WANT WANT CHINA Reports Interim NP of RMB1.717B, a 7.8% Decrease

The analyst rating for WANT WANT CHINA was kept at "Hold" due to several factors. The company reported a 2.1% year-over-year increase in revenue and a 7.8% year-over-year decrease in net profit for the first half of the fiscal year, both of which were below HSBC Global Research's expectations. This underperformance was attributed to significantly higher-than-expected operating expenses, including increased administrative costs from a reorganization of product departments and higher advertising expenses related to new product launches. Consequently, HSBC lowered its revenue forecasts for FY2025-2027 and increased its sales and administrative expense ratio forecasts, leading to a reduction in net profit forecasts. The target price was cut from $5.7 to $5.2, and the rating was maintained at "Hold" because the company's dividend yield was below the industry level.