Chemexpress(SH:688131) Hua Xia Shi Bao·2025-09-04 00:19Core Viewpoint - The financial report of Haoyuan Pharmaceutical reveals a contradiction of "increased revenue and profit but decreased cash flow," indicating a shortfall in the quality of profitability amid scale expansion, raising alarms about the company's operational health [1] Financial Performance - In the first half of 2025, Haoyuan Pharmaceutical reported operating revenue of 1.311 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.20%, and a net profit attributable to shareholders of 155 million yuan, a significant year-on-year surge of 115.55% [1] - However, the operating cash flow turned negative, reaching -10.43 million yuan, a sharp decline of 113% year-on-year [1][2] - The company’s inventory impairment provision stood at 332 million yuan, accounting for 20.24% of the inventory book balance [1][3] Cash Flow and Inventory Issues - The negative cash flow is primarily attributed to high accounts receivable and inventory levels, with accounts receivable reaching 610 million yuan, up 16.89% year-on-year, and over 18.7% of accounts receivable being over one year old [2] - Inventory increased to 1.309 billion yuan, a 12.54% year-on-year rise, with over 80% consisting of raw materials and finished goods [2] - The inventory turnover days extended from 186 days in 2022 to 243 days in the first half of 2025, significantly higher than peers such as WuXi AppTec and Kanglong Chemical [2] Business Structure and Profitability - The company’s business is divided into front-end life science reagents and back-end raw materials and intermediates, with the front-end segment achieving revenue of 904 million yuan, a 29.2% increase, and a gross margin of 63.0%, contributing 69.4% of total revenue [5] - The back-end segment generated revenue of 399 million yuan, a 13.6% increase, but its gross margin fell to 17.8%, down from 20.05% in 2024, indicating competitive weaknesses [5] Sales and Marketing Expenses - Sales expenses surged to 130 million yuan, a 33.56% increase year-on-year, with the sales expense ratio rising from 9.25% in 2024 to 9.9% [7] Strategic Challenges - The company faces strategic challenges due to a lack of clear direction following a board reshuffle, with the new leadership failing to establish a coherent strategy for either maintaining traditional markets or advancing into high-end sectors [11][12] - The ongoing price competition from centralized procurement and the inability to secure significant orders due to underutilized capacity further complicate the company's operational landscape [11][12] R&D and Innovation - Haoyuan Pharmaceutical's R&D expenditure was 117 million yuan in the first half of 2025, a 4.23% increase, but the R&D expense ratio decreased from 9.0% in 2024 to 8.9%, falling below industry peers [12] - The company is at risk of being outpaced by technological advancements in the industry, particularly in areas like recombinant technology and synthetic biology, which could threaten its existing business model [13]