HANG SENG BANK(00011) 海通国际·2025-02-21 00:24Investment Rating - The investment rating for Hang Seng Bank is maintained at NEUTRAL [1][2]. Core Views - The report highlights a narrowing net interest margin (NIM) and an increase in the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio, indicating potential challenges in profitability and asset quality [1][4][5]. Financial Performance Summary - For the year 2024, revenue, pre-provision operating profit, and net profit attributable to equity holders increased by +1.8%, +0.6%, and +3.0% respectively [4][14]. - The dividend per share rose from HKD 6.5 to HKD 6.8, marking a year-on-year increase of 4.6% [4][14]. - The return on assets (ROA) increased by 0.1 percentage points to 1.1%, while the return on equity (ROE) remained stable at 13.0% [4][14]. - The common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 17.7% [4][14]. Interest Income and Margin - The net interest margin for 2024 was reported at 2.20%, down by 10 basis points year-on-year [5][16]. - Net interest income decreased by 4.7% year-on-year, influenced by weak loan demand, which saw total loans decline by 4.8% [5][16]. Non-Interest Income - Non-interest income increased by 26.1% year-on-year, primarily driven by an 82.5% rise in trading gains [6][16]. - Net fee income grew by 8.0%, with retail investment fund income increasing by 39.5% [6][16]. Asset Quality - The non-performing loan ratio rose to 6.12%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points from the first half of 2024, attributed to cash flow pressures in the Hong Kong commercial real estate sector [5][16]. - The credit cost decreased by 13 basis points to 56 basis points, with the provision coverage ratio remaining stable at 1.56% [5][16]. Future Earnings Forecast - The forecast for net profit attributable to equity holders for 2025 is expected to decline by 8.8% year-on-year, followed by a recovery of 3.0% in 2026 [3][12]. - The target price for 2025 is set at HKD 101.38, based on a price-to-book ratio of 1.10 times [3][12].