BEIJING, April 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the 2019 Annual Report released by China Fortune Land Development (CFLD, 600340.SH) on April 24, CFLD achieved steady growth over the past year, with profitability sustained and high shareholder returns generated. The