Anta's lower operating profit margins disappoint investors

Cici Cao

Shares of Anta Sports Products (2020) declined by 3.93 percent to HK$97.9 yesterday after the sportswear maker announced a decreased operating profit margin in two of its core brands last year.

Its overall operating profit margin fell by 1.2 percentage points to 23.4 percent, dragged by continued increase in investment across branding, channels and product research and development, the company said in a filing yesterday.

The Anta segment's operating profit margin dipped by 1.2 percentage points to 21 percent, while that of the Fila segment fell 2.3 percentage points to 25.3 percent.

Net profit in 2024 jumped more than 52 percent year-on-year to nearly 15.6 billion yuan (HK$16.77 billion), boosted by growing e-commerce business.

Revenue increased by 14 percent to 70.83 billion yuan, exceeding the 70 billion-yuan mark for the first time.

E-commerce contributed 35.1 percent of the total last year, up from 32.8 percent in the previous year.

Sales from its e-commerce platform increased by 21.8 percent from 2023.

Anta proposed a final dividend of 118 HK cents, up 2.6 percent year-on-year, while the full-year payout stood at 236 HK cents, up nearly 20 percent.