Huachuang Securities·2025-11-10 08:40Investment Rating - The report assigns a "Buy" rating for China Taiping (00966.HK) with a target price of HKD 22.6 [1][6][9] Core Views - China Taiping is positioned as a leader in the transformation towards participating insurance, with a strong potential for valuation recovery. The company is actively pushing for this transformation, which is expected to reduce rigid costs from new policies and alleviate the pressure from declining interest rates [8][9][10] Financial Performance - The projected insurance service revenue for 2024 is HKD 22,024 million, with a year-on-year growth of 18.8%. The net profit attributable to shareholders is expected to reach HKD 8,432 million, reflecting a significant year-on-year increase of 36.2% [2][3] - The earnings per share (EPS) for 2024 is forecasted at HKD 2.35, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 7.8 [2][3] Business Segments Life Insurance - China Taiping's life insurance segment is a key driver, contributing approximately 80% of the net profit. The new business value (NBV) has started to recover in 2023, with a year-on-year increase of 23% to HKD 6.8 billion in 2025H1 [6][32] - The company has a robust channel structure, primarily through individual agents, with a significant shift towards participating insurance, which accounted for 29% of the new business in 2025H1 [32][52] Property and Casualty Insurance - The domestic property and casualty insurance business is gradually improving, with a combined ratio (COR) of 95.5% in 2025H1, indicating a year-on-year improvement [59][60] - The overseas property and casualty insurance segment, primarily in Hong Kong and Macau, has shown slower growth, contributing 14% to the overall property and casualty business [67] Asset Management - The asset management segment has seen steady growth, with total managed assets exceeding HKD 2.65 trillion as of 2025H1. The investment performance has been influenced by interest rates, with a focus on equity allocations expected to yield strong beta opportunities [6][9][10] Valuation and Estimates - The report utilizes the Present Value of Embedded Value (PEV) method for valuation, predicting an embedded value per share (EVPS) of HKD 56, 64.6, and 74.1 for 2025, 2026, and 2027 respectively. The current dynamic PEV is estimated at 0.33x for 2025 and 0.28x for 2026, with a target PEV of 0.35x for 2026 [9][10]