Zhi Tong Cai Jing·2025-08-29 09:52Core Viewpoint - New Hope Energy's core profit declined by 1% year-on-year in the first half of the year, while domestic business core profit saw a slight increase of 1% [1] Group 1: Financial Performance - Retail natural gas sales increased by 1.9% year-on-year, indicating a sales growth acceleration to 4.1% in the second quarter, compared to only 0.3% in the first quarter [1] - The target price for New Hope Energy has been revised down from HKD 65 to HKD 63, reflecting a 3% to 8% downward adjustment in core profit forecasts for 2025 to 2027 [1] Group 2: Market Outlook - The overall outlook for New Hope Energy in the second half of the year is expected to be relatively weak due to macroeconomic challenges and structural economic changes [1] - Retail natural gas sales growth is anticipated to remain moderate this year, supported primarily by large commercial and industrial customers [1] - Integrated energy (IE) profit growth may slow down due to reduced heat supply installation work and weak demand from industrial customers [1]