Summary of the Conference Call for Zongheng Co., Ltd. Company Overview - **Company**: Zongheng Co., Ltd. - **Industry**: Low-altitude digital economy and drone technology Key Financial Highlights - **Revenue Growth**: - Revenue for the first three quarters increased significantly, reaching approximately 320 million yuan, a year-on-year growth of 57% [2][3] - Third-quarter revenue was about 190 million yuan, up 54% year-on-year [2][3] - **Profitability**: - Achieved a net profit of 16 million yuan in the third quarter, marking a turnaround from losses [2][3] - Gross margin for the first three quarters was 48.9%, an increase of 2.2 percentage points year-on-year [2][4] - Operating expenses decreased by 13.4% to 51.7% [2][5] Strategic Focus Areas - **Low-altitude Digital Economy**: - Targeting a market potential of 300 billion yuan in equipment space across national cities and 150 billion yuan in service market at the municipal level [2][8] - Plans to establish platform companies in collaboration with local governments to promote drone operation models [2][7] - **International Market Expansion**: - Engaging with the "Belt and Road" initiative to facilitate exports of small aircraft CW40 and CW100 [2][6] - Anticipated overseas market size of at least 3 billion yuan, with ongoing efforts to secure necessary certifications [2][14] Market Development and Opportunities - **Domestic Projects**: - Secured nearly 200 million yuan in local digital economy demonstration projects [2][6] - Focus on vertical applications in various sectors such as forestry, transportation, and emergency services [2][12] - **Challenges and Solutions**: - Addressing external expansion challenges through successful case demonstrations and partnerships with local governments [2][9] Future Growth Projections - **Market Potential**: - The low-altitude economy is expected to grow significantly, with estimates suggesting a market size exceeding 300 billion yuan [2][13] - Continuous investment in R&D is crucial for maintaining competitive advantages [2][17] - **Talent and Resource Integration**: - Emphasis on attracting talent and leveraging partnerships with state-owned enterprises to enhance operational capabilities [2][18][19] Upcoming Initiatives - **Investor Engagement**: - Plans to hold an investor communication event in November to discuss future strategies and developments [2][26] Conclusion Zongheng Co., Ltd. is positioned for significant growth in the low-altitude digital economy and drone technology sectors, with strong financial performance and strategic initiatives aimed at expanding both domestic and international markets. The company is focused on leveraging partnerships and innovative solutions to capture market opportunities while maintaining a commitment to cost management and profitability.

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company [1] Core Views - The company has turned profitable in Q3 2025, indicating a significant inflection point in its performance [2] - The company is transitioning from an industrial drone manufacturer to a provider of low-altitude digital economy solutions, poised to benefit from the rapid growth of the low-altitude economy [3] Summary by Sections Performance Overview - For the first three quarters of 2025, the company reported revenue of 322 million RMB, a year-on-year increase of 57%. In Q3 alone, revenue reached 188 million RMB, up 53.8% year-on-year and 95.8% quarter-on-quarter [1][2] - The net profit attributable to the parent company for Q3 2025 was 16.52 million RMB, marking a return to profitability [1] Operational Analysis - The company has seen a stable gross margin, with a comprehensive gross margin of 48.9% for the first three quarters of 2025, slightly down by 0.7 percentage points [2] - The company has successfully reduced its expense ratio, achieving a period expense ratio of 51.7%, down 16.3 percentage points [2] - The company is actively building low-altitude economic platforms across various provinces, with project bids totaling nearly 200 million RMB [2] Future Outlook - Revenue projections for 2025-2027 are estimated at 596 million RMB, 727 million RMB, and 859 million RMB, reflecting year-on-year growth rates of 25.6%, 22.1%, and 18.2% respectively [3] - The net profit attributable to the parent company is expected to be 11.37 million RMB in 2025, with significant growth anticipated in subsequent years [3]

