CATL(SZ:300750) Dongguan Securities·2025-10-21 09:09Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company, indicating an expectation that the stock will outperform the market index by more than 15% in the next six months [8]. Core Insights - The company reported a significant year-on-year increase in net profit of 36.20% for the first three quarters of 2025, with total revenue reaching 283.07 billion yuan, a 9.28% increase [5]. - The third quarter saw a revenue of 104.19 billion yuan, reflecting a 12.90% year-on-year growth and a 10.62% quarter-on-quarter increase, with net profit for the quarter at 18.55 billion yuan, up 41.21% year-on-year [5]. - The company is experiencing strong cash flow, with a net operating cash flow of 80.66 billion yuan, a 19.60% increase year-on-year, and cash reserves of 324.24 billion yuan, up 22.51% [5]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - For Q3 2025, the company achieved a gross margin of 25.80%, a year-on-year decrease of 5.37%, but a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.22%. The net margin was 19.13%, up 4.12% year-on-year and 0.54% quarter-on-quarter [5]. - Research and development expenses for the first three quarters were 15.07 billion yuan, a 15.26% increase year-on-year, indicating a commitment to technological innovation [5]. Capacity and Expansion - The company has a strong order backlog with contract liabilities of 40.68 billion yuan, a 79.58% increase year-on-year, and is expanding its production capacity significantly [5]. - Capital expenditures for the first three quarters of 2025 reached 30.09 billion yuan, a 41.47% increase year-on-year, with ongoing projects in both domestic and international locations [5]. Future Outlook - The report projects earnings per share (EPS) of 15.03 yuan and 18.55 yuan for 2025 and 2026, respectively, with corresponding price-to-earnings (PE) ratios of 24 and 20 [7]. - The company is positioned as a global leader in lithium batteries, benefiting from strong demand and a resilient profit margin, with expectations for continued rapid growth as new capacity comes online [5].