KUNLUN ENERGY(00135) 海通国际·2024-10-14 06:41Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Outperform" rating for Kunlun Energy (135 HK) with a target price of 8.11 HKD/share [6][9] Core Views - Kunlun Energy achieved a comprehensive improvement in revenue and profit in H1 2024, driven by growth in natural gas sales volume and continuous optimization of sales structure [2][6] - The company plans to increase its dividend payout ratio to 45% in 2025, reflecting confidence in its financial stability and growth prospects [2][6] Financial Performance - Revenue in H1 2024 reached 92.922 billion yuan, a 10.5% YoY increase, with pre-tax profit growing 6.74% YoY to 7.249 billion yuan [2][6] - Net profit attributable to the parent company increased by 2.6% YoY to 3.305 billion yuan, and the company announced its first mid-term dividend of 16.41 yuan per share [2][6] Natural Gas Business - Natural gas sales volume in H1 2024 grew 10.6% YoY to 264.38 billion cubic meters, with retail gas volume increasing 10.3% YoY to 163.02 billion cubic meters [2][7] - Industrial and commercial gas sales accounted for a larger share of retail gas sales, increasing by 4.6 percentage points YoY, driven by growth in "three new" industrial users (new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, photovoltaic products) [2][7] - The company added 449,000 new users, bringing the total to 16.053 million, further solidifying its leading position in the terminal market [2][7] LPG and LNG Business - LPG business achieved a 32.6% YoY increase in pre-tax profit to 561 million yuan, despite a 0.4% YoY decline in sales volume, due to operational efficiency improvements [8] - LNG processing and storage business saw a 22.9% YoY increase in pre-tax profit to 1.648 billion yuan, with LNG gasification and loading volume growing 5.9% YoY to 77.70 billion cubic meters [8] - The average load rate of LNG plants increased by 19.5 percentage points YoY to 58.4%, with self-produced and sold volume growing 11.5% YoY [8] Exploration and Production Business - Exploration and production business faced pressure, with revenue declining 85.5% YoY to 88 million yuan due to the expiration of exploration contracts for Liaohe and Peru oilfields [8] - Crude oil sales decreased by 16.5% YoY to 4.04 million barrels, although the average crude oil price increased by 2.15 USD/barrel to 67.77 USD/barrel [8] Valuation and Forecast - The report forecasts Kunlun Energy's main business revenue for FY24-26 at 189.98/202.59/215.16 billion yuan, with net profit attributable to the parent company at 5.666/6.077/6.497 billion yuan [9] - The target price is set at 8.11 HKD/share, reflecting the company's stable operations and continuous optimization of its sales structure [9]