Core Viewpoint - The company reported strong 1H25 performance with revenue increasing by 18.5% to HKD 10.32 billion and net profit rising by 9.8% to HKD 710 million, exceeding expectations due to favorable import/export dynamics and product structure optimization [1] Revenue Breakdown - Leaf import revenue grew by 23.5%, with import volume and average price increasing by 2.5% and 20.5% respectively, benefiting from a higher proportion of premium leaf [1] - Leaf export revenue increased by 25.9%, with export volume and average price rising by 12.7% and 11.7% respectively, driven by new customer acquisition and product structure optimization [1] - Cigarette export revenue grew by 0.8%, with sales volume declining by 7.9% and average price increasing by 9.4%, impacted by shipment timing [1] - New tobacco revenue decreased by 66.4%, with sales volume and average price dropping by 65.4% and 3.1% respectively, due to supply chain and regulatory challenges [1] - Brazilian business revenue fell by 50.3%, with sales volume and average price decreasing by 34.8% and 23.8% respectively, affected by climate conditions and shipment timing [1] Profitability Metrics - The company's gross margin for 1H25 was 9.2%, a decline of 1.9 percentage points, with leaf export gross margin increasing by 2.4 percentage points due to pricing strategy optimization [1] - The gross margin for cigarette exports improved by 3.5 percentage points due to a higher self-operated ratio, while Brazilian business gross margin increased by 10.2 percentage points from a higher proportion of by-product revenue [1] - The gross margin for leaf imports decreased by 2.8 percentage points due to rising costs from unfavorable climate conditions [1] - The net profit margin for 1H25 was 6.8%, down by 0.5 percentage points [1] Growth Potential - The company is expected to strengthen its international allocation capabilities in leaf imports, maintaining stable growth [1] - The company aims to enhance its tax channel development and introduce self-operated product lines in cigarette exports, with potential growth from a global exclusive distribution agreement for Long Wall cigars with Sichuan Tobacco [1] - The company is likely to seek high-quality acquisition targets aligned with group strategic goals to enhance global competitiveness [1][2] Earnings Forecast and Valuation - Based on the growth momentum in leaf import/export business, the net profit forecasts for 2025 and 2026 have been raised by 5% and 8% to HKD 980 million and HKD 1.09 billion respectively [2] - The target price has been increased by 37% to HKD 43, corresponding to 30/27 times P/E for 2025/26, indicating a 13% upside potential from the current stock price [2]