

Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is "Recommended" [1] Core Insights - The report highlights the rapid expansion of the bancassurance channel, with a significant restructuring of channel dynamics following the integration of insurance and banking operations [4][6] - The insurance sector is expected to benefit from improving macroeconomic policies and a recovering market, which will alleviate investment pressures for insurance companies [6] - The report anticipates a continued growth trend in profits and new business value (NBV) for insurance companies in the first quarter of 2025 [6] Summary by Sections Industry Overview - As of the end of 2023, the insurance industry had a total of 19 listed companies with a total share capital of 2,040.86 million shares, generating sales revenue of 39,503.64 billion CNY and a total profit of 4,107.99 billion CNY [1] Channel Structure - The bancassurance channel's premium income share increased to 36.7%, up by 2.0 percentage points year-on-year, while the personal agency channel's share decreased to 50.9%, down by 2.3 percentage points year-on-year [4] - The bancassurance channel has seen a cumulative increase of 6.4 percentage points since 2019, indicating a strong growth trajectory [4] Product Structure - By the end of 2023, ordinary life insurance accounted for 57.1% of total premium income, an increase of 7.9 percentage points year-on-year, driven by demand for safe investment products [5] - The report notes a decline in the share of participating insurance and health insurance, with participating insurance at 20.5% (down 6.0 percentage points) and health insurance at 20.7% (down 1.6 percentage points) [5] Investment Recommendations - The report maintains a "Recommended" rating for the industry, citing that the average static and dynamic price-to-earnings value (PEV) for four major insurance companies is at historically low levels, indicating limited downside risk [6] - Specific recommendations include strong endorsements for companies like Xinhua Insurance, China Ping An, China Pacific Insurance, and China Life, based on their robust performance and growth potential [6]