BANK OF SUZHOU(SZ:002966) EBSCN·2025-09-01 02:22Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for Suzhou Bank (002966.SZ) with a current price of 8.12 CNY [1]. Core Views - Suzhou Bank's performance shows resilience with a narrowing decline in interest margins. The bank achieved an operating income of 6.5 billion CNY in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 1.8%, and a net profit attributable to shareholders of 3.13 billion CNY, up 6.2% year-on-year [4][5]. - The bank's annualized ROAE for the first half of 2025 was 12.34%, reflecting a year-on-year decline of 1 percentage point [4]. Summary by Sections Revenue Performance - In the first half of 2025, Suzhou Bank's revenue, pre-provision profit, and net profit attributable to shareholders grew by 1.8%, 7.4%, and 6.2% year-on-year, respectively. The growth rates changed by +1, +1.4, and -0.6 percentage points compared to Q1 [5]. - Net interest income and non-interest income growth rates were 2.7% and 0.1%, respectively, with changes of +3.3 and -3.2 percentage points from Q1 [5]. Asset and Loan Growth - As of the end of Q2 2025, the bank's interest-earning assets and loans grew by 14.6% and 11.8% year-on-year, respectively, with a steady expansion of asset size and double-digit loan growth [6]. - The bank added 30.1 billion CNY in loans in the first half of 2025, with a focus on key sectors such as government financing, technology innovation, and green loans [6]. Non-Interest Income - Non-interest income for the first half of 2025 was 2.24 billion CNY, showing a year-on-year increase of 0.1%, with a stable revenue share of around 35% [10]. - The net fee and commission income was 740 million CNY, up 9% year-on-year, supported by strong growth in agency and investment businesses [10]. Asset Quality and Risk Management - As of the end of Q2 2025, the bank's non-performing loan ratio was 0.83%, with a coverage ratio of 438%, indicating strong risk compensation ability [11][12]. - The bank's credit impairment losses for the first half of 2025 were 570 million CNY, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 70 million CNY [11]. Capital Adequacy - The bank's core Tier 1, Tier 1, and total capital adequacy ratios were 9.87%, 11.67%, and 14.57%, respectively, showing a slight increase from Q1 [12][33]. Earnings Forecast and Valuation - The report forecasts EPS for Suzhou Bank to be 1.19, 1.25, and 1.29 CNY for 2025, 2026, and 2027, respectively, with corresponding PB valuations of 0.75, 0.69, and 0.64 times [13][34].