

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for China Gas [2][7][8] Core Views - The company reported a revenue of HKD 79.26 billion for the fiscal year 2024/25, a decrease of 2.6% year-on-year, while the net profit attributable to shareholders was HKD 3.25 billion, an increase of 2.1% [7] - Free cash flow reached a record high of HKD 4.66 billion, up 8.7% year-on-year, supporting a dividend of HKD 0.50 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 6.8% [7] - The retail sales volume of natural gas showed a slight increase, with a total sales volume of 39.96 billion m³, down 4.2% year-on-year, but the gross margin improved to HKD 0.537 per m³, an increase of HKD 0.036 per m³ [7] - The connection business faced challenges, with new residential users decreasing by 15.5% year-on-year, but the decline is expected to narrow in the future [7] - Value-added services and comprehensive energy solutions are growing steadily, with revenue from value-added services reaching HKD 3.73 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2.1% [7] Financial Data and Profit Forecast - Revenue projections for the next fiscal years are as follows: HKD 78.49 billion for 2025/26, HKD 75.36 billion for 2026/27, and HKD 76.31 billion for 2027/28 [6] - Net profit forecasts are HKD 3.51 billion for 2025/26, HKD 3.89 billion for 2026/27, and HKD 4.33 billion for 2027/28, reflecting a growth trend [6] - The earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be HKD 0.64 for 2025/26, HKD 0.71 for 2026/27, and HKD 0.79 for 2027/28 [6] - The price-to-earnings (PE) ratio is expected to be 11 for 2025/26, 10 for 2026/27, and 9 for 2027/28, indicating a favorable valuation compared to industry peers [7][8]