Financial Expenses & Subsidies Thickened 2025/1Q26 Profit
发布时间:2026-05-21 来源:华泰证券
China Express Airlines announced 1Q26 results:revenue was RMB1,824mn,up 2.8%YoY;attributable net profit reached RMB134mn,up 63.5%YoY,below our estimate of RMB210mn,likely in our view due to lower-than-expected capacity deployment and yield levels.Meanwhile,the company released its 2025 annual results:revenue came in at RMB7,456mn,up 11.4%YoY;attributable net profit was RMB626mn,up 133.6%YoY.The annual results were in line with the company's guidance of RMB500-700mn.The company's aircraft utilization rate still has room for improvement,and in the short term,attention should be paid to changes in fuel costs and the company's ability to pass through prices.In the medium to long term,as aleader in regional aviation,the company is establishing operational barriers in the regional market and,benefiting from route expansion and travel demand expansion in the regional market,should remain at the forefront of growth in regional aviation.Maintain BUY.
Pressure on ex-fuel unit cost in 1Q26
In 1Q26,the company's capacity growth slowed,likely in our view due to fleet grounding for maintenance,with ASK up 1.2%YoY,while passenger load factor performed well,up 3.8pp YoY to 83.5%.However,we estimate that yield declined approximately 3%YoY,possibly due to further downgrading of the route structure.On the cost side,the average ex-factory price of aviation kerosene in 1Q26 fell 8.3%YoY,but unit ASK cost increased 2.6%YoY,indicating pressure on ex-fuel costs,which resulted in agross loss of RMB4mn in 1Q26,a decline of RMB18mn YoY.However,in 1Q26,the company's other income increased by RMB74mn YoY to RMB437mn,and financial expenses improved by RMB48mn YoY to RMB90mn,likely in our view due to foreign exchange gains.Ultimately,the company's attributable net profit in 1Q26 was RMB134mn,an increase of RMB52mn YoY(up 63.5%YoY).
2025 gross profit slightly rose,with forex/subsidy thickening profit
For full-year 2025,the company's fleet expanded from 75 to 80 aircraft,and utilization steadily recovered,with ASK up 15.5%YoY.Demand remained robust,with apassenger load factor of 83.2%,up 3.6pp YoY.However,the full-year yield level remained weak,down 7.0%YoY.On the cost side,benefiting from improved utilization,the unit ex-fuel cost per ASK dipped 0.6%YoY while the average ex-factory price of aviation kerosene fell 9.4%YoY,resulting in gross profit increasing by RMB47mn YoY to RMB164mn.Meanwhile,route subsidies increased with capacity expansion,driving other income up by RMB404mn YoY to RMB1,698mn,and foreign exchange gains improved by RMB148mn YoY.The upshot is that 2025 attributable net profit at China Express Airlines jumped 133.6%YoY(up RMB358mn YoY)to RMB626mn.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
Considering rising fuel costs,we cut our 2026/2027 attributable net profit forecasts by 75/32%to RMB271/849mn,and forecast 2028 attributable net profit of RMB1,299mn,with EPS of RMB0.21/0.66/1.02.We value the stock at apremium to its peers'(China Eastern Airlines,Spring Airlines,and Juneyao Airlines)average of 16x 2027E PE on Wind consensus,applying 18x 2027E PE(previous:18x 2026E PE;we apply apremium given the company is aregional aviation leader with higher growth than the industry;considering the oil price shock in 2026,peer profitability is volatile,so we switch to 2027E valuation),for our new target price of RMB11.90(previous:RMB15.30).Maintain BUY.
Risks:Lower government subsidies than we expect,reduced institutional capacity purchase willingness,oil price and forex fluctuations,slower fleet expansion than we expect,aviation accidents.