Earnings YoY Turned Negative Due to Strained Gross Profit
发布时间:2026-10-25 来源:华泰证券
In 9M26,CITIC Pacific Special Steel reported revenue of RMB80,706mn(-0.62%YoY),attributable NP of RMB4,160mn(-3.94%YoY),and recurring NP of RMB4,074mn(-5.00%YoY).In 3Q26,revenue was RMB27,034mn(+2.05%YoY)and attributable NP was RMB1,170mn(-23.64%YoY).3Q gross margin was 12.76%,down 2.33pp QoQ.It was the reason profit swung from positive growth in 1H26(+6.85%YoY)to negative growth in 9M26.Revenue still grew in 3Q26,while the profit decline was driven by gross margin compression,a sharp reduction in other income,and continued impairment provisions.Maintain BUY.
GPM weakened quarter by quarter
9M26 gross margin was 14.09%(-0.63pp YoY),with 3Q at only 12.76%,due to weaker steel prices and greater cost pressure in 3Q.Expenses were broadly under control.In 9M26,the sales expense ratio was 0.68%(+0.04pp YoY),the administrative expense ratio was 1.93%(-0.02pp YoY),the R&D expense ratio was 3.91%(-0.23pp YoY),and the financial expense ratio was 0.74%(+0.09ppYoY),bringing the total expense ratio to 7.27%(-0.13pp YoY).On the non-recurring side,other income was RMB309mn(-46.2%YoY)due to reduced government subsidies,asset impairment losses were RMB358mn,and losses on retirement of non-current assets were RMB54mn,with provisions continuing.Total non-recurring items in 9M26 were only RMB86mn.
3Q26 volume grew but profit shrank,in stark contrast to 1H26
3Q revenue was RMB27,034mn(+2.05%YoY),attributable NP was RMB1,170mn(-23.64%YoY),and net margin was only 4.33%(vs.5.78%in 3Q25),highlighting apattern of volume growth with profit decline.This contrasts sharply with 1H26,when revenue was RMB53,672mn(-1.91%YoY)but attributable NP was RMB2,990mn(+6.85%YoY),with profit growth driven by high-end product ramp-ups and gross margin improvement.The decline in 3Q gross margin to 12.76%indicates that the structural upgrading dividend from 1H26 was temporarily offset by industry-wide price pressure and cost shocks.On the balance sheet,accounts receivable at end-3Q26 were RMB9,260mn(+77.0%vs.beginning of year)and inventories were RMB19,725mn(+21.5%vs.beginning of year),a combined increase of c.RMB7.5bn from the beginning of the year,significantly tying up working capital.
Advancing premiumization and globalization
The company continues to promote specialized development across its six business segments.9M26 R&D expenses were RMB3,154mn(-6.22%YoY),maintaining high-intensity R&D investment.In 1H26,253 patents were authorized,including 70 invention patents.Xingcheng Special Steel won asecond-class National Science and Technology Progress Award,and two core invention patents received gold medals at the 51st Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.The"Three New"products and"Little Giant"project continued to ramp up,with"Three New"product sales volume up 48.60%YoY in 1H26.On globalization,1H26 export volume rose 7.07%YoY,with overseas R&D collaboration and localized industrial deployment progressing steadily.
Maintain BUY
Considering that the company's gross profit is under pressure because rising upstream raw material prices cannot be passed through to steel prices,we lower our steel price assumptions and raise our per-tonne cost assumptions.We now forecast 2026/2027/2028 attributable NP of RMB5.69/5.92/6.26bn,down 16.49/24.40/23.71%from our previous forecasts,with EPS of RMB1.13/1.17/1.24.Peers trade at an average 2027E PE of 10.9x on iFind consensus.Given the company's sound earnings stability,we maintain our premium and assign a2027E PE of 13.11x,deriving atarget price of RMB15.34(previous:RMB16.39,based on 2026E PE of 12.14x).Maintain BUY.
Risks:weaker downstream demand than we expect,sharp declines in steel prices,sharp rises in raw material prices,uncertainties over overseas project operations.