智通财经网·2026-01-16 09:37Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the report is that Bank of America Securities initiates coverage of Hong Kong and China Gas (00003) with an "underperform" rating and a target price of HKD 6.5 [1] - The group's profit outlook has improved this year due to a decrease in gas costs, but the free cash flow is still insufficient to cover dividends, suggesting that dividends can only be maintained at current levels in the coming years [1] - The restructuring measures of the company may not provide significant short-term benefits, and the challenging market environment, along with weaker dividend prospects compared to peers, makes the current dividend yield of approximately 4.9% unattractive [1] Group 2 - Bank of America Securities forecasts the company's net profit for 2025 to 2027 to be 4% lower than the market consensus, with free cash flow expected to range between HKD 3.5 billion and HKD 4.7 billion, which is still insufficient to cover the HKD 6.5 billion in dividends [1] - The likelihood of the company increasing its per-share dividend is considered remote, which will limit the potential for the stock to outperform the market [1]