CZBANK(601916) 海通证券·2024-04-01 16:00Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Outperform the Market" and is maintained [1]. Core Views - The report highlights that the company leads in both profitability and scale growth among listed joint-stock banks in 2023, with significant risk mitigation and continuous improvement in business structure [3][4]. - The company achieved a year-on-year revenue growth of 4.29% and a net profit growth of 10.5%, both ranking first among disclosed annual reports of listed joint-stock banks [4]. - Total assets grew by 19.9% year-on-year, surpassing 3 trillion RMB, with loans and deposits increasing by 12.6% and 11.1% respectively, also leading in growth rates among peers [4]. - The return on equity (ROE) increased by 44 basis points to 9.45%, making it the only bank among disclosed reports to achieve an ROE increase in the year [4]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - The company reported a total revenue of 63,704 million RMB in 2023, with a year-on-year growth of 4.29% [5]. - Net profit for 2023 was 15,048 million RMB, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 10.5% [5]. - The average return on equity (ROE) for 2023 was 10.50%, with projections for 2024-2026 showing a gradual decline [5][14]. Risk Management - The overdue loan ratio decreased from 1.96% at the beginning of 2023 to 1.63% by year-end, marking a 33 basis point reduction, the largest drop among disclosed banks [4]. - The non-performing loan ratio showed a quarterly decline to 1.44% [4]. - The migration rate of normal loans fell to 2.45%, significantly lower than the previous year's 5.02% [4]. Business Development - Retail business saw a total customer base of 26.78 million by the end of 2023, a 34.26% increase year-on-year [4]. - Non-interest income grew by 15.35% year-on-year, driven by a 33.1% increase in financial investment scale [4]. - The company is expected to see further growth in fee income following the approval of its wealth management subsidiary [4]. Valuation and Forecast - The report forecasts earnings per share (EPS) for 2024-2026 to be 0.56, 0.61, and 0.65 RMB respectively, with net profit growth rates of 9.09%, 7.60%, and 6.91% [4]. - The estimated fair value range for the company is between 3.65 and 3.76 RMB, corresponding to a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 6.49-6.69 times for 2024 [4].