Core Viewpoint - The establishment of Yantai Wanhua Electric Materials Co., Ltd. marks a significant development in the new materials sector, with a focus on synthetic materials and technology promotion, backed by major stakeholders including Wanhua Chemical and Oriental Cable [1] Group 1: Company Developments - Yantai Wanhua Electric Materials Co., Ltd. has a registered capital of 110 million RMB and aims to engage in new materials technology promotion and synthetic materials manufacturing and sales [1] - Oriental Cable, a leading supplier in the submarine and land cable market, is projected to achieve a market share of 42.34% in submarine cables by 2024, with a revenue forecast of 9.093 billion RMB and a net profit of 1.008 billion RMB for the same year [1] - The company has secured orders worth approximately 19.6 billion RMB, with 11 billion RMB attributed to submarine cable business [1] Group 2: Strategic Collaborations - In April 2024, Wanhua Chemical partnered with Oriental Cable and TBEA, a leader in the power transmission and transformation industry, to innovate high-voltage cable insulation materials to meet the growing demand from the electric vehicle and offshore wind power sectors [2] - Wanhua Chemical has leveraged its integrated supply chain to produce high-voltage XLPE products, which exhibit superior cleanliness, thermal stability, and cross-linking capabilities [2] - A joint investment of around 1 billion RMB was made by Wanhua Chemical and Wanma Group to establish an integrated project for environmentally friendly cable polymer materials, targeting an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons [2] Group 3: Market Insights - The wire and cable industry is a significant sector in China's economy, with a market size of approximately 1.30176 trillion RMB in 2023, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 7%, and is expected to reach 1.35123 trillion RMB in 2024 [2] - The demand for cable materials is expected to rise significantly, driven by the increasing use of electric vehicles and offshore cables, prompting companies like Daon Co. to acquire firms like Anhui Bost New Materials to deepen their involvement in the cable materials sector [3] Group 4: Material Composition and Trends - The structure of power cables includes various components such as conductors, insulation layers, fillers, armor layers, and outer protective layers, with materials like XLPE, PVC, and rubber being critical for insulation [4] - XLPE has become the preferred choice for insulation in cables rated at 3kV and above due to its performance advantages, particularly in high-voltage applications [4] - Despite the growth in domestic production, high-end materials for high-voltage cables still rely heavily on imports, with over 80% of specialized LDPE cable materials for high-voltage applications sourced from abroad [5]

Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Outperform" rating for the company [4][11][12] Core Views - The petrochemical business is under significant pressure, leading to a downward revision of the company's EPS for 2025-2026 to 4.20/5.45/6.07 RMB, with a target price adjustment to 67.70 RMB based on a 16.12x PE for 2025 [4][11][12] - The company experienced a decline in Q4 performance, with total revenue for 2024 at 182.07 billion RMB, up 3.83% YoY, while net profit attributable to shareholders was 13.03 billion RMB, down 22.49% YoY [12][13] - The company is entering a "Year of Transformation" in 2025, focusing on management reforms to enhance organizational vitality and market expansion [12][13] Financial Summary - Total revenue projections are as follows: 175.36 billion RMB for 2023, 182.07 billion RMB for 2024, 200.01 billion RMB for 2025, 223.95 billion RMB for 2026, and 244.42 billion RMB for 2027, with respective growth rates of 5.9%, 3.8%, 9.9%, 12.0%, and 9.1% [3][5] - Net profit attributable to shareholders is projected to be 16.82 billion RMB for 2023, 13.03 billion RMB for 2024, 13.20 billion RMB for 2025, 17.10 billion RMB for 2026, and 19.07 billion RMB for 2027, reflecting a decline of 22.5% in 2024 [3][5] - The company's gross profit margin for petrochemicals was 3.52% in 2024, with a further decline to 2.31% in the second half of the year [12][13] Business Developments - The company has multiple projects nearing completion, including a second TDI project in Fujian expected to start in May 2025, increasing total TDI capacity to 1.44 million tons/year [13] - A 250,000 tons/year LDPE unit in Yantai is set to commence operations in early 2025, establishing a foundation in high-end polyolefins [13] - New materials projects, including MS and XLPE, are progressing and expected to start in 2025 [13]

Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Outperform" rating for the company [4][11]. Core Views - The petrochemical business is under significant pressure, leading to a downward revision of the company's EPS for 2025-2026 to 4.20, 5.45, and 6.07 RMB respectively. The target price is adjusted to 67.70 RMB based on a PE of 16.12x for 2025 [4][11]. - The company's Q4 performance showed a decline both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter, primarily due to impairments, with a notable drop in revenue and net profit [12][4]. - The company is entering a "Year of Transformation" in 2025, focusing on management reforms to enhance organizational vitality and market expansion [12][13]. Financial Summary - In 2024, the company achieved total revenue of 182.07 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 3.83%, while net profit attributable to shareholders was 13.03 billion RMB, down 22.49% year-on-year [12]. - The Q4 revenue was 34.47 billion RMB, down 19.49% year-on-year and 31.80% quarter-on-quarter, with net profit attributable to shareholders at 1.94 billion RMB, down 52.83% year-on-year [12]. - The company's 2025 Q1 performance improved quarter-on-quarter, with revenue of 43.07 billion RMB, down 6.70% year-on-year but up 24.96% quarter-on-quarter [12]. Business Developments - The company has a diverse business layout, including polyurethane, petrochemicals, fine chemicals, and new materials. Key projects include a new TDI project in Fujian and a LDPE unit in Yantai, both expected to enhance production capacity significantly [13][12].