
Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company with a target price of HKD 68.73 [7][24]. Core Insights - The company's Q4 revenue grew by 8.7% year-on-year to RMB 35.38 billion, aligning with consensus expectations of RMB 35.7 billion. The gross margin improved by 0.9 percentage points to 54%, and adjusted net profit increased by 13.3% year-on-year to RMB 4.7 billion, also meeting expectations [1][19]. - For 2025, total revenue is expected to rise by 11%, with advertising revenue and GMV growth slowing to 14% and 13% respectively, while adjusted net profit is projected to reach RMB 20.6 billion [1][20]. - The company is anticipated to accelerate revenue growth starting in Q2 2025, driven by AI commercialization opportunities in areas such as 2C subscriptions, 2B e-commerce advertising, and API calls, which could contribute an additional RMB 400-800 million in revenue [1][20]. Revenue and Profitability - Q4 e-commerce and other revenue growth slowed to 14.1%, below expectations by 3.5%. E-commerce GMV grew by 14.4% year-on-year, with a notable increase in the number of active merchants [2]. - The AI capabilities are expected to enhance advertising efficiency and optimize targeting, with Q4 advertising revenue growing by 13.3% year-on-year [3][14]. - The company has adjusted its revenue forecasts for 2025 and 2026, with a slight increase of 0.6% for 2025 and a minor decrease of 0.1% for 2026, while the adjusted net profit forecast for 2025 is revised down by 12.6% to RMB 20.6 billion [20][22]. Valuation and Market Position - The report introduces a new valuation for 2027, projecting revenue and adjusted net profit of RMB 163.8 billion and RMB 28.3 billion respectively. The target price has been raised to HKD 68.73 based on a sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) valuation approach [4][24]. - The valuation reflects a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 10.2 times for the advertising business, which is at a discount compared to comparable companies, indicating potential for growth as advertising efficiency improves with AI [24][25]. Business Segments - The "live streaming+" model continues to innovate, driving growth in traditional sectors, with significant increases in user engagement metrics for related services [12]. - The local lifestyle business saw GMV double year-on-year, with a 52.4% increase in monthly paying users, indicating strong demand and effective service optimization [13]. - The AI tool "可灵" has shown promising results in enhancing content creation and advertising efficiency, with significant revenue contributions expected from its commercialization efforts [14].