Ligao Foods (SZ:300973) HTSC·2025-10-29 05:16Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is "Buy" with a target price of 64.68 RMB [6][4]. Core Views - The company has maintained stable profitability despite cost pressures, with revenue and net profit showing significant year-on-year growth in the first three quarters of 2025 [1]. - The company is benefiting from a diversified sales channel strategy, with strong performance in new retail and food service channels [2]. - Cost control measures have been effective in offsetting rising raw material costs, although gross margin has been under pressure [3]. Revenue and Profitability - For the first three quarters of 2025, the company achieved revenue of 3.14 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 15.7%, and a net profit of 250 million RMB, up 22.0% [1]. - In Q3 2025, revenue reached 1.07 billion RMB, with net profit at 80 million RMB, reflecting year-on-year growth of 14.8% and 13.6% respectively [1]. - The gross margin for Q3 2025 decreased by 2.4 percentage points year-on-year to 29.9% due to rising palm oil prices [3]. Channel Performance - The frozen baked goods segment accounted for approximately 55% of revenue in the first three quarters of 2025, growing nearly 10% year-on-year [2]. - The company has seen a 40% year-on-year increase in revenue from cream products, which remains a key growth driver [2]. - The new retail and food service channels have shown a growth rate of about 40% year-on-year, indicating strong demand [2]. Cost Control and Efficiency - The company has successfully reduced selling expenses by 1.3 percentage points to 10.2% in the first three quarters of 2025 [3]. - Management expenses have also decreased by 1.5 percentage points to 5.5%, reflecting ongoing cost control efforts [3]. - The company is expected to improve production capacity utilization in Q4 2025 due to organizational adjustments [1]. Earnings Forecast and Valuation - The earnings per share (EPS) estimates for 2025, 2026, and 2027 are 1.94 RMB, 2.31 RMB, and 2.65 RMB respectively, reflecting a downward adjustment of 7%, 11%, and 17% from previous forecasts [4]. - The company is valued at a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 28x for 2026, with a target price of 64.68 RMB based on this valuation [4].