HKEX(HK:00388) First Shanghai Securities·2024-03-21 16:00Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company with a target price of 370 HKD, indicating a potential upside of 52.97% from the current price of 242.4 HKD [2][3]. Core Insights - The company's performance in 2023 met expectations, with total revenue and other income reaching 20.516 billion HKD, an increase of 11.16% year-on-year. Net profit attributable to shareholders was 11.862 billion HKD, up 17.70% year-on-year, marking the second-highest profit in history. The increase in performance was primarily driven by a significant rise in investment income from margin and clearing house funds [1]. - Despite the overall revenue growth, the average daily trading volume in the Hong Kong stock market decreased by 16% year-on-year, leading to a decline in the company's main business revenue by 8.79% to 15.445 billion HKD [1]. - Investment income saw a substantial increase, with net investment income rising by 265.71% to 4.959 billion HKD, benefiting from higher interest rates on HKD and USD deposits [1]. - The Hong Kong stock market is showing signs of recovery, with the Hang Seng Index rising over 6% in February 2024, suggesting potential valuation recovery and enhanced liquidity in the market [1]. Financial Summary - For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023, the company reported total revenue of 20.516 billion HKD, a year-on-year increase of 11.2%. The net profit for the same period was 11.862 billion HKD, reflecting a 17.7% increase [4]. - Revenue projections for 2024, 2025, and 2026 are adjusted to 21.587 billion HKD, 22.664 billion HKD, and 25.079 billion HKD, respectively. Net profit forecasts for the same years are 12.410 billion HKD, 13.057 billion HKD, and 14.160 billion HKD [2][4]. - The company’s earnings per share (EPS) for 2023 was 9.4 HKD, with projections of 9.8 HKD for 2024 and 10.3 HKD for 2025 [4][8].