CHINA RES GAS(01193) 交银国际·2025-03-31 10:23Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is Neutral with a target price of HKD 20.80, representing a potential downside of 26.2% from the current price of HKD 28.20 [1][4][17]. Core Insights - The company's operational and profit growth for 2024 is under pressure, necessitating a rebalancing of its future profit structure [2]. - The core profit for 2024 is expected to be significantly below market expectations, with a forecast of HKD 4.15 billion, which is 30% lower than the previous expectations [7]. - The company has seen a 20% year-on-year decrease in residential connections, which is a major factor contributing to the lower-than-expected profitability [7]. - The retail gas volume growth for the year is projected at 2.9%, below the anticipated 5%, influenced by a warmer winter [7]. - The dividend policy appears irregular, causing confusion among investors, with a projected decline in the full-year dividend payout ratio to 52% from 2023 [7]. Financial Overview - Revenue is projected to grow from HKD 101.27 billion in 2023 to HKD 102.68 billion in 2024, reflecting a modest year-on-year growth of 1.4% [3][18]. - Net profit is expected to decline from HKD 5.22 billion in 2023 to HKD 4.09 billion in 2024, marking a significant year-on-year decrease of 21.7% [3][18]. - The earnings per share (EPS) is forecasted to remain flat at HKD 1.79 for 2024, with a slight increase to HKD 1.89 in 2025 [3][18]. - The company’s price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is projected to decrease from 15.7 in 2023 to 14.9 in 2025, indicating a declining valuation trend [3][18]. Operational Data - The residential gas sales volume is expected to increase from 9.44 million cubic meters in 2023 to 10.04 million cubic meters in 2024, representing a growth rate of 2.9% [10]. - The company anticipates a decrease in new residential connections, with projections of 2.69 million in 2024, down from 3.37 million in 2023 [10]. - The retail gas margin is expected to slightly improve to RMB 0.54 per cubic meter by 2025 [10].