M&G(SH:603899) HTSC·2025-08-29 08:14Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is maintained at "Buy" with a target price of RMB 36.96 [1][5]. Core Views - The company's traditional business is under pressure, but it is actively promoting IP empowerment to enhance growth. The revenue for the first half of 2025 was RMB 10.809 billion, down 2.2% year-on-year, with a net profit of RMB 557 million, down 12.0% year-on-year. The decline in revenue is primarily due to challenges in the offline traditional core business, while the retail and office direct sales segments are showing resilience [1][2][3]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In H1 2025, the offline traditional core business revenue was RMB 3.345 billion, down 10.1% year-on-year. The company faced challenges due to weak terminal demand and changing product needs from the main consumer groups [2]. - The online business, under the brand "Morning Light Technology," achieved revenue of RMB 556 million, up 15.1% year-on-year, indicating a strong growth trajectory [2]. - The retail large store business generated RMB 779 million in revenue, up 6.98% year-on-year, with a total of over 830 retail stores nationwide [3]. Profitability and Cost Structure - The overall gross margin for H1 2025 remained stable at 19.4%. However, the expense ratio increased by 1.0 percentage points to 13.3%, primarily due to higher marketing and channel development costs [4]. - The net profit margin for H1 2025 was 5.2%, down 0.6 percentage points year-on-year [4]. Earnings Forecast and Valuation - The profit forecast for 2025-2027 has been adjusted downward, with expected net profits of RMB 1.422 billion, RMB 1.573 billion, and RMB 1.744 billion respectively. The corresponding EPS is projected to be RMB 1.54, RMB 1.71, and RMB 1.89 [5][11]. - The target price is based on a 24x PE ratio for 2025, reflecting the company's higher B-end business proportion compared to peers [5].