【李宁（2331.HK）】上半年利润端有所下滑，签约奥委会、强化专业心智——2025年中期业绩点评（姜浩/孙未未/朱洁宇）

Core Viewpoint - The company reported a slight increase in revenue but a significant decline in net profit for the first half of 2025, indicating challenges in profitability despite stable sales growth [3]. Financial Performance - In the first half of 2025, the company achieved revenue of 14.82 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 3.3%, while net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.74 billion RMB, down 11.0% year-on-year [3]. - Earnings per share (EPS) stood at 0.67 RMB, with a proposed interim cash dividend of 0.34 RMB per share, resulting in a payout ratio of 50% [3]. - Gross margin decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 50.0%, and operating profit margin fell by 0.2 percentage points to 16.5% [3][7]. Revenue Breakdown - Revenue from e-commerce, distribution, and direct sales grew by 4.4%, declined by 3.4%, and increased by 7.4% respectively, with total store count decreasing by 0.7% [4]. - By product category, footwear, apparel, and equipment accounted for 55.6%, 35.0%, and 9.4% of revenue, with respective year-on-year growth rates of 4.9%, -3.4%, and 23.7% [4]. - Revenue by channel showed distribution, direct stores, and e-commerce contributing 46.5%, 22.8%, and 29.0% respectively, with year-on-year changes of +0.5%, -1.6%, and +1.1% [4]. Retail Performance - Overall retail sales for the brand grew in low single digits, with offline sales slightly increasing and online sales growing in high single digits [5]. - In terms of product categories, running and training sales increased by 15% year-on-year, while basketball and sports leisure saw declines of 20% and 7% respectively [5]. Inventory and Cash Flow - As of June 2025, inventory value was 2.43 billion RMB, down 6.5% from the beginning of the year, with inventory turnover days at 61 days, a decrease of 1 day year-on-year [7][8]. - Operating net cash flow for the first half of 2025 was 2.41 billion RMB, a decrease of 11.7% year-on-year [8]. Strategic Initiatives - The company continues to implement a "single brand, multiple categories, multiple channels" strategy, with significant sales in professional running shoes and partnerships with athletes to enhance brand visibility [9]. - The company signed a partnership with the Chinese Olympic Committee to strengthen its brand positioning in professional sports [9].