Xin Lang Cai Jing·2025-09-04 06:21Core Viewpoint - The Chinese medicine sector is experiencing a phase of performance pressure, but there are signs of potential recovery in demand and profitability in the second half of 2025, with a focus on companies with strong fundamentals and innovative pipelines [7][10][11]. Market Performance - On September 4, the Shanghai Composite Index fell over 1%, and the Sci-Tech Innovation 50 Index dropped more than 5%, indicating a volatile market environment [1]. - The Chinese medicine ETF (560080) saw a slight decline of 0.54%, with a trading volume exceeding 44 million yuan, reflecting strong demand for buying on dips despite recent losses [1]. Valuation Metrics - As of September 3, 2025, the TTM price-to-earnings ratio of the CSI Traditional Chinese Medicine Index is 25.75x, which is at a low level since 2021 [3]. Company Performance - In the first half of 2025, the total revenue of 64 Chinese medicine companies was 172.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 4.95%, while the net profit attributable to shareholders decreased by 9.31% to 19.1 billion yuan [7]. - The gross margin for the sector was 42.05%, down 1.01 percentage points year-on-year, while the net profit margin was 11.04%, down 0.56 percentage points [7]. Cash Flow and Expenses - The median expense ratio for the Chinese medicine sector in the first half of 2025 was 44.5%, up 1.5 percentage points from the same period in 2024, indicating stable expense management [9]. - Operating cash flow improved by 30.77% year-on-year, suggesting better collection of receivables [7][9]. Market Trends - Despite weak OTC demand, the consolidation of retail pharmacies is expected to enhance market concentration for leading OTC products, with market shares for key products increasing [10]. - The Chinese medicine industry is expected to benefit from three main themes: price governance, consumption recovery, and state-owned enterprise reform, which could lead to improved performance for competitive companies [11][12].