Daily Brief Utilities: China Gas Holdings, Spruce Power Holding , Telecom Plus and more

• China Gas Holdings (384 HK)‘s FY24 result is distorted by non-recurring items and provisions. Adjusted net profit, however, has declined by only 4.3%, and is only 2.6% below consensus. 
• FY25 guidance looks positive as a 6% increase in dollar margin and a 5% increase in gas volume are expected. The Apr-May operating figures support such projections.
• China Gas maintained its DPS despite a drop in reported profit, showcasing its confidence. Assuming the same dividend in FY25 and FY26, it will sit on a yield of 7%. 

• Spruce Power Holding Corporation (Spruce) is one of the largest third-party owner-operators of residential solar assets.
• The company is not an installer of solar assets and instead grows through the acquisition of mature portfolios of residential solar assets and contracts.
• Spruce’s portfolio consists of residential solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) and solar lease agreements (SLAs) and has grown at a 29% CAGR since 2018, reaching 75,000 home solar assets and contracts. 

The attractiveness of Telecom Plus’s (TEP’s) bundled utility proposition underpins the progress made in FY24, with record profits and customer numbers. The normalisation of energy prices in the year was offset by growing non-energy prices, while the growth in the customer base to over one million clients helped to boost profits. Management expects to deliver 10–15% growth in net customers in the medium term and is confident in the outlook.