Core Viewpoint - The company is positioned as a leading player in China's industrial drone sector, focusing on the development of drone hardware platforms, flight control systems, and industry application software, while actively exploring new business opportunities in the low-altitude digital economy, which is expected to drive rapid growth in performance due to favorable industry conditions [1][2]. Group 1: Product Development and Market Position - The company has a comprehensive product lineup in the industrial drone market, which serves as a foundation for growth. It has significant technological advantages and a well-coordinated development across the entire drone industry chain [1]. - The CW series of composite wing drones are notable for being the first domestically produced vertical take-off fixed-wing industrial drones, with recent models like CW-40 and CW-100 enhancing application scenarios. The company has secured over 200 million yuan in emergency project bids in 2024, supporting performance growth [1]. - The PH series of rotor drones, primarily the PH-100, has been developed to complement existing composite wing drones, facilitating the establishment of a low-altitude logistics network through successful applications in fresh produce delivery [1]. - The Yunlong series of fixed-wing drones features long endurance, high performance, and low cost, filling a gap in the company's large drone product lineup with promising overseas market prospects [1]. Group 2: Low-altitude Economy and Technological Advancements - The company is advancing the low-altitude economy by launching a new generation of unmanned drone systems in 2024, promoting the integration of "unmanned drone systems + cloud platform + AI" for applications in social governance and other sectors, enabling fully autonomous operations and intelligent data processing [2]. - In 2025, the company won a 106 million yuan bid for the "Smart Bazhong" low-altitude digital economy construction project and is conducting pilot applications in various cities, collaborating with local governments to create low-altitude digital economy scenarios [2]. Group 3: Financial Projections and Incentives - The company has announced a new stock incentive plan in February 2025, granting 1.735 million restricted shares at a price of 21.68 yuan per share to 95 individuals, reflecting confidence in future growth [2]. - Revenue projections for 2025-2027 are estimated at 5.81 billion yuan, 9.39 billion yuan, and 13.52 billion yuan, with year-on-year growth rates of 22.6%, 61.5%, and 44.0% respectively. Net profits are expected to turn positive, reaching 0.09 billion yuan, 0.84 billion yuan, and 1.19 billion yuan during the same period, with significant growth rates [3].

Core Viewpoint - Chengdu Zongheng Automation Technology Co., Ltd. is entering a significant strategic development phase with a share transfer to a state-owned fund, indicating a strong commitment to long-term growth and collaboration in the low-altitude economy sector [1][2]. Group 1: Share Transfer Details - Shareholders Wang Chen, Chen Peng, and Ren Bin plan to transfer 5.59% of their shares to Sichuan Capital Market Relief Development Securities Investment Fund, a subsidiary of Sichuan Development (Holding) Company [1]. - The share transfer will not change the company's controlling shareholder or actual controller, ensuring stability in governance [1]. Group 2: Strategic Implications - The transfer is part of a strategic arrangement to optimize the equity structure and deepen industrial collaboration, aimed at injecting strong momentum into the company's long-term development [2]. - The shareholders have committed to providing at least 50% of the after-tax proceeds from the transfer as a loan to the company for three years [2]. Group 3: Industry Collaboration and Future Prospects - Since 2025, the company has engaged in deep cooperation with various local state-owned platforms to explore and promote the scalable development of low-altitude digital economy businesses [2]. - The partnership with the relief fund is expected to enhance the company's access to abundant local resources, policies, and application scenarios in the low-altitude economy, accelerating technology commercialization and market expansion [2].

Summary of the Conference Call for Zongheng Co., Ltd. Company Overview - **Company**: Zongheng Co., Ltd. - **Industry**: Low-altitude digital economy and drone systems Key Financial Highlights - In the first half of 2025, Zongheng reported revenue of approximately 1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 71% [2] - The net profit attributable to shareholders was a loss of about 84 million yuan, a reduction in loss of 16 million yuan year-on-year, indicating significant improvement in operational quality [2][3] - The company achieved revenue of approximately 1.35 billion yuan in the first half of 2025, with a year-on-year growth of 62% [3] Core Business Developments - The company is focusing on the low-altitude digital economy and has won the "Smart Bazhong" project worth 1.06 billion yuan, leveraging unmanned systems combined with AI for data services [2][5] - The overseas market revenue share has increased to 15%-20%, with confirmed revenue exceeding 1 billion yuan [2][14] - Zongheng has developed new products, including the C700 vertical fixed-wing unmanned system and the P200 multi-rotor unmanned system [4] Market Expansion and Strategic Initiatives - The company is actively exploring the low-altitude cultural tourism sector and has established a subsidiary "Zongheng Bazhong" in collaboration with the Bazhong municipal government [8] - The company aims to address high costs and low utilization rates of drones in government departments through a centralized procurement model [9][10] - The estimated market value for low-altitude economic equipment in a prefecture-level city is about 1 billion yuan, with a national market potential of approximately 300 billion yuan [10] Product and Service Offerings - The main revenue sources are from the security sector (approximately 50%) and surveying and geographic information (about 25%) [6] - The company has developed a cloud platform "Zongheng Cloud" for low-altitude economic management and monitoring [5][13] Challenges and Solutions - Challenges in promoting drones in government sectors include high costs and low utilization rates [9] - The company proposes a model where government-led platform companies can enhance drone utilization and reduce operational costs [10] Profitability and Margins - The overall gross margin has significantly improved, with drone system margins doubling, and overseas market margins exceeding domestic margins by 15-20 percentage points [4][16][17] - The expected gross margin for the first half of 2025 is close to or slightly above 60% [17] Future Outlook - The company plans to focus on the low-altitude digital economy and overseas markets as core growth drivers over the next 3 to 10 years [18] - The company has set a neutral outlook for revenue and profit targets for 2025, with confidence in achieving long-term goals despite potential uncertainties in order confirmations [18] Conclusion Zongheng Co., Ltd. is positioned to capitalize on the growing low-altitude digital economy and expand its international presence, with a strong focus on improving operational efficiency and profitability through innovative solutions and strategic partnerships.

