Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company [4][3]. Core Insights - The company reported strong earnings growth, exceeding previous guidance, with a Non-GAAP net profit of 1.83 billion RMB for Q3 2024, representing a year-on-year increase of 54.5% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 29.1% [1][2]. - The net income for Q3 2024 increased by 2.1% quarter-on-quarter and 5.1% year-on-year, driven by an increase in the take rate and a reversal of provisions [1][2]. - The company has set a Q4 2024 Non-GAAP net profit guidance of 1.8 to 1.9 billion RMB, indicating a year-on-year growth rate of 57-65%, suggesting that the total Non-GAAP net profit for 2024 will exceed 6.2 billion RMB, with a growth rate exceeding 40% [1][3]. Financial Performance - The company achieved a net take rate of 5.9% in Q3 2024, up from 5.2% in the previous quarter, benefiting from improved risk management and lower funding costs [2]. - The company’s loan facilitation increased by 13% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2024, with a loan balance growth of 3% [2]. - The proportion of light asset models in ongoing loan facilitation reached 55.1%, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 10.3% [2]. Stock Performance and Valuation - The target price has been raised from $27.5 to $38.4, based on a 6.5x P/E ratio for 2024, indicating an attractive valuation [3][4]. - The company announced a stock repurchase plan of $450 million for 2025, enhancing shareholder returns [3].

Financial Data and Key Metrics - Non-GAAP net income reached a record high of RMB 1.83 billion in Q3, up 29.1% sequentially and 54.5% YoY [8] - Non-GAAP net income per diluted ADS increased 34.8% sequentially and 71.5% YoY to RMB 12.4 [8] - ROE in Q3 increased to 32.2%, significantly higher than most financial services and internet companies in China [9] - Total loan facilitation and origination volume (excluding RM SaaS) increased by 13.1% sequentially [7] - D1 delinquency rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points sequentially, and 30-day collection rate increased by 1.1 percentage points to the highest level since 2022 [11] - Funding costs decreased by 30 basis points sequentially, and ABS issuance costs fell by more than 50 basis points [12] - Total ABS issuance for the first three quarters of 2024 reached RMB 13.4 billion, up 23% YoY [13] Business Line Data and Key Metrics - Capital-light segment contributed 55% of total loan facilitation and origination volume in Q3, up approximately 10 percentage points YoY [20] - Loan volume from embedded finance channels increased by 85% YoY, with new credit line users acquired through these channels increasing by roughly 5 percentage points [15] - The number of users with successful drawdown grew consistently each month, with the monthly average increasing by approximately 12% from the previous quarter [18] - Log-in conversion rate increased by 11.6% sequentially in Q3 [18] - Total Technology Solutions business partnered with an additional 9 financial institutions, bringing the total to 14, with solutions deployed in 10 of them [24] Market Data and Key Metrics - The company served more than 55 million users with approved credit lines cumulatively by the end of Q3 [7] - New credit line users increased by 23.8% sequentially, while average unit acquisition cost declined by 7.4% [14] - The proportion of new credit line users acquired through embedded finance channels increased by roughly 5 percentage points [15] - The company partnered with 5 financial institutions across various categories, including joint stock banks, municipal banks, private banks, and consumer finance companies [16] Company Strategy and Industry Competition - The company transitioned from a loan facilitation model to a platform model, focusing on long-term user engagement and diversified product offerings [21][22] - The platform model enables the company to address users' credit needs at different stages of their life cycle while balancing scale, risk, and profitability [22] - The company is leveraging AI and large language models to improve user experience and operational efficiency, with the AI copilot system achieving a recall rate of 96.3% and an accuracy rate of 98.8% [25][26] - The company is expanding its tech solutions beyond consumer credit services, developing a proprietary solution tailored for SME lending [25] - The company is confident in its competitive advantage, particularly in its target customer groups, and believes the platform model has made it more robust and resilient [68][69] Management Commentary on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The company remains cautiously optimistic about the economic outlook but is confident in achieving long-term, high-quality growth [30] - The company expects risk performance to remain relatively stable in the coming quarters, assuming a muted macro environment [11][77] - The company anticipates total shareholder returns in 2024 to approach 100% of its 2023 net income, one of the highest payout ratios among Chinese ADRs [31] - The company expects non-GAAP net income for Q4 2024 to be between RMB 1.8 billion and RMB 1.9 billion, representing YoY growth of 57% to 65% [50] Other Important Information - The company completed the majority of its USD 350 million share repurchase plan and approved a new repurchase plan of USD 450 million starting January 1, 2025 [31][47] - The company generated approximately RMB 2.37 billion in cash from operations in Q3, with total cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments reaching RMB 9.77 billion [45] - The company's leverage ratio reached a historical low of 2.3x in Q3, and it expects the ratio to fluctuate around this level in the near future [44] Q&A Session Summary Question: Drivers of loan volume growth and outlook for 2025 [53] - Loan volume increased 4.4% sequentially, driven by a slight recovery in customer demand and the platform strategy [54] - The company remains prudent due to macroeconomic, geopolitical, and domestic policy uncertainties but is well-positioned to seize growth opportunities [56] Question: Drivers of write-backs and sustainability [59] - Write-backs increased significantly due to prudent provisioning policies and improved risk performance, with RMB 910 million in write-backs in Q3 [60][63] - Write-backs are expected to remain sizable in Q4 and beyond, though the shift to a capital-light model may reduce the need for large provisions [65][66] Question: Competitive landscape and strategy [59] - The company has a competitive advantage in its target customer groups and has transitioned to a platform model, improving customer retention and lifetime value [67][68] Question: Asset quality outlook [71] - The company expects stable risk performance in the near future, supported by its high-quality development strategy and advanced risk management technology [73][77] Question: Share buyback pace and price considerations [79] - The company plans to complete its current share repurchase plan by the end of 2024 and will execute the new USD 450 million plan starting January 1, 2025 [79][81] - The company believes its shares are undervalued and will prioritize share buybacks to maximize shareholder returns [80][83] Question: Take rate improvement and long-term outlook [86] - Take rate improvement in Q3 was driven by reduced credit costs, lower funding costs, and deferred impacts from mix changes [87] - The company expects take rate to remain stable in Q4 and improve slightly in 2025, with long-term sustainability dependent on macroeconomic recovery [89][91]

