HONGCHENG WATERWORKS(600461) 新浪财经·2025-04-17 06:23Core Viewpoint - The company reported a revenue of 8.227 billion yuan for 2024, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 2.22%, and a net profit attributable to shareholders of 1.190 billion yuan, up 9.89% year-on-year, slightly exceeding expectations [1] Financial Performance - In Q4 2024, the company achieved a revenue of 2.584 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.64% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 52.22% [1] - The net profit for Q4 was 268 million yuan, showing a year-on-year increase of 37.51% but a quarter-on-quarter decrease of 15.48% [1] - Operating cash flow increased by 14.19% year-on-year, reaching 1.974 billion yuan, with accounts receivable rising by 42.13% to 2.534 billion yuan [2] Business Segments - Water sales and sewage treatment showed steady growth, with water sales revenue increasing by 2.7% and sewage treatment revenue by 4.2% year-on-year [1] - Gas sales and gas engineering installation revenues declined by 0.8% and 10.4% year-on-year, respectively [1] - The company sold 416 million tons of water (up 5.07% year-on-year) and treated 1.253 billion tons of sewage (up 7.90% year-on-year) in 2024 [1] Dividend Policy - The company aims to maintain a dividend payout ratio of no less than 50% for eight consecutive years, with a dividend per share (DPS) of 0.464 yuan for 2024 [2] - The company has consistently maintained a dividend payout ratio above 50% since 2019, reflecting strong asset quality and commitment to shareholder returns [2] Valuation - The target price for the company is set at 14.90 yuan, maintaining a "buy" rating, with expected net profits for 2025-2027 projected at 1.253 billion, 1.315 billion, and 1.363 billion yuan, respectively [3] - The company is assigned a 15.2 times price-to-earnings (PE) ratio for 2025, reflecting a 20% premium over the average PE of comparable companies [3]