Company Overview - Zongheng Co., Ltd. is a leading industrial drone manufacturer in China, transitioning from a drone manufacturer to a low-altitude digital economy solution provider with integrated hardware and software products [2][3] - The company has launched a series of products including "unmanned systems + Zongheng Cloud + AI" and is accelerating the development of heavy-load drones [2] Financial Performance - Revenue is projected to grow from 287 million yuan in 2022 to 474 million yuan in 2024, with a CAGR of 28.47% [2] - The company expects to achieve a revenue of 135 million yuan in the first half of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 61.72% [2] Market Potential - The industrial drone market in China is expected to grow from 38.2 billion yuan in 2021 to 65.1 billion yuan in 2024, with a CAGR of 19.45% [3] - The low-altitude logistics market is projected to expand from 12.8 billion yuan in 2024 to 30.8 billion yuan in 2027, with a CAGR of 34% [4] Strategic Initiatives - The company is actively developing long-endurance drones and has showcased models like CW-40 and CW-100 at the Zhuhai Airshow [3] - Zongheng is collaborating with various regions to implement low-altitude digital economy solutions and has established a manufacturing base in Shaoxing [4] Growth Drivers - The company has introduced a restricted stock incentive plan to boost growth, with performance targets set for revenue and profit [5] - Revenue targets for 2025 and 2026 are set at 580 million yuan and 700 million yuan, respectively, with a goal of achieving profitability [5] Profitability Forecast - Revenue forecasts for 2025, 2026, and 2027 are 596 million yuan, 727 million yuan, and 859 million yuan, respectively, with net profits expected to turn positive by 2025 [6] - The target price for the stock is set at 81.62 yuan, based on a 12x price-to-sales ratio for 2025 [6]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the report is that Zhongheng Co., Ltd. (688070.SH) is rated as a "buy" due to its strong position in the drone industry and its comprehensive technology advantages [2] - The company has established a complete drone ecosystem, integrating both hardware and software, which solidifies its leading position in the market [2] - Zhongheng is positioned as a provider of low-altitude digital economy solutions, actively engaging in the emerging low-altitude economy [2] - The company is preparing to launch heavy-load drones in collaboration with leading logistics companies, entering a new blue ocean in low-altitude logistics [2] - The implementation of equity incentives reflects the company's confidence in its development, with new business ventures expected to become significant growth drivers for its performance [2]