As of November 19, 2024, the Company had in aggregate purchased approximately 13.7 million ADSs in the open market for a total amount of approximately US$298 million (inclusive of commissions) at an average price of US$21.7 per ADS pursuant to the share repurchase plan. Business Outlook Conference Call Preregistration Registration Link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI019bc78618c84e7184e794d691cfdb5b Safe Harbor Statement (Amounts in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and U.S. dollars ("USD") except for n ...

SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qifu Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: QFIN; HKEx: 3660) (“Qifu Technology” or the “Company”), a leading Credit-Tech platform in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024 and launched a new US$450 million share repurchase plan for 2025. Third Quarter 2024 Business Highlights As of September 30, 2024, our platform has connected 162 financial institutional partners and 254.3 million consumers*1 with potentia ...

SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qifu Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: QFIN; HKEx: 3660) (“Qifu Technology” or the “Company”), a leading Credit-Tech platform in China, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, after U.S. markets close on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Qifu Technology’s management team will host an earnings conference call at 7:30 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 (8:30 AM Beijing Time on Wedne ...

Investors interested in stocks from the Technology Services sector have probably already heard of Qifu Technology, Inc. (QFIN) and Amplitude, Inc. (AMPL) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look. Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that ...

When it comes to short-term investing or trading, they say "the trend is your friend." And there's no denying that this is the most profitable strategy. But making sure of the sustainability of a trend to profit from it is easier said than done. Often, the direction of a stock's price movement reverses quickly after taking a position in it, making investors incur a short-term capital loss. So, it's important to ensure that there are enough factors -- such as sound fundamentals, positive earnings estimate re ...

David focuses on growth & momentum stocks that are reasonably priced and likely to outperform the market over the long-term. He is a long term investor of quality stocks and uses options for strategy. David told investors to buy in March 2009 at the bottom of the financial crisis. The S&P 500 increased 367% and the Nasdaq increased 685% from 2009 through 2019. He wants to help make people money by investing in high-quality growth stocks.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative ...

Qifu Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: QFIN ) is a Chinese digital lending firm for young urban Chinese professionals and came into my notice last year and honestly, when I looked at its fundamentals, I liked it. The valuation was pretty solid andI am a financial writer with a degree in Finance. In my five-year career, I have worked with two financial companies. I keep a close eye on Energy, Banking, and Tech stocks. My main focus is fundamental analysis and looking at the long-term position of a stock instead of s ...

Investors looking for stocks in the Technology Services sector might want to consider either Qifu Technology, Inc. (QFIN) or Ibotta (IBTA) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look. We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive e ...