CHINA RES BEER(00291) 西南证券·2024-08-29 01:14Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for China Resources Beer (0291.HK) with a target price of HKD 28.37, based on a current price of HKD 23.05 [1]. Core Insights - The beer business is under short-term pressure but continues its long-term trend towards premiumization. In the first half of 2024, the company reported revenue of CNY 23.74 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 0.5%, and a net profit attributable to shareholders of CNY 4.71 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.2% [2]. - Despite external factors impacting sales, the company’s premiumization strategy is driving an increase in unit price, with beer sales volume down 3.4% year-on-year to 6.348 million tons. However, premium and above products maintained double-digit growth [2]. - The overall gross margin improved to 46.9%, up 0.9 percentage points year-on-year, with the beer segment's gross margin at 45.8%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points [2]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - Revenue for the first half of 2024 was CNY 23.74 billion, down 0.5% year-on-year. The net profit attributable to shareholders was CNY 4.71 billion, up 1.2% year-on-year [2]. - Beer sales volume decreased by 3.4% to 6.348 million tons, while the average price per ton increased by 2% to CNY 3,554 [2]. - The white liquor segment saw revenue of CNY 1.18 billion, a year-on-year increase of 20.6% [2]. Profitability - The overall gross margin improved to 46.9%, with the beer segment's gross margin at 45.8% [2]. - The EBITDA margin for the beer business increased by 1.1 percentage points to 28.2%, while the overall net profit margin rose by 0.3 percentage points to 20.9% [2]. Future Outlook - The company expects steady revenue growth in the second half of 2024, driven by a low base effect and active cost control [2]. - The long-term strategy focuses on the dual empowerment of beer and white liquor, with expectations for continued growth in premium products [2]. - Earnings per share (EPS) forecasts for 2024-2026 are CNY 1.62, CNY 1.76, and CNY 1.90, respectively, with corresponding dynamic P/E ratios of 14, 13, and 12 [2].