf.

The research report released by MaxSoar compares favorably to the recently released research update from RedChip on October 4, 2012, with a "Strong Buy" rating and target price for Longwei of $5.16 per share.  A copy of the report can be found on the RedChip website at http://redchip.com/visibility/investor.asp?symbol=LPH.  The report cites Longwei's closing of the Huajie Petroleum acquisition; strong, stable financial results; and simple and straightforward business trading at a very attractive valuation, among the catalysts for potential stock price appreciation.

Longwei's Chief Financial Officer, Michael Toups, will present at the RedChip 15^th Annual Fall Small-Cap Conference today at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.  For more information about the RedChip 15^th Annual Fall Small-Cap Conference, please visit http://www.redchip.com/conference.

About Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited

Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited is an energy company engaged in the storage and distribution of finished petroleum products in the People's Republic of China. The Company's oil and gas operations consist of transporting, storing and selling finished petroleum products, entirely in the PRC. The Company's headquarters are located in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. The Company has a storage capacity for its products of 220,000 metric tons located at three storage facilities within Shanxi: Taiyuan, Gujiao and Huajie, which have an individual storage capacity of approximately 50,000 metric tons ("mt"), 70,000mt, and 100,000mt, respectively.  The Company has the necessary licenses to operate and sell petroleum products not only in Shanxi, but throughout the entire PRC. The Company's storage tanks have the largest storage capacity of any non-government operated entity in Shanxi.

The Company seeks to earn profits by selling its products at competitive prices with timely delivery to transportation companies, coal mining operations, power supply customers, large-scale gas stations and small, independent gas stations. The Company also earns revenue from agency fees by acting as a purchasing agent for other intermediaries in Shanxi, and through limited sales of diesel and gasoline at two retail gas stations, each located at the Company's Taiyuan and Gujiao facilities. The Company seeks to continue to expand its customer base and distribution platform through the utilization of its large storage capacity, which allows the Company the flexibility to take advantage of pricing, supply and demand fluctuations in the marketplace.

Longwei was recently named to the Forbes list of "Asia's 200 Best Under a Billion" from a universe of 15,000 companies.  Forbes ranked the companies based on sales growth, earnings growth and return on equity in the past 12 months and over three years.  As was reported, Longwei's three-year track record is 45% sales growth, 28% earnings per share growth and 28% return on equity.  The Forbes article can be found at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/christinasettimi/2012/07/25/asias-200-best-under-a-billion.

For further information on Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited, please visit http://www.longweipetroleum.com. You may register to receive Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Limited's future press releases or request to be added to the Company's distribution list by contacting Dave Gentry at [email protected].

About MaxSoar Financial and Investments LLC

MaxSoar Financial and Investments LLC is a professional financial service provider that offers an array of financial services including investment analysis, asset management and personal or corporate financial analysis and planning. MaxSoar's analysts have extensive experience in researching, analyzing, and managing a broad spectrum of financial assets including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate properties, and private companies in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, U.S. west, and Canada west. MaxSoar strives to maintain the highest degree of independency, objectivity, integrity, honesty, and transparency in each analysis report it publishes.

MaxSoar's updated Longwei research report is an independent, buy-side sponsored research report. MaxSoar was compensated by private investors to write this updated report.  Neither MaxSoar nor its analysts are paid directly or indirectly by Longwei, its investor relations company, or any other related entities of Longwei to write this report.  The analyses and fair value assessment contained in this report represent only the analysts' personal views and opinions. The fair value assessment is by no means a guarantee of performance on any long or short trades of the stock and is not a recommendation to buy or sell the stock. Investors should not make their investment decisions based solely on the information and opinions contained in this report. Every investment, no matter how compelling, involves risk. Investors should do their own due diligence and consider personal risk tolerance, preferences, and needs when making an investment or a trading decision.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Longwei's industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Because such statements involve risks and uncertainties, the actual results and performance of the Company may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Longwei's operations are conducted in the PRC and, accordingly, are subject to special considerations and significant risks not typically associated with companies in North America and Western Europe. These include risks associated with, among others, the political, economic and legal environment and foreign currency exchange. The Company's results may be adversely affected by changes in the political and social conditions in the PRC and by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion, remittances abroad, and rates and methods of taxation. Other potential risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the ability to procure, properly price, retain and successfully complete projects, and changes in products and competition. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company also disclaims any obligation to update its view of any such risks or uncertainties or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to the forward-looking statements made here. Readers should review carefully reports or documents the Company files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:      

At the Company:
Michael Toups, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: U.S. Office +1 727-641-1357
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.longweipetroleum.com

Investor Relations:
Mike Bowdoin
RedChip Companies, Inc.
Tel: +1-800-733-2447, Ext. 110
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.redchip.com

SOURCE Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Ltd.