Multiple Hong Kong stocks disclose financial reports; leading companies are generous in paying dividends

Securities Times Reporter Hu Huaxiong

Recently, Hong Kong stock earnings reports have entered a busy disclosure period, with many industry leaders releasing their 2025 performance results. Overall, these companies have achieved steady growth.

On March 18, Geely Auto, one of the leading automotive companies in the Hong Kong stock market, announced that in 2025, the group’s total sales increased by 39% year-on-year. Among them, the mainstream new energy brand Geely Galaxy saw the most significant growth, driving the group’s total revenue up by 25% to 345.2 billion RMB, setting a new record high. In terms of profit, the group’s net profit for 2025 was 16.63 billion RMB, a 2% increase year-on-year.

Geely Auto stated that driven by a significant increase in new energy vehicle sales in mainstream markets, the group benefited from scale effects, cost advantages of the new energy framework, and the launch of high-end products. Even amid fierce industry price competition, gross profit still grew by 25% year-on-year, with a gross profit margin of 16.6%, a slight increase of 0.1% compared to the previous year.

On the same day, Chery Auto, another automotive leader listed in Hong Kong, announced that in 2025, the group’s revenue increased by 11.3% year-on-year to 300.287 billion RMB from 269.897 billion RMB the previous year. The annual profit rose from 14.334 billion RMB to 19.507 billion RMB.

In recent years, the trend toward electrification in the automotive industry has become obvious. Overall sales of traditional fuel vehicles are under pressure, but due to differences in market strategies and other factors, not all fuel vehicle companies are significantly impacted. Chery Auto indicated that most of its revenue in 2025 came from fuel vehicle sales.

Several other industry leaders also achieved steady growth. China Tower, the world’s largest telecommunications infrastructure service provider, announced on March 18 that its revenue in 2025 remained stable at 100.411 billion RMB, a 2.7% increase. Regarding profitability, China Tower’s net profit attributable to shareholders in 2025 was 11.63 billion RMB, up 8.4%. In terms of cash flow, China Tower achieved a net cash flow from operating activities of 56.116 billion RMB in 2025, with free cash flow reaching 26.63 billion RMB.

Hong Kong-listed express delivery leader Zhongtong Express also released its full-year 2025 results. The announcement showed that in 2025, Zhongtong’s revenue grew by 10.9% year-on-year to 49.099 billion RMB, mainly driven by increased demand for express services due to higher online consumption penetration and a shift in customer structure toward higher-value segments. Zhongtong Express stated that despite intense industry competition, it continued to improve operational efficiency and focus on profitability, resulting in solid financial and operational performance.

It is worth noting that while reporting strong results, these companies also generally disclosed profit distribution plans to actively reward investors. For example, China Tower announced that the company highly values shareholder returns. After fully considering profit levels, cash flow, and future development needs, the board of directors proposed a final dividend of RMB 0.32539 per share (pre-tax) for the year ending December 31, 2025. Including the interim dividend already paid, the total annual dividend per share would be RMB 0.45789 (pre-tax), with a payout ratio of 77%. Geely Auto’s board recommended a final dividend of HKD 0.50 per ordinary share for the year ending December 31, 2025. Chery Auto announced that its board has approved a proposal to pay a final cash dividend of RMB 0.86 per share (tax included) for this year.