NEW YORK, July 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diamond Equity Research, a leading equity research firm with a focus on small capitalization public companies has released Update Note on Zhibao Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: ZBAO). The update note includes information on the Zhibao Technology Inc.’s management commentary, recent developments, outlook, and risks.
The update note is available here. Highlights from the note include:
- Expansion Initiatives Amid Revenue Decline and Increased Operational Costs - For the six months ended December 31, 2023, Zhibao Technology Inc. reported an approximately 8% decrease in total revenue to RMB 84.3 million from RMB 91.8 million in the same period of 2022. This decline was largely due to reduced renewals of specific accounts and the abrupt closure of business by a reinsurance partner in the high-end medical sector. Insurance brokerage and managing general underwriting (MGU) services revenues decreased by RMB 5.7 million and RMB 1.8 million, respectively. Despite these challenges, the company demonstrated growth initiatives by launching customized household insurance in seven cities and providing sports insurance coverage for over 100,000 instances across thousands of sports scenarios. The cost of revenues decreased to RMB 54.2 million, while total operating expenses increased to RMB 38.44 million. Selling and marketing expenses rose to RMB 21.0 million due to increased advertising and sales payrolls. Research and development expenses increased to RMB 7.3 million, driven by an increase in headcount. General and administrative expenses saw a modest rise to RMB 10.2 million, partly due to the adoption of new credit loss assessment standards. Consequently, Zhibao Technology reported a loss from operations of RMB 8.4 million, as the company continued to invest in strategic growth initiatives. The company ended H1 FY2024 with cash and cash equivalents of approximately RMB 5.5 million.
- Positive Operational Indicators and Industry Tailwinds - As of December 31, 2023, Zhibao Technology Inc. achieved significant growth, reaching over 10 million end customer users and partnering with 118 insurance and reinsurance companies domestically and internationally. Zhibao Technology Inc.'s development of B Channels exhibited significant growth. By December 31, 2023, the company increased the number of B channels it works with from approximately 1,000 to nearly 1,500. These B channels span diverse market segments and are a crucial component in expanding Zhibao's 2B2C embedded digital insurance model. Despite a slight decrease in business volume and half-yearly net loss due to reduced renewals and a reinsurance partner's business closure, the company launched customized household insurance in seven cities, including major hubs like Guangzhou and Nanjing, and provided sports insurance coverage for over 100,000 instances across thousands of sports scenarios. Strengthening its high-end medical insurance market presence, Zhibao secured an agreement with PICC Property and Casualty Company Limited to provide managing general underwriting services to all PICC Group Subsidiaries. Furthermore, the "Project Amoeba" reorganization, completed in May 2024, enhanced operational efficiency by transforming mid- and back-office teams into quasi-profit centers, aligning costs with revenue, and encouraging service improvements. Actively pursuing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) since April 2024, Zhibao aims to potentially integrate companies with complementary 2B2C models to potentially create the largest insurance brokerage platform in China. The company is also poised to potentially benefit from industry tailwinds, including the rapid digitalization of insurance services and growing consumer demand for customized insurance solutions, which are expected to further accelerate growth.
- Valuation - Zhibao Technology Inc. reported a modest financial performance in the first half of FY2024, influenced by a reduction in renewals of specific accounts and the closure of business by a key reinsurance partner. Despite these temporary challenges, management's strategic initiatives indicate strong potential for long-term growth and sustained profitability. While the immediate outlook presents certain hurdles, these efforts, combined with favorable industry tailwinds, could enable Zhibao to recover and potentially enhance its market position in the future. After updating our valuation model to reflect revised estimates and a reassessment of comparable company analysis, we reiterate our valuation of $7.05 per share for Zhibao Technology Inc., contingent on successful execution by the company.
About Zhibao Technology Inc.
Zhibao Technology Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides digital insurance brokerage services in China, and has pioneered the 2B2C ("to-business-to-customer") embedded digital insurance brokerage model, establishing itself as a first mover in this innovative market segment. It also offers Managing General Underwriter (MGU) services; and offline insurance brokerage consulting services. The company was founded in 2015 and is operationally based in Shanghai, China.
About Diamond Equity Research
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Disclosures:
Diamond Equity Research LLC is being compensated by Zhibao Technology Inc. for producing research materials regarding Zhibao Technology Inc. and its securities. This compensation is meant to subsidize the high cost of creating the report and monitoring the security. However, the views in the report reflect those of Diamond Equity Research. All payments are received upfront and are billed for respective research engagement term As of 07/03/24, the issuer had paid us $22,500 ($22,480 after bank fees) for the initiation report and minimum of one update note (as a part of $35,000 annual contract in two six-month upfront installment payments for the first year of coverage), which commenced 04/10/24 and the second installment of $12,500 will be due by 10/10/24 for a minimum of two additional update notes. Diamond Equity Research LLC may also be compensated for non-research-related services, including presenting at Diamond Equity Research investment conferences, issuing press releases, and providing other additional services. The non-research-related service cost is dependent on the company but usually does not exceed $5,000. The issuer has not paid us for non-research-related services as of 07/03/2024. Issuers are not required to engage us for these additional services. Additional fees may have accrued since then. Although Diamond Equity Research company sponsored reports are based on publicly available information and although no investment recommendations are made within our company sponsored research reports, given the small capitalization nature of the companies we cover we have adopted an internal trading procedure around the public companies by whom we are engaged, with investors able to find such policy on our website public disclosures page. This report and press release do not consider individual circumstances and does not take into consideration individual investor preferences. Statements within this report may constitute forward-looking statements, these statements involve many risk factors and general uncertainties around the business, industry, and macroeconomic environment. Investors need to be aware of the high degree of risk in small capitalization equities including the complete loss of their investment. Investors can find various risk factors in the initiation report and in the respective financial filings for Zhibao Technology Inc.
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