Flat(SH:601865) HTSC·2025-03-28 06:40Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Buy" with a target price of HKD 14.04 for H shares and RMB 25.27 for A shares [8]. Core Views - The company reported a significant decline in revenue and net profit for 2024, with revenue at RMB 18.7 billion and net profit at RMB 1.01 billion, representing year-on-year decreases of 13.2% and 63.5% respectively. The fourth quarter saw revenue of RMB 4.08 billion and a net loss of RMB 290 million, primarily due to falling prices of photovoltaic glass and asset impairment losses. However, since March 2025, prices have started to recover as downstream demand improves, suggesting that the company's leading position in the industry will help maintain its scale and profitability advantages [1][2][5]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In 2024, the company sold 1.26 billion square meters of photovoltaic glass, a year-on-year increase of 3.7%, generating revenue of RMB 16.82 billion, down 14.5%. The average selling price was RMB 13.3 per square meter, down 17.6%. The overall gross margin for 2024 was 15.5%, a decrease of 6.3 percentage points, with Q4 gross margin at 2.9%, down 20.6% year-on-year [2][3]. Cash Flow and Expenses - The operating cash flow for 2024 was RMB 5.91 billion, a significant increase of RMB 2.01 billion year-on-year. The fourth quarter cash flow was RMB 2.9 billion, up 45.7% year-on-year, mainly due to reduced cash payments for goods and services. The company incurred asset impairment and disposal losses of RMB 360 million and RMB 70 million respectively [3][4]. Market Outlook - The photovoltaic installation demand is expected to remain strong in the first half of 2025, with 39.5 GW of new installations reported in January and February, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%. The company's production capacity for photovoltaic glass is 19,400 tons per day, accounting for 19.3% of global capacity. The company is leading production cuts to accelerate industry supply-demand rebalancing, which, along with recovering downstream demand, is expected to drive price recovery and improve profitability [4][5]. Profit Forecast and Valuation - The company has slightly raised its average price assumptions for photovoltaic glass starting from March. The projected net profits for 2025-2027 are RMB 1.07 billion, RMB 1.83 billion, and RMB 2.30 billion respectively, reflecting an upward adjustment of 17% and 2% from previous estimates. The target price for A shares is set at RMB 25.27, while for H shares it is HKD 14.04, maintaining the "Buy" rating [5][8].