Floods Temporarily Weighed on Earnings
发布时间:2026-09-04 来源:华泰证券
For 1H26, revenue/attributable net profit (NP)/recurring attributable NP were RMB+2,122/-129/-89mn (-24.81/-149.24/-134.05% YoY). Losses were caused by the most severe floods in South Africa since 2000, which temporarily halted underground copper mining and led to a sharp drop in copper metal output. Rising sea freight rates for magnetite also squeezed margins. Looking ahead, we expect earnings to improve as underground production resumes and the phase-II copper mine project is proceeding as scheduled. Maintain BUY.
Floods and magnetite price drops eroded 1H26 profitability
For 1H26, revenue declined by 24.81% YoY, mainly because copper product revenue fell by 43.57% YoY to RMB424mn. Underground copper mining was halted by the floods in South Africa. Copper metal output/sales volume were 3,966/4,977 tonnes, dropping sharply YoY. Losses were mainly caused by halted copper mining operations and RMB92mn of spending on emergency drainage and restoration. For 1H26, overall GPM fell by 18.82pp YoY to 42.57%. Magnetite GPM declined by 6.26pp YoY to 74.76% amid price drops. Magnetite sales volume increased by 3.06% YoY, but revenue declined by 19.63% YoY. Copper product GPM fell by 81.85pp YoY to -63.41%. For 1H26, the overall expense ratio increased by 12.35pp YoY to 48.50%. Sales expenses declined by 30.08% YoY to RMB668mn, as transportation expenses narrowed YoY. Administrative expenses increased by 11.00% YoY to RMB378mn. Financial expenses were RMB-28mn (+75.81% YoY), mainly as interest income declined YoY but FX losses expanded YoY.
Magnetite production and sales stayed robust
The company's mineral resource segment focuses on the mining, processing, and sale of copper, iron ore, and vermiculite. For 1H26, magnetite output was 5,139k tonnes, broadly flat YoY. Magnetite shipment/sales volume were 5,048k/4,885k tonnes (+1/+3.06% YoY). Copper metal output/sales volume were 3,966/4,977 tonnes, falling sharply YoY due to floods. Vermiculite output/sales volume were 60.2k/59.2k tonnes (-6/-4.7% YoY). The phase-II copper mining project is progressing as scheduled, and the No. 6 crusher project is on track. The copper mine has an estimated operational life of 15 years. HBIS Group plans to buy the company's A-shares between 15 July 2026 and 14 January 2027 with a budget of RMB100-200mn, signaling confidence in its long-term prospects. As underground production resumes and the phase-II copper mining project is progressing as scheduled, we expect earnings to recover.
Earnings forecast and valuation
Considering the extreme rainstorms and floods in South Africa, one-off losses in the copper mining segment caused by the suspension of underground production, and margins suppressed by weak magnetite prices & rising costs, we lower our 2026 copper output assumption, sharply raise our 2026 copper cost assumption, raise our 2026 administrative expense ratio and non-operating loss assumptions, and lower our 2026/2027/2028 magnetite price and GPM assumptions. Accordingly, we cut our 2026/2027/2028 attributable NP forecasts by 95.76/6.44/4.52% to RMB27/813/1,012mn, implying EPS of RMB0.04/1.25/1.55. 2026 earnings could be heavily disrupted by floods, resulting in a sharp one-off decline and distorted PE valuation. Therefore, we base our valuation on 2027E after capacity recovery. To reflect the company's transition from iron ore to copper and its favorable mining assets, we maintain our valuation premium and assign 15.72x 2027E PE, above its peers' average of 13.09x on iFind consensus. Our target price is RMB19.65 (previous: RMB18.66, based on 18.85x 2026E PE; our upward revision to target price reflects valuation rollover). Maintain BUY.
Risks: sharp fluctuations in copper and iron ore prices, tight logistics capacity in South Africa limiting shipments, overseas production safety and natural disaster risks, weaker-than-expected capacity recovery, and FX fluctuations.