Core Viewpoint - The report from CICC maintains the profit forecast for Bairong Cloud (06608) for 2025 and 2026, considering uncertainties in business operations due to tightening regulations in the second half of the year, while raising the target price by 15% to HKD 14.8, reflecting a potential upside of 20% based on adjusted P/E ratios for 2025 and 2026 [1] Group 1: Financial Performance - Bairong Cloud's non-GAAP net profit for the first half of 2025 exceeded expectations, with revenue increasing by 22% year-on-year to CNY 1.61 billion, gross profit also up by 22% to CNY 1.18 billion, and gross margin rising by 0.2 percentage points to 73.4% [2] - The non-GAAP net profit for the same period increased by 29% year-on-year to CNY 254 million, with a net profit margin of 15.8%, up by 0.8 percentage points, driven by a strong demand-supply resonance in the financial cloud sector [2] Group 2: Business Segments - The MaaS business showed a recovery with a 19% year-on-year revenue increase to CNY 502 million, maintaining a high customer retention rate of 98% and a 14% increase in average revenue per customer to CNY 2.28 million, contributing to stable revenue growth [3] - The BaaS service revenue grew by 23% year-on-year to CNY 1.1 billion, with the financial cloud segment achieving a 45% increase to CNY 857 million, accounting for 77% of BaaS revenue, driven by improved cost efficiency and increased client budgets [4] - The BaaS insurance cloud segment faced challenges, with revenue declining by 19% year-on-year to CNY 253 million, despite a 9% increase in premium scale, primarily due to regulatory impacts leading to product withdrawals and reduced commission rates [4]

Core Viewpoint - The company reported strong financial performance for 1H25, with revenue and net profit attributable to shareholders reaching 1.61 billion and 190 million yuan, respectively, representing year-on-year growth of 22% and 36% [1] Group 1: MaaS Business - The MaaS business generated revenue of 500 million yuan, up 19% year-on-year, driven by a 14% increase in average revenue per core customer to 2.28 million yuan [2] - The number of core customers increased by 2 to 167, with a customer retention rate rising to 98% [2] - The estimated gross margin for the MaaS business is 84%, despite a decline from 88% in 1H24, indicating strong profitability [2] Group 2: BaaS Financial Cloud - The BaaS financial cloud revenue grew by 45% to 860 million yuan, becoming the main driver of the company's overall revenue growth [3] - The growth in BaaS financial cloud revenue is attributed to the recovery in credit demand and enhanced generative AI capabilities, which boosted asset transaction volumes [3] - The company launched several AI products, forming a complete AI product matrix that has been applied in both financial and educational sectors [3] Group 3: BaaS Insurance Cloud - The BaaS insurance cloud facilitated first-year and renewal premiums of 2 billion and 1.1 billion yuan, respectively, reflecting year-on-year growth of 5% and 15% [4] - Despite the growth in premiums, the insurance cloud revenue declined by 19% to 250 million yuan, primarily due to the "reporting and banking integration" policy and a decrease in preset interest rates [4] - The company is leveraging AI technology to enhance efficiency and customer experience in the insurance cloud business, with nearly 100 branches across over 20 provinces and municipalities [4] Group 4: Profit Forecast and Valuation - The company has raised its net profit forecasts for 2025, 2026, and 2027 to 300 million, 430 million, and 700 million yuan, respectively, reflecting increases of 23%, 8%, and 15% [4] - The target price has been adjusted to 15.2 HKD from 13.1 HKD, based on a DCF valuation method with an equity cost of 8%, implying a 2025E PE of 17x [4]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company with a target price of 15.20 HKD [7][12]. Core Insights - The company reported a significant profit growth in 1H25, with revenue and net profit reaching 1.61 billion and 190 million RMB, respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 22% and 36% [1]. - The strong performance is attributed to a 45% increase in BaaS financial cloud revenue, driven by an increase in asset transaction scale and the company's ongoing AI commercialization efforts [1][3]. - The MaaS business also showed growth, with revenue increasing by 19% to 500 million RMB, supported by a 14% rise in average revenue per core customer [2]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In 1H25, the company's revenue reached 1.61 billion RMB, and net profit was 190 million RMB, exceeding previous expectations [1]. - The annualized net profit forecast for 2025, 2026, and 2027 has been adjusted to 300 million, 430 million, and 700 million RMB, respectively, reflecting growth rates of 23%, 8%, and 15% [5]. BaaS Financial Cloud - The BaaS financial cloud segment generated 860 million RMB in revenue, a 45% increase year-on-year, primarily due to improved credit demand and enhanced generative AI capabilities [3]. - The company has developed a complete AI product matrix, including the BR-LLM large language model and various enterprise-level AI products [3]. MaaS Business - The MaaS business reported revenue of 500 million RMB, with a 19% year-on-year increase, driven by a 14% rise in average revenue per core customer to 2.28 million RMB [2]. - The core customer retention rate improved to 98%, indicating strong customer loyalty [2]. BaaS Insurance Cloud - The BaaS insurance cloud segment saw first-year and renewal premium growth of 5% and 15%, respectively, but revenue declined by 19% to 250 million RMB due to lower service fee rates influenced by regulatory changes [4]. - The company is leveraging AI technology to enhance efficiency and customer experience in the insurance cloud business [4]. Valuation - The target price for the company has been raised to 15.20 HKD from 13.10 HKD, based on a DCF valuation method [5][12]. - The implied PE for 2025 is projected at 17 times [5].