Core Viewpoint - CICC has raised the profit forecast for Qifu Technology-S (03660) for 2025 and 2026 by 2% and 4% respectively, due to optimized funding/credit costs and higher-than-expected loan disbursement in Q1 2025 [1] Financial Performance - Qifu Technology's Q1 2025 revenue increased by 13% year-on-year and 5% quarter-on-quarter to 4.69 billion yuan, while non-GAAP net profit rose by 60% year-on-year but decreased by 2% quarter-on-quarter to 1.93 billion yuan, exceeding previous expectations [2] - The company’s net service fee rate was approximately 5.6%, slightly down from 5.96% in Q4 2024, attributed to a decrease in average funding costs and stable asset quality [4] Loan Disbursement and Customer Acquisition - In Q1 2025, the company optimized customer acquisition channels, adding 7 embedded finance partners, with loan disbursement increasing by 16% year-on-year to 88.9 billion yuan, although the quarter-on-quarter growth rate slightly declined due to seasonal factors [3] - The company expects loan disbursement to grow by 5%-10% year-on-year in 2025, maintaining previous forecasts [3] Shareholder Returns - The company maintains a semi-annual dividend policy, planning to distribute cash dividends of $0.6 and $0.7 per ADS for the first and second halves of 2024 respectively [5] - As of May 19, 2025, the company has repurchased 9.1 million ADS for approximately $404.5 million, with an expected total repurchase amount of no less than $680 million for 2025 [5] Industry Development - The introduction of the "Loan Assistance New Regulations" on April 1 aims to enhance the regulatory framework of the industry, potentially eliminating unreasonable pricing and charging behaviors, which may benefit compliant and well-operating institutions like Qifu Technology [6]
中金:维持奇富科技-S(03660)跑赢行业评级 目标价253.4港元