盐湖股份（000792）：2024年报点评：经营稳健，价值成长共存

Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Buy" and is maintained [6]. Core Views - The company reported a net profit attributable to shareholders of 4.663 billion yuan for 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 41%. The net profit excluding non-recurring items was 4.401 billion yuan, down 50% year-on-year [2][4]. - In Q4 2024, the net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.522 billion yuan, a decrease of 34% year-on-year but an increase of 64% quarter-on-quarter. The net profit excluding non-recurring items was 1.33 billion yuan, down 59% year-on-year but up 46% quarter-on-quarter [2][4]. - The company's potassium fertilizer business generated 11.713 billion yuan in revenue, a decrease of 20% year-on-year, while lithium carbonate revenue was 3.075 billion yuan, down 52% year-on-year [10]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - For 2024, the total revenue was 15.134 billion yuan, with a gross profit of 7.848 billion yuan, resulting in a gross margin of 52% [15]. - The company achieved a potassium chloride production of 4.96 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 1%, while sales volume decreased by 17% to 4.6728 million tons [10]. - The average selling price for potassium chloride was approximately 2,507 yuan per ton, down 4% year-on-year, while the average selling price for lithium carbonate was about 74,000 yuan per ton, down 56% year-on-year [10]. Q4 Performance - In Q4 2024, the company produced 1.46 million tons of potassium chloride, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 17%, and sold 1.5072 million tons, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 62% [10]. - The gross margin for Q4 was 46.05%, with a net margin of 32.37% [10]. Future Outlook - The potassium fertilizer business is expected to maintain strong profitability, providing stable cash flow. The lithium business is projected to ramp up production in 2025 with the launch of a 40,000-ton lithium salt project [10]. - The entry of a state-owned enterprise as a major shareholder is anticipated to enhance the company's long-term growth potential through structural upgrades and resource integration [10].