CEC CoreCast(600764) 国联证券·2024-09-11 11:10Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Buy" (maintained) [4] Core Views - The company reported a revenue of 1.158 billion yuan for the first half of 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 14.57%, with Q2 revenue at 800 million yuan, down 12.9% year-on-year. The net profit attributable to the parent company for H1 2024 was 75 million yuan, a decline of 16.47% year-on-year, while Q2 net profit was 71 million yuan, down 4.32% year-on-year. Despite the revenue decline, the company achieved significant cost reduction and efficiency improvement, leading to an increase in gross margin and a decrease in expense ratio. The increase in contract liabilities suggests a potential demand recovery in the second half of the year [2][6][4]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In H1 2024, the company’s defense business generated 530 million yuan in revenue, with underwater acoustics and special equipment electronics contributing 320 million yuan and 210 million yuan respectively, reflecting year-on-year declines of 21.82% and 25.32%. The civil products business revenue was 600 million yuan, down 7.29% year-on-year. The total contract liabilities increased by 33% to 160 million yuan, indicating a potential for future revenue growth [6][4]. Cost Management - The company effectively reduced operating costs by 19.56% year-on-year, achieving a gross margin of 36.46%, an increase of 3.95 percentage points year-on-year. The total operating expenses for H1 2024 were 330 million yuan, a decrease of 5.68% year-on-year, with the expense ratio improving by 2.71 percentage points [6][4]. Cash Flow and Operational Improvement - Cash received from sales and services amounted to 1.517 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 29.59%, indicating a significant improvement in cash collection. The net cash flow from operating activities was 41 million yuan, up 83.02% year-on-year, suggesting an overall improvement in operational performance [6][4]. Future Projections - Revenue projections for 2024-2026 are estimated at 3.110 billion yuan, 3.378 billion yuan, and 3.716 billion yuan respectively, with year-on-year growth rates of -13.40%, +8.61%, and +10%. The net profit attributable to the parent company is expected to be 359 million yuan, 449 million yuan, and 554 million yuan for the same period, with growth rates of 16.24%, 25.06%, and 23.40% respectively. The estimated EPS for these years are 0.50 yuan, 0.63 yuan, and 0.78 yuan [6][7].