Accelerating Transition to New Cultural Consumption Supplier
发布时间:2026-03-18 来源:华泰证券
CITIC Press has posted 2025 revenue of RMB1,702mn (+0.87% YoY) and an attributable net profit of RMB130mn (+9.63% YoY), which was below our prior RMB226mn estimate, primarily due to RMB77.81mn asset impairment provisions. The recurring net profit fell 25.34% YoY to RMB118mn, due to reversal of one-off impairments in the 2024 figure. For 4Q25, revenue was RMB461mn (-4.21% YoY, +10.23% QoQ), with an attributable net loss of RMB30.76mn (-168.39% YoY, -177.56% QoQ). That said, considering the company’s leading position in China’s book retail market and its potential second earnings growth curve from IP/AI initiatives, we maintain OVERWEIGHT rating.
Core publishing business showed resilience
According to OpenBook data, China’s overall book retail market saw a 2.24% YoY decline in sticker price sales and 3.80% YoY drop in actual sales in 2025. The company’s publishing & distribution revenue was RMB1,295mn in 2025 (-1.35% YoY, pre-elimination), outperforming the market, with segment gross margin improving 0.5pp to 39.74%. Per company filings, the company maintained its leadership in the domestic consumer book publishing market, ranking first among single publishers in the national retail market. By category, it led in economics & management, biography, and arts, placed second in natural sciences, and third in children’s books. Its newly incubated IP books (film/game/comic adaptations) became category leaders in terms of market share. Digital services revenue for 2025 grew 6.02% YoY to RMB236mn (gross margin: 29.42%, -1.76pp YoY), and urban cultural space operations revenue rose 10.02% YoY to RMB345mn (gross margin: 34.35%, -0.49pp YoY). The company’s sales/administrative expense ratios for 2025 changed by +1.97pp/-0.46pp YoY, while the R&D expense ratio was stable. For 2026, we expect stable revenue performance for the core business and continued growth in digital services & urban cultural spaces, alongside gradual expense optimization.
Establishing IP operations as pillar with full-chain capabilities
The company has launched a “dual enhancement of quality and returns” action plan, designating IP operations as its fourth core business alongside existing segments. This strategic upgrade will be driven through three key initiatives: IP operation projects, synergy enhancement programs, and capital deployment schemes. Its current IP-related book and product portfolios already take shape, with over 100 IPs and nearly 40,000 SKUs for IP-related products (including ~400 self-developed products). Breakout hits include film/game/comic-adapted titles such as Nezha and Black Myth: Wukong. According to its announcement, going forward, the company is to implement end-to-end operations spanning multi-format IP development, design, and omni-channel sales, with plans to spin off the IP operations unit as an independent entity, facilitating strategic resource integration and capital injection to fuel quality growth of the new segment.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
Given growth pressures in China’s broader book retail market, we prudently lower our 2026/2027 revenue and gross margin assumptions while raising asset impairment estimates. We forecast 2026/2027/2028 net profit attributable to shareholders at RMB182mn/204mn/217mn (revised down by 24.84/20.85% vs our prior estimates). Comparable companies trade at a Wind consensus average of 23x 2026E PE. Considering the company’s leading market share across categories and accelerated IP business development through group synergies, we apply a valuation premium at 35x 2026E PE, deriving a target price of RMB33.41 (previously RMB35.70 based on 30x 2025E PE). Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Risks: macroeconomic headwinds; intensified industry competition.