Core Viewpoint - The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has requested supplementary materials from Xin'ao Gas Co., Ltd. regarding its Hong Kong IPO, focusing on the impact of pledged shares by controlling shareholders and foreign investment compliance [1][4][5]. Company Overview - Xin'ao Gas is the largest private natural gas company in China, covering the entire natural gas industry chain, including sales, engineering, infrastructure, and energy production [5]. - The company provides a full range of services, including natural gas retail, platform trading, and wholesale [5]. Market Position - According to Frost & Sullivan, the Chinese natural gas industry is relatively concentrated, with the top five city gas companies collectively retailing approximately 135.5 billion cubic meters of gas in 2024, accounting for about 31.7% of the total market share [5]. - Among the top five city gas companies, Xin'ao Gas is the largest private enterprise and ranks third in retail gas volume with a market share of approximately 6.1% in 2024 [5]. Financial Performance - Xin'ao Gas reported revenues of RMB 150.02 billion, RMB 141.11 billion, and RMB 134.95 billion for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively [6]. - The annual profits for the same years were RMB 11.07 billion, RMB 12.53 billion, and RMB 9.94 billion [6]. - The gross profit margins for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024 were 13.6%, 13.1%, and 13.6%, respectively [6].

Investment Rating - The report assigns a "Buy" rating to the company, New Energy (2688 HK), with a target price of HKD 74.60, indicating a potential upside of 21.4% from the current price of HKD 61.45 [4][9]. Core Insights - The first quarter of 2025 saw gas sales remain stable, influenced by a warm winter, with retail gas volume showing a year-on-year increase of 0.3%, outperforming the mainland's natural gas apparent consumption decline of 2.2% [2][7]. - The management indicated that the warm winter impacted gas sales by approximately 2-3 percentage points, with residential gas sales increasing by 1.1% year-on-year [2][7]. - The privatization plan is progressing steadily, with expectations to seek shareholder approval in the fourth quarter of this year [7][8]. Financial Overview - Revenue projections for the company are as follows: - 2023: RMB 113,858 million - 2024: RMB 109,853 million - 2025E: RMB 116,552 million (6.1% YoY growth) - 2026E: RMB 122,701 million - 2027E: RMB 129,239 million [3][11]. - Net profit estimates are: - 2023: RMB 6,816 million - 2024: RMB 5,987 million - 2025E: RMB 7,174 million (3.2% YoY growth) - 2026E: RMB 7,782 million - 2027E: RMB 8,098 million [3][11]. - The company is expected to maintain moderate profit growth over the next three years, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 5% from 2024 to 2027 [7][8]. Operational Performance - The company’s retail gas sales volume is projected to grow as follows: - 2023: 25,145 million cubic meters - 2024: 26,200 million cubic meters - 2025E: 26,782 million cubic meters (2.2% growth) - 2026E: 27,588 million cubic meters - 2027E: 28,421 million cubic meters [8]. - The company has also seen a 9.9% year-on-year increase in its diversified energy sales volume, reaching 100 billion kWh in the first quarter [7][8]. Market Position - The company’s market capitalization is approximately HKD 68,286.31 million, with a 52-week high of HKD 79.30 and a low of HKD 45.25 [6][9]. - The stock has shown a year-to-date change of 10.03% [6].

Investment Rating - The report assigns a "Buy" rating to the company, New Energy (2688 HK), with a target price of HKD 74.60, indicating a potential upside of 21.4% from the current closing price of HKD 61.45 [4][9]. Core Insights - The first quarter of 2025 saw gas sales remain stable, influenced by a warm winter, with retail gas volume growing by 0.3% year-on-year, outperforming the mainland's natural gas apparent consumption decline of 2.2% [2][7]. - The management indicated that the warm winter impacted gas sales by approximately 2-3 percentage points, with residential gas sales increasing by 1.1% year-on-year [2][7]. - The privatization plan is progressing steadily, with expectations for shareholder approval in the fourth quarter of this year [7][8]. Financial Overview - Revenue projections for the company are as follows: - 2023: RMB 113,858 million - 2024: RMB 109,853 million - 2025E: RMB 116,552 million (6.1% growth) - 2026E: RMB 122,701 million (5.3% growth) - 2027E: RMB 129,239 million (5.3% growth) [3][11]. - Net profit estimates are: - 2023: RMB 6,816 million - 2024: RMB 5,987 million - 2025E: RMB 7,174 million (3.2% growth) - 2026E: RMB 7,782 million (8.5% growth) - 2027E: RMB 8,098 million (4.1% growth) [3][11]. - The company maintains a dividend yield of 4.6% in 2023, projected to increase to 7.0% by 2027 [3][11]. Operational Performance - The company expects retail gas volume and energy sales to grow by 2.2% and 12% respectively in 2025, despite the warm winter's impact [7][8]. - The number of new residential connections decreased by 16% year-on-year to 287,000, with a ratio of new to old homes at 3:1 [7][8]. - The energy business saw a sales volume increase of 9.9% year-on-year to 10 billion kWh, with 14 new projects becoming operational [7][8]. Market Position - The company's market capitalization stands at approximately HKD 68,286.31 million, with a 52-week high of HKD 79.30 and a low of HKD 45.25 [6][9]. - The stock has shown a year-to-date change of 10.03% [6].