China Life(SH:601628) HTSC·2025-03-27 06:27Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Buy" [8] Core Views - The company reported a significant increase in EPS to RMB 3.78, up 132% year-on-year, driven by improved investment performance, although slightly below the expected RMB 3.86 [1] - The total investment return rate reached 5.5%, significantly higher than 2.57% in 2023 [1] - The company maintained a resilient new business value (NBV) growth of 24.3% year-on-year, indicating strong operational performance [2] Summary by Sections Financial Performance - The company’s total investment income for 2024 was RMB 297.42 billion, a 161.77% increase from 2023 [7] - The return on equity (ROE) for 2024 was 21.7%, the highest in nearly a decade, reflecting an 11.6 percentage point increase year-on-year [4] - The company’s DPS increased to RMB 0.65 from RMB 0.43 in 2023, marking a 51% year-on-year growth [4] New Business Value (NBV) - The NBV profit margin improved by 3.9 percentage points to 21.4% in 2024, despite new business volume showing a slight increase of 1.6% [2] - The company adjusted its investment return assumptions down to 4.0% for 2024, impacting the NBV by approximately 26% [2] - The forecast for NBV growth in 2025 is set at 9.6% [2] Distribution Channels - The NBV from the agent channel grew by 18% year-on-year, with a stable agent workforce [3] - Other channels, including bancassurance, saw a remarkable 116% increase in NBV, although their contribution to total NBV remains low at 7% [3] - The bancassurance channel's profitability improved due to reduced channel costs [3] Profit Forecast and Valuation - The EPS forecasts for 2025, 2026, and 2027 have been raised to RMB 3.33, RMB 2.41, and RMB 2.73 respectively, reflecting adjustments of 64.5% and 10.8% for 2025 and 2026 [5] - The target prices based on DCF valuation are set at RMB 48 for A-shares and HKD 20 for H-shares [5]