Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company with a target price of HKD 1.36 [7]. Core Views - The company's performance in 2024 was under pressure, primarily due to a warm winter and connection business impacts, but is expected to stabilize and recover in 2025 as these pressures ease [1][4]. - The company continues to prioritize shareholder returns through dividends, with a current dividend yield of 7% [3][4]. Revenue and Profitability - In 2024, the company reported revenue of HKD 6.198 billion, a decrease of 3% year-on-year, and a gross profit of HKD 569 million, down 24% [1][5]. - The net profit for 2024 was HKD 209 million, reflecting a 22% decline compared to the previous year [1][5]. - The company expects revenue growth in the coming years, projecting revenues of HKD 6.509 billion, HKD 6.878 billion, and HKD 7.268 billion for 2025, 2026, and 2027 respectively, with growth rates of 5% for 2025 and 5.7% for the following years [4][5]. Gas Sales and Margins - The total gas sales volume for 2024 was 2.515 billion cubic meters, representing a year-on-year increase of 13%, with pipeline gas sales at 1.714 billion cubic meters, up 6.5% [2]. - The company anticipates total gas sales of 2.7 billion cubic meters in 2025, a 9% increase year-on-year, with pipeline gas sales expected to reach approximately 1.9 billion cubic meters [2]. - The gross margin for 2024 was HKD 0.41 per cubic meter, down from the previous year, but is expected to recover to HKD 0.52 per cubic meter in 2025 [2][4]. Connection and Value-Added Services - The company added 70,000 new connections in 2024, impacted by a downturn in the real estate market, but expects the number of new connections to stabilize in 2025 [3]. - The value-added services segment achieved a gross profit of HKD 54.7 million in 2024, a 9.6% increase year-on-year, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 42% over the past four years [3]. Debt and Shareholder Returns - The company reduced interest-bearing debt by HKD 570 million in 2024, optimizing its debt structure [3]. - The company plans to increase dividends by no less than 10% annually from 2025 to 2027, based on a dividend per share of HKD 0.076 [3].
滨海投资：接驳压力释放，业绩有望企稳回升-20250407