Coking Coal Supply Tightening Strengthens 2H Earnings Outlook
发布时间:2026-09-04 来源:华泰证券
Pingdingshan Tianan Coal’s revenue reached RMB12,280mn in 1H26, up 21.3% YoY. Attributable net profit was RMB317mn, up 22.8% YoY, and recurring net profit was RMB302mn, up 6.9% YoY, driven by higher sales volume and prices of commercial coal. However, 1H26 attributable net profit came in below our full-year forecast of RMB1,514mn, mainly as the 2Q26 output decline pushed unit cost up 15.9% YoY/13.7% QoQ, exceeding our expected full-year average increase of 8%. We expect domestic supply-side tightening from stricter safety regulations and import disruptions to support coking coal prices, and see earnings improving further in 2H26. Maintain BUY.
Output pressure drove 2Q unit cost above expectations
In 1H26, raw coal output/commercial coal sales/self-produced commercial coal sales were 13.12/13.34/12.08mt, up 3.82/16.62/24.68% YoY. In 2Q26, raw coal output/commercial coal sales/self-produced commercial coal sales were 5.77/5.82/5.20mt, changing by -17.98%/+7.37%/+15.69% YoY. The output decline reflected stricter safety supervision after the 22 May accident. Average commercial coal selling prices were RMB761/887/816 per tonne in 1Q26/2Q26 /1H26, shifting -0.3%/+14.6%/+6.2% YoY, with the coal price uptrend gradually feeding through from 2Q26. Unit costs were RMB635/723/673 per tonne in 1Q26/2Q26/1H26, up 3.2/15.9/8.7% YoY, reflecting unit cost amortization pressure from the 2Q26 output decline.
Near-term supply contraction to lift average coking coal price
Domestic coking coal supply has contracted amid stricter safety regulation. In 1H26, national/Shanxi coking coal output fell 4/7% YoY, with June declines of 10/23% YoY. As of 12 August, 71.9mtpa of capacity in Shanxi remained suspended, and output at resumed mines averaged 34% below pre-suspension levels. Closure of concealed working faces, removal of outsourced workers and frequent inspections are creating medium-to-long-term constraints on production organization, limiting near-term supply recovery in Shanxi. On the import side, Mongolia accounted for 60.7% of domestic coking coal imports in 1H26. If Mongolia's fuel shortage persists, we think it could directly constrain Mongolian coal production and push up import costs via higher freight rates. As of 21 August, Jin Quan Mongolian No.5 clean coal was RMB1,595 per tonne, up 2.2% WoW and 38.9% YoY. With domestic production contracting and Mongolian coal import costs rising, we expect the average coking coal price to remain elevated in 2H26.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
As of 21 August, low-sulphur primary coking coal in Liulin, Shanxi was RMB2,400 per tonne, up 17.1% WoW/62.2% YoY. Given the recent strength in coking coal prices, we maintain our 2026E ASP assumption. As 2Q unit cost rose more than we expected, we raise our commercial coal unit cost growth assumption from 8% to 10%. Accordingly, we lower our 2026/27/28 attributable net profit forecasts by 17/13/14% to RMB1,264/1,612/1,609mn (previous: RMB1,514/1,860/1,862mn), implying EPS of RMB0.51/0.65/0.65. Given the company's stable dividend expectations and the rising importance of dividend returns in market expectations, we continue to use DDM valuation. The company has maintained a 60.62% payout ratio. Considering our assumed average cost of debt of 4.25% and changes in the risk-free rate and risk premium, we lower our WACC to 3.85% (previous: 3.90%, terminal growth rate unchanged at 0%) and cut our target price to RMB11.49 (previous: RMB12.41). Maintain BUY.
Risks: slower coking coal prices rise than we expect, and commercial coal sales volume falling short of our expectations.