EBSCN·2025-05-12 05:50Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Accumulate" rating for the coal mining industry [7] Core Viewpoints - High inventory pressure is evident, leading to a further decline in coal prices. As of May 9, coal inventory at the Bohai Rim ports reached 33.051 million tons, up 6.50% month-on-month and 42.15% year-on-year, marking the highest level for the same period [2][5] - The recent week saw a downward trend in port coal prices, with the Qinhuangdao port's thermal coal closing price averaging 638 RMB/ton, down 14 RMB/ton (-2.18%) compared to the previous week, indicating that downstream pressure is greater than upstream [3][5] - The report suggests that short-term stabilization of coal prices may require a recovery in demand, recommending a defensive approach towards the current sector, particularly favoring companies with high long-term contract ratios and stable profitability such as China Shenhua and China Coal Energy [5] Summary by Sections Coal Price Trends - The Qinhuangdao port's thermal coal price (5500 kcal weekly average) was 638 RMB/ton, down 14 RMB/ton (-2.18%) for the week of May 5-9 [3] - The average price of thermal mixed coal at the Yulin pit in Shaanxi (5800 kcal) was 510 RMB/ton, down 6 RMB/ton (-1.21%) [3] Inventory Levels - As of May 9, coal inventory at Qinhuangdao port was 7.53 million tons, up 8.03% month-on-month and 56.22% year-on-year, also at a record high for the same period [5] - The report highlights that the inventory levels at independent coking plants and sample steel mills are currently at low levels [5] Production and Utilization Rates - The operating rate of 110 sample washing plants was 62.4%, down 0.5 percentage points month-on-month and 1.7 percentage points year-on-year, remaining at a five-year low [4] - The capacity utilization rate of 247 blast furnaces was 92.09%, up 0.09 percentage points month-on-month and 4.42 percentage points year-on-year, with a daily average pig iron output of 2.457 million tons, reflecting a slight increase [4] Key Company Forecasts - The report includes earnings per share (EPS) forecasts and price-to-earnings (PE) ratios for key companies, all rated as "Accumulate" [6] - China Shenhua's EPS for 2024 is projected at 2.95 RMB, with a PE ratio of 13 [6]