海通国际：首予华住集团-S(01179)“优于大市”评级 “多品牌矩阵+会员体系”双轮驱动

Core Viewpoint - Haitong International initiates coverage on Huazhu Group-S (01179) with an "Outperform" rating and a target price of HKD 41, highlighting the company's leadership in China's hotel chain market and its effective multi-brand strategy [1] Group 1: Market Position and Growth - Huazhu Group benefits from improving supply-demand dynamics, with 396,500 new hotels (15 rooms or more) opened in October, a 7% year-on-year increase [1] - The company maintains a strong position in the market with a significant share of mid-range hotels, which are resilient, and an increasing proportion of mid-to-high-end hotels contributing to overall RevPAR growth [1] - Management is confident in opening over 2,300 hotels this year, with a net addition of 234 hotels expected in Q4, aiming for a total of 12,814 hotels by 2025 and a long-term goal of 20,000 by 2030, targeting a 15% market share [2] Group 2: Membership and Operational Efficiency - Huazhu operates the largest and most resilient membership system in the industry, with over 300 million members and an average of 190 million daily active users on its app [3] - Membership bookings increased by 19.7% year-on-year, accounting for 74% of total room nights sold, indicating strong member engagement and potential for future monetization [3] Group 3: Profitability and Financial Performance - The group's adjusted EBITDA margin improved by 3.3 percentage points to 36% in Q3, with Legacy-HZ's margin reaching 43% [4] - The company expects this upward trend in profitability to continue, forecasting adjusted EBITDA of RMB 7.94 billion and RMB 9.13 billion for 2025 and 2026, respectively, with margins projected to increase by 5 and 3 percentage points year-on-year [4]