LI NING(02331) 第一上海证券·2024-08-19 07:11Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company with a target price of HKD 15.77, representing a potential upside of 20.3% from the current price of HKD 13.10 [2]. Core Insights - The company's revenue for the first half of 2024 was RMB 14.35 billion, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 2.3%. The growth rates for various segments were as follows: retail (+2.7%), wholesale (-1.9%), e-commerce (+11.3%), and overseas business (-15.9%). Notably, the running category saw a significant increase of 25% [1]. - Gross margin improved by 1.6 percentage points to 50.4%, attributed to better discount management on new products and a higher proportion of revenue from direct-to-consumer channels [1]. - Operating expenses increased by 2.5 percentage points to 34.9%, primarily due to higher marketing, advertising, rent, and salary costs, as well as increased investments in information systems and depreciation [1]. - The company declared an interim dividend of RMB 0.3775 per share, with a payout ratio increased to 50% [1]. - The company’s cash flow from operations was RMB 2.73 billion, showing a year-on-year growth of 40.6%, and net cash stood at RMB 17.6 billion [1]. Financial Summary - For the fiscal year 2022, the company reported revenue of RMB 25.80 billion, which increased to RMB 27.60 billion in 2023, with a forecast of RMB 28.28 billion for 2024, indicating a growth rate of 2.5% [3]. - The net profit for 2022 was RMB 4.06 billion, which decreased to RMB 3.19 billion in 2023, with a forecast of RMB 3.16 billion for 2024 [3]. - The earnings per share (EPS) were RMB 1.55 in 2022, dropping to RMB 1.22 in 2023, with a forecast of RMB 1.21 for 2024 [3]. - The company’s gross margin is projected to improve gradually, reaching 50.2% by 2026 [4]. Operational Metrics - The company’s inventory turnover was reported at 3.9 months, with 87% of inventory being less than six months old. Total inventory increased by 9% year-on-year to RMB 2.46 billion [1]. - The average monthly sales per store were RMB 310,000, with a total of approximately 1,650 stores [1]. - The company’s debt-to-asset ratio is projected to decrease from 0.29 in 2023 to 0.26 in 2024, indicating a strengthening balance sheet [4].