NIM Rebound Drives Robust Interest Income Growth
发布时间:2026-04-24 来源:华泰证券
Bank of Hangzhou has reported 2025 revenue/attributable net profit (NP)/PPOP growth of +1.1/+12.1/+0.1% YoY, meeting its preliminary results. Profit was broadly in line with our expectations, with steady growth mainly driven by net interest income expansion and provision write-backs, in our view. For 1Q26, revenue/attributable NP increased by 4.3/10.1% YoY, with core profitability remaining strong. The bank plans to distribute a dividend of RMB0.66 per share for 2025, implying a payout ratio of 26.43% (2024: 24.47%). Overall, the company maintains solid operating quality, with NIM stabilizing and rebounding. Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Balanced and quality expansion; NIM stabilizes and rebounds
As of end-1Q26, total assets/loans/deposits grew by 9.6/15.9/12.5% YoY (-2.3/+1.5/-0.7pp vs end-2025). Balance sheet expansion remained steady, with a higher loan mix and improved earning asset structure. Of the RMB81.2bn new loans in 1Q26, corporate loans accounted for 107%, serving as the main growth driver, while retail loans remained a negative contributor (-11%) due to weak credit demand and early mortgage repayments; bills accounted for 4%. NIM was 1.36% for 2025, up by 1bp vs 1H25; we estimate further improvement in 1Q26. The yields on interest-earning assets and loans were 3.11% and 3.65% for 2025, down by 13bp and 12bp vs 1H25. However, proactive liability management proved effective, with interest-bearing liability cost/deposit cost declining by 12/13bp vs 1H25 to 1.75/1.67%, mitigating pressure from declining asset yields. The NIM rebound drove 1Q26 net interest income up by 20.7% YoY, supporting strong earnings momentum.
Non-interest income growth slows; operating efficiency improves
For 1Q26, non-interest income declined 26.4% YoY, with growth down 6.9pp vs 2025. Fee income fell 11.2% YoY, with growth down 24.3pp vs 2025, likely due to a high base effect, in our view. Other non-interest income decreased 36.7% YoY, with growth down 5.3pp vs 2025. Among this, investment income declined 66.8% YoY, which we attribute to a slowdown in gains realization, although fair value gains increased by RMB2.03bn YoY, providing a partial offset. The cost-to-income ratio dropped 1.5pp YoY to 22.2%, reflecting better operational efficiency. As of end-1Q26, the capital adequacy ratio (CAR)/core Tier-1 CAR were 14.14/9.56%, down 23/3bp vs end-2025, but still well above regulatory requirements, indicating ample capital buffers to support steady business expansion and dividend payouts.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
Given the slowdown in non-interest income growth, we forecast net profit of RMB21.1/23.4/26.0bn for 2026/2027/2028 (2026/2027E revised down by 3.2/3.7% vs our previous estimates), corresponding to YoY growth of 10.8/11.0/11.0%. We estimate 2026 BVPS at RMB20.59 (previous: RMB21.32), implying a PB of 0.84x. With a strong foothold in an economically vibrant region, robust profitability, and superior asset quality, we expect the bank to benefit as investor focus shifts from defensive high-dividend plays toward fundamentals and growth potential. High-quality banks may see further valuation re-rating. We thus value the stock at 1.0x 2026E PB (unchanged), above its peers' average of 0.69x on Wind consensus (previous: 0.65x), for our target price of RMB20.59 (previous: RMB21.32). Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Risks: weaker policy implementation/economic recovery than we expect.