

Core Viewpoint - CICC maintains the profit forecast for China Tower (00788) for 2025 and 2026, with a target price of HKD 14.00, indicating a potential upside of 22.5% from the current stock price [1] Financial Performance - For 1H25, the company reported revenue of CNY 49.601 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2.8%, and a net profit of CNY 5.757 billion, up 8.0% [2] - EBITDA for 1H25 reached CNY 34.227 billion, reflecting a 3.6% year-on-year growth [2] - In 2Q25, revenue was CNY 24.830 billion, a 2.3% increase year-on-year, with net profit rising 7.3% to CNY 2.733 billion [2] Business Segments - The operator business showed steady growth, with revenue for 1H25 at CNY 42.461 billion, a 0.8% increase, while the two wings business revenue grew by 15.5% to CNY 6.935 billion [3] - The tower business revenue declined by 0.4%, while the indoor distribution business increased by 12.0% [3] - The number of operator tenants rose by 2.5% year-on-year to 3.579 million, with an average of 1.72 tenants per site [3] Cost Control and Profitability - EBITDA margin improved to 69.0%, up 0.5 percentage points year-on-year, due to effective cost control measures [4] - Maintenance and operational support costs decreased by 6.2% and 12.6% respectively, contributing to the improved EBITDA margin [4] - The net profit margin for 1H25 was 11.6%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points year-on-year [4] Cash Flow and Dividends - Operating cash flow (OCF) for 1H25 was CNY 28.68 billion, showing a significant quarter-on-quarter improvement of 72.37% [4] - The company declared an interim dividend of CNY 0.1325 per share, a year-on-year increase of 21.6%, with a payout ratio of 40.5% of net profit [4]