Wanlian Securities·2024-05-06 13:00Investment Rating - The investment rating for Qingdao Beer is maintained at "Add" [1][8]. Core Views - In Q1 2024, the company experienced a decline in revenue due to pressure on product sales, but net profit increased. The revenue for Q1 2024 was 10.15 billion yuan, down 5.19% year-on-year, while the net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.597 billion yuan, up 10.06% year-on-year [2]. - The gross margin and net margin both improved, with the gross margin at 40.44%, up 2.12 percentage points year-on-year, and the net margin at 15.99%, up 2.23 percentage points year-on-year. This improvement is attributed to a decrease in raw material costs and an ongoing optimization of the product mix [2]. - The company is expected to benefit from a recovery in on-premise consumption and a decrease in raw material costs, indicating potential for profit improvement in the short term. As a leading domestic beer brand, Qingdao Beer has significant brand value and is accelerating its expansion into the high-end market, which is expected to drive price increases in the future [2][3]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In Q1 2024, beer sales volume decreased by 7.58% year-on-year to 2.184 million kiloliters, with the main brand's sales down 5.64% to 1.322 million kiloliters. The sales of mid-to-high-end products decreased by 2.44% to 960,000 kiloliters, while other brands saw a decline of 10.40% to 862,000 kiloliters [2]. - The company forecasts revenue for 2024 to be 36.38 billion yuan, with a growth rate of 7.20%. The net profit attributable to shareholders is projected to be 4.991 billion yuan, reflecting a growth rate of 16.95% [3][6]. Profitability Metrics - The sales expense ratio, management expense ratio, and R&D expense ratio for Q1 2024 were 12.83%, 3.40%, and 0.18%, respectively, showing a decrease in sales expenses and a slight increase in management and R&D expenses [2]. - The earnings per share (EPS) for 2024 is expected to be 3.66 yuan, with corresponding price-to-earnings (PE) ratios of 22, 20, and 18 for the years 2024, 2025, and 2026, respectively [3][6].