Goldman Sachs·2025-10-27 00:52Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for CMOC Group (3993.HK) with a 12-month price target of HK$19.00, representing an upside of 17.3% from the current price of HK$16.20 [1][2]. Core Insights - CMOC reported a net profit of Rmb5.61 billion for 3Q25, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 96%, with earnings per share (EPS) rising to Rmb0.262, up 98% year-on-year [1]. - The recurring profit growth is expected to continue, driven by rising copper prices and volume growth, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38% for 2025-26E [2]. - The company has revised its earnings estimates upward by 8-32% for 2025-27E, reflecting a positive outlook on copper prices and the impact of new cobalt export quotas from the DRC [2]. Financial Performance - For the first nine months of 2025, CMOC's recurring net profit reached Rmb14.1 billion, accounting for 75% of the full-year estimate [1]. - The company expects to achieve a copper output target of 1 million tons by 2028, supported by the Cangrejos gold/copper project, which is anticipated to further enhance earnings growth [2][29]. - The report indicates that CMOC's current H-share price implies a copper price of US$8,500/t, which is lower than the spot price of US$10,900/t, suggesting potential for price appreciation if targets are met [2]. Production and Operations - CMOC's copper output in the DRC reached 543kt in 9M25, a 14% increase year-on-year, while cobalt output was 88kt, up 3.8% year-on-year [26]. - The DRC government has introduced a cobalt export quota system, allowing CMOC to export 6.5kt for the remainder of 2025 and 31.2kt annually for 2026-27E, which is expected to improve gross profit for cobalt significantly despite lower sales volume [27]. - The acquisition of Lumina Gold for C$581 million is expected to enhance CMOC's net profit by 13.1% by 2030, with significant gold and copper reserves identified at the Cangrejos project [28]. Valuation Metrics - The report provides updated revenue and earnings estimates, with total revenue projected at Rmb213,028.7 million for 2024 and Rmb192,354.5 million for 2025E [6]. - The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is forecasted to be 9.2 for 2024 and 15.5 for 2025E, while the price-to-book (P/B) ratio is expected to be 1.8 for 2024 and 3.7 for 2025E [12]. - The report indicates a free cash flow yield of 19.6% for 2024, which is expected to decrease to 6.6% in subsequent years [12].