Lexin(US:LX) HTSC·2025-08-08 06:24Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Buy" with a target price of $12.00 [8][9]. Core Insights - The company's net profit for Q2 2025 reached 510 million RMB, showing a year-on-year increase of 126% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 19%, aligning with the company's guidance for significant profit growth this year [1]. - The net profit take rate (NTR) improved to 1.92% from 1.59% in Q1 2025, driven by increased revenue from light capital and e-commerce businesses [1]. - The company has announced a share repurchase plan of $50 million and a management buyback plan of $10 million, indicating a commitment to shareholder returns [1]. - The main uncertainty for the future is the potential impact of the new lending regulations on the industry, which could affect profitability and loan risk performance [1]. Summary by Sections Quality - Risk indicators have shown continuous improvement, with a 2% decrease in the first-day overdue rate and a 5% decrease in the first payment default (FPD) rate for new loans [2]. - The company has been upgrading its risk control system since early 2024, and the improving loan quality is gradually validating these efforts [2]. - Despite positive forward-looking risk indicators, the company remains cautious in provisioning, with credit costs increasing by 13.6% quarter-on-quarter [2]. Scale - New loan issuance slightly increased to 5.29 billion RMB, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 3.5% and a quarter-on-quarter growth of 2.5% [3]. - The proportion of loans under the ICP model decreased to 15% from 24% in Q1 2025 due to stricter regulations, but the company's diversified business ecosystem helps mitigate related impacts [3]. - E-commerce GMV reached 2 billion RMB, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 80.2%, with 97% of consumers using installment services [3]. Profitability - The NTR increased to 1.92%, primarily driven by a 126 basis points increase in revenue take rate to 11.64% [4]. - Light capital income rose by 32.9% to 830 million RMB, significantly contributing to profitability [4]. - E-commerce gross profit also increased by 71% to 97 million RMB due to rapid growth in GMV [4]. - Factors negatively impacting profitability include a 27 basis points rise in funding costs to 4.2% and an increase in customer acquisition costs to 810 RMB [4]. Profit Forecast and Valuation - The company's performance is relatively stable, with minor adjustments to net profit forecasts for 2025, 2026, and 2027, now projected at 2.18 billion RMB, 3.21 billion RMB, and 3.60 billion RMB respectively [6]. - The average price-to-book (PB) ratio for comparable consumer loan platforms is estimated at 1.07x for 2025, and the company is assigned a PB of 1.15x based on its unique business ecosystem [6].