Ligao Foods (SZ:300973) China Post Securities·2025-05-06 05:23Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Buy" and is maintained [2][10]. Core Views - The company's performance in 2024 exceeded expectations, with significant improvements in cost control [5][10]. - The company is expected to continue its growth trajectory, driven by the introduction of new products and channel expansion [8][10]. Company Overview - Latest closing price: 43.12 CNY - Total shares: 1.69 billion, circulating shares: 1.14 billion - Total market capitalization: 73 billion CNY, circulating market capitalization: 49 billion CNY - 52-week high/low: 47.99 CNY / 22.58 CNY - Debt-to-asset ratio: 41.2% - Price-to-earnings ratio: 27.04 [4]. Financial Performance - In 2024, the company achieved revenue of 3.835 billion CNY, net profit attributable to shareholders of 268 million CNY, and adjusted net profit of 254 million CNY, representing year-on-year growth of 9.61%, 266.94%, and 108.22% respectively [5]. - For Q4 2024, revenue was 1.118 billion CNY, net profit was 65 million CNY, and adjusted net profit was 62 million CNY, with year-on-year growth of 21.99%, 175.96%, and 359.73% respectively [5]. - In Q1 2025, revenue reached 1.046 billion CNY, net profit was 88 million CNY, and adjusted net profit was 86 million CNY, showing year-on-year growth of 14.13%, 15.11%, and 27.3% respectively [5]. Revenue Growth Drivers - The growth in 2024 was primarily driven by high growth in cream products, leading to double-digit growth in distribution channels, while supermarket channels experienced a decline due to product cycle adjustments [6]. - In Q1 2025, the company saw strong performance from new products in Sam's Club, with supermarket channel revenue growing over 40% due to the launch of core customer new products [6]. Cost Control and Profitability - The company achieved a gross margin of 31.47% and a net margin of 6.99% in 2024, with significant improvements in expense ratios [7]. - For Q1 2025, the gross margin was 29.99% and the net margin was 8.45%, maintaining stability despite cost pressures from rising raw material prices [7]. Future Outlook - The company plans to deepen its cream product strategy and continuously launch customized new products to drive revenue growth from both product and channel perspectives [8]. - The company is also addressing capacity constraints by investing in new production lines for cream products [8][9]. Earnings Forecast - Revenue forecasts for 2025 and 2026 have been adjusted to 4.466 billion CNY and 5.049 billion CNY, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 16.45% and 13.05% [10]. - Net profit forecasts for 2025 and 2026 have been adjusted to 357 million CNY and 414 million CNY, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 33.24% and 15.93% [10].