Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company with a target price of HKD 3.7, indicating a potential upside of 50% from the current stock price of HKD 2.49 [3][8]. Core Insights - The company reported a revenue of RMB 3.06 billion for the first half of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%, but net profit fell by 71% to RMB 68 million due to a challenging consumer environment [1]. - The report anticipates a decline in net profit for 2024, 2025, and 2026, projecting RMB 240 million, RMB 290 million, and RMB 320 million respectively, with corresponding EPS of HKD 0.20, HKD 0.24, and HKD 0.27 [1][14]. - The company is expanding its store count, with a total of 771 stores as of June 2024, an increase of 45 stores from the end of 2023, primarily through its brands Tai Er and Song Hotpot [1]. Financial Performance Summary - Tai Er's revenue for the first half of 2024 was RMB 2.24 billion, a decrease of 1.6%, with an operating profit margin of 13.8%, down 7.5 percentage points year-on-year [1]. - Song Hotpot's revenue was RMB 430 million, down 5%, with an operating profit margin of 8.6%, a decline of 5.1 percentage points [1]. - The overall gross margin improved to 64.2%, up 0.4 percentage points year-on-year, attributed to lower raw material costs and economies of scale from the central kitchen [1][15]. Future Projections - The company plans to open 80 new stores domestically and 13 overseas in 2024, although the pace of expansion has slightly slowed compared to earlier plans [1]. - The report projects a modest revenue growth rate of 1.3% for 2024, followed by 14.1% and 12.8% for 2025 and 2026 respectively [15]. Valuation Analysis - The report employs both comparable company analysis and DCF methods for valuation, concluding a target price of HKD 3.7 based on a PE multiple of 13x for 2025 projected EPS of HKD 0.24 [8][10]. - The DCF analysis suggests a fair value of HKD 4.3, indicating a significant upside potential [8][11].
九毛九：消费环境承压，利润下滑