Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-07-31 05:57Core Viewpoint - Bank of America maintains a "Buy" rating for China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) due to its attractive valuation and expected dividend yield for the year [1] Group 1: Financial Performance - Sinopec's operating data for the first half of the year fell short of expectations, with exploration and production (E&P) business meeting forecasts, achieving a 2% year-on-year increase in oil and gas output, reaching 50% of the annual target [1] - Domestic crude oil production saw a slight year-on-year increase of 0.2%, which is below the industry average of 1.3%, potentially dragging down net after-tax profit (NAPT) [1] - Refining business experienced a significant decline in processing volume by 5.3%, while the industry average saw a growth of 1.6%, primarily due to weak core refining margins (GRM), sluggish demand, and capacity maintenance [1] - Sales volume decreased by 3.4% year-on-year, outperforming the industry average decline of 5.8%, and the company managed to capture market share from peers [1] - In the chemical sector, ethylene production increased by 16.4% year-on-year, surpassing the industry average growth of 10.9% [1] Group 2: Market Outlook - The company maintains a neutral outlook on the crude oil market, predicting an oil price of $64 per barrel for the second half of the year [1] - Recent anti-involution policies have limited support for the oil and gas sector [1] - Due to the second quarter's operational performance being below expectations, the company is unlikely to meet its annual refining and sales targets [1] - The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) recently announced new policies to strengthen energy conservation and carbon emission approval regulations, which may benefit Sinopec in the long term as the company has already invested in major new chemical production capacities outlined in the plan, although short-term impacts are expected to be limited [1]