Lower Funding Costs Support Earnings Resilience
发布时间:2026-09-04 来源:华泰证券
RuiFeng Rural Commercial Bank’s 1H26 attributable net profit/revenue/PPOP changed by 0.9%/-2.0%/-3.0% YoY (+1.5/+1.7/-0.8pp vs 1Q26). Annualized ROA/ROE fell by 0.07pp/0.37pp YoY to 0.73%/8.93%. The key highlight is that funding cost improvement drove sustained high growth in net interest income, with attributable net profit growth turning positive vs 1Q26, showing earnings resilience. RuiFeng has proposed its first interim dividend since listing, distributing RMB1.00 per 10 shares (incl. tax), totaling c. RMB196mn, representing 21.9% of 1H26 attributable net profit. RuiFeng is deeply rooted in its Keqiao home market, with its "one base, four arrows" regional strategy progressing well. We see ample room for business expansion and solid operating quality. Maintain BUY.
Net interest income growing strongly
At end-June, total assets, loans, and deposits grew 11.1%, 9.4%, and 11.0% YoY, respectively, with growth rates up 0.7pp, 2.9pp, and 4.4pp vs 1Q26, as balance sheet expansion remained steady. New loans in 1H26 totaled RMB5.6bn, with retail/corporate/bills contributing 21.5%/141.6%/-63.1% of the increment. Bill discounting contracted by RMB3,541mn, and new loans were driven by corporate loans. Net interest income grew 12.0% YoY in 1H26, down 0.5pp from 1Q26 but still robust. NIM was 1.49% in 1H26, down 1bp QoQ. Loan yield fell 40bp vs 2025 to 3.31%, while deposit cost fell 33bp to 1.50%, as funding cost improvement offset asset yield decline. Demand deposits accounted for 23.4% of total deposits at end-June, up 2.4pp QoQ, with demand deposit accumulation strengthening the foundation for funding cost improvement.
Non-interest income decline narrowing
Non-interest income fell 33.8% YoY in 1H26, narrowing 8.5pp from 1Q26, mainly as the high-base effect on investment income eased and fair value gains turned positive. Fee income grew by 25.1% YoY, down by 4.4pp from 1Q26 but still strong, driven by a 32.1% YoY reduction in fee expenses. Other non-interest income fell by 38.8% YoY in 1H26, narrowing by 7.4pp from 1Q26. In financial investments, other debt investments/trading financial assets/debt investments changed +24.7%/-18.1%/+3.1% vs end-2025, with bond allocation increasing. Investment income was RMB326mn, down by 47.1% YoY, dragged by the high base in 1Q25, with 2Q26 alone returning to positive YoY growth. Fair value gains were RMB67mn, up by RMB117mn YoY, benefiting from bond valuation recovery amid falling interest rates. The cost-to-income ratio was 27.36% in 1H26, up by 0.6pp YoY.
We set a target PB of 0.66x for 2026E
Considering the downward shift in asset yield amid a low interest rate environment and narrowing benefits from funding cost improvement, we forecast attributable net profit of RMB1,985/2,010/2,040mn for 2026/2027/2028 (-1.7%/-3.4%/-5.6% vs previous). We forecast 2026E BVPS of RMB10.84 (previous: RMB10.85), implying 0.46x PB. Peers trade at an average 2026E PB of 0.53x on Wind consensus (previous: 0.54x). With Keqiao as its foundation, the "one base, four arrows" strategy anchors multiple growth drivers and continues to expand business coverage, warranting a valuation premium. We set a target PB of 0.66x for 2026E (previous: 0.67x) and a target price of RMB7.15 (previous: RMB7.27). BUY.
Risks: policy implementation falling short of our expectations, and economic recovery falling short of our expectations.