CNS(SH:601098)2017-10-27 16:00Financial Performance - Revenue for the first nine months was CNY 6.96 billion, a slight increase of 0.19% year-on-year[5] - Net profit attributable to shareholders was CNY 1.18 billion, reflecting a marginal increase of 0.05% compared to the previous year[5] - The total profit for the first nine months of 2017 reached CNY 1,494,724,269.02, compared to CNY 1,469,968,632.77 for the same period in 2016, reflecting a growth of 1.7%[28] - The net profit attributable to shareholders for the first nine months of 2017 reached CNY 4,165,714,822.64, an increase from CNY 3,568,990,553.62 in the same period last year[23] - The net profit attributable to the parent company for Q3 2017 was CNY 294,570,127.69, down 12.5% from CNY 336,788,984.67 in Q3 2016[26] - The total operating income for Q3 2017 was CNY 425,841,800.54, an increase of 32.5% compared to CNY 321,257,338.41 in Q3 2016[27] Assets and Liabilities - Total assets increased by 4.20% to CNY 19.40 billion compared to the end of the previous year[5] - Total assets as of September 30, 2017, amounted to CNY 11,929,730,335.75, compared to CNY 11,329,397,845.52 at the beginning of the year[22] - Total liabilities as of September 30, 2017, were CNY 5,844,319,973.29, an increase from CNY 5,318,569,898.81 at the beginning of the year[21] - Total equity attributable to shareholders was CNY 12,973,995,446.80, up from CNY 12,731,854,970.88 at the beginning of the year[21] - Total liabilities and equity amounted to CNY 19,400,326,315.98, compared to CNY 18,618,748,058.14 at the beginning of the year[21] Cash Flow - Operating cash flow for the first nine months increased by 69.93% to CNY 1.11 billion compared to the same period last year[5] - The net cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months of 2017 was CNY 1,108,584,402.12, an increase of 69.9% compared to CNY 652,377,483.26 in the same period last year[30] - Total cash inflow from operating activities reached CNY 8,043,313,438.50, up from CNY 7,243,676,071.41, reflecting a growth of 11.1%[30] - Cash outflow from operating activities was CNY 6,934,729,036.38, compared to CNY 6,591,298,588.15, indicating an increase of 5.2%[30] - The net cash flow from financing activities for the first nine months of 2017 was -989,970,455.00 yuan, reflecting increased dividend distributions to shareholders[14] - The ending balance of cash and cash equivalents was CNY 11,315,435,831.02, compared to CNY 10,248,923,470.78 at the end of the previous year, reflecting an increase of 10.4%[31] Shareholder Information - The total number of shareholders reached 39,168 by the end of the reporting period[9] - The largest shareholder, Hunan Publishing Investment Holding Group, holds 61.46% of the shares[10] Inventory and Receivables - Accounts receivable increased by 356,431,247.49 yuan, a growth of 29.84%, mainly due to the government procurement funds for free textbooks arriving in early October[11] - Inventory increased by 559,550,139.65 yuan, a growth of 43.99%, attributed to seasonal stocking for autumn educational materials and increased printing paper[11] - Other current assets increased by 701,594,314.09 yuan, a growth of 157.57%, mainly due to increased deposits at the financial company[12] Earnings and Expenses - The weighted average return on equity decreased by 0.84 percentage points to 9.13%[5] - Basic and diluted earnings per share remained stable at CNY 0.66[5] - Tax expenses for the first nine months of 2017 increased by 11,854,334.35 yuan, a growth of 48.25%, due to changes in accounting standards[13] - The company paid CNY 932,339,505.21 in dividends and interest, which is an increase of 75.5% compared to CNY 531,675,206.66 in the previous year[31]