CBEST(SH:600729) Huaxin Securities·2025-05-27 15:38Investment Rating - The report assigns a "Buy" rating for the company, marking the first coverage of the stock [1][7]. Core Insights - The company has faced revenue pressure but is enhancing resilience through structural optimization and business transformation [1][4]. - In 2024, the company reported a revenue of 17.139 billion yuan, a decrease of 10% year-on-year, while the net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.315 billion yuan, showing a slight decrease of 0.01% [4]. - The company’s gross margin improved by 1 percentage point in both 2024 and Q1 2025, reaching 26.52% and 29.64% respectively, primarily due to a reduction in the proportion of low-margin automotive trading business [5]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In Q4 2024, the company achieved a revenue of 4.135 billion yuan, a decrease of 2%, but the net profit increased by 110% to 392 million yuan [4]. - For Q1 2025, the revenue was 4.276 billion yuan, down 12%, while the net profit rose by 9% to 475 million yuan [4]. Business Structure and Strategy - The company is optimizing its business structure, with a notable contribution from the fast-moving consumer goods sector driving investment income [5]. - The revenue breakdown for 2024 shows department store, supermarket, appliance, and automotive trading revenues of 1.770 billion, 6.164 billion, 3.303 billion, and 4.288 billion yuan respectively, with significant declines in department stores and automotive trading [6]. Profitability Forecast - The company is expected to maintain steady growth in performance, with projected EPS for 2025-2027 at 3.23, 3.52, and 3.78 yuan, corresponding to PE ratios of 9, 9, and 8 times [7][10].