Core Insights - The company expects to achieve an operating revenue of 135 million yuan in the first half of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 61.72%. However, it anticipates a net loss attributable to shareholders of 34.68 million yuan, an improvement from a loss of 53.02 million yuan in the same period last year [1] - In 2024, the company reported an operating revenue of 474 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 57.14%, with a net loss of 35.79 million yuan, which is a 44.61% improvement compared to the previous year [3] Company Performance - The company is recognized as a leading player in the domestic industrial drone sector, leveraging a comprehensive range of industrial drone products, strong software technology, and extensive application experience [1] - The company is actively promoting the application of drones in various vertical industries such as smart governance, emergency response, energy, forestry, environmental protection, and transportation [1] - The company has developed a low-altitude data service system combining "unmanned systems + Zongheng Cloud + AI," which has been implemented in several cities, achieving a closed loop in commercial applications of the low-altitude economy [1] Market Development - The company is accelerating the development and application verification of multiple drone models in the low-altitude logistics sector and has invested in the Sichuan Low-altitude Economic Industry Development Co., Ltd. to expedite product commercialization [1] - The company is also focusing on expanding its overseas market presence and is committed to promoting the sales of various drone models internationally [1] Leadership Information - The chairman and general manager of the company, Ren Bin, has a diverse background in aerodynamics and software solutions, having held various positions in related fields since 1993 [3] - The vice general manager, Zhang Jun, has been with the company since 2012, progressing through various roles before becoming vice general manager in 2021 [4]

Performance Forecast - The company expects to achieve an operating income of approximately RMB 134.66 million for the first half of 2025, representing a growth of about 61.72% compared to the same period last year [1][2] - The net profit attributable to shareholders is projected to be RMB -35.70 million, showing a reduction in losses of approximately RMB 22.99 million compared to the previous year [1][2] - The net profit attributable to shareholders after deducting non-recurring gains and losses is expected to be RMB -35.70 million, a decrease in losses of about RMB 18.34 million compared to the same period last year [2] Previous Year Performance - In the first half of 2024, the company achieved an operating income of RMB 83.27 million [1] - The net profit attributable to shareholders for the first half of 2024 was RMB -53.02 million [1][2] - The net profit attributable to shareholders after deducting non-recurring gains and losses for the first half of 2024 was RMB -58.70 million [2] Reasons for Performance Changes - The company has significantly improved its overall operational quality, reducing losses by approximately RMB 18.34 million [2] - As a leading domestic industrial drone company, it has advanced the application of drones in various vertical industries such as smart governance, emergency response, energy, forestry, environmental protection, and transportation [2] - The company is actively developing its overseas market and accelerating the commercialization of its products while optimizing cost management to enhance overall profitability and competitiveness [2]

Summary of Low Altitude Economy Conference Call Industry Overview - The conference focused on the **low altitude economy**, which encompasses various sectors including **general aviation**, **electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL)**, **drone logistics**, and **low altitude tourism** [1][2][4]. Key Points and Arguments 1. **Understanding Low Altitude Economy**: - The low altitude economy can be categorized into three main scenes: **low altitude transportation**, **low altitude logistics**, and **low altitude digital economy**. The digital economy serves as the foundational infrastructure for the other two [2][4]. 2. **Importance of Infrastructure**: - Establishing robust infrastructure is crucial for the development of logistics and manned flights. Without it, these sectors cannot thrive [3][4]. - The integration of drone inspection services with low altitude infrastructure is essential for creating a commercial ecosystem [3][8]. 3. **Technological Advancements**: - The development of **AI** and **big data** is pivotal in enhancing low altitude operations, including air traffic management and data processing [6][18]. - The evolution of **battery technology** and **electric propulsion** is necessary for the advancement of flying vehicles [15][16]. 4. **Application Scenarios**: - Various application scenarios were discussed, including **agricultural monitoring**, **power line inspections**, and **emergency response** [10][37]. - The potential for **urban air mobility** using eVTOLs is seen as a significant growth area within the low altitude economy [9][12]. 5. **Regulatory Environment**: - The development of the low altitude economy is heavily influenced by government policies and regulations. There is a need for coherent policies that facilitate the growth of this sector [47][50]. - The establishment of industry standards and safety regulations is critical for ensuring safe operations in low altitude airspace [49][52]. 6. **Challenges and Future Outlook**: - The industry faces challenges such as the need for patience in development and the importance of sustained investment over time [27][30]. - The integration of low altitude operations with **satellite technology** and **5G** is expected to enhance communication and operational efficiency [44][46]. Other Important but Overlooked Content - The discussion highlighted the necessity for **collaboration** among various stakeholders, including government, industry players, and investors, to create a conducive environment for the low altitude economy [47][48]. - The role of **emergency response** applications for drones was emphasized, showcasing their importance in disaster management and recovery efforts [37][39]. - The potential for **cross-industry collaboration** was noted, particularly in leveraging technologies from sectors like **commercial space** to enhance low altitude operations [43][44]. This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the conference, providing a comprehensive overview of the low altitude economy's current state and future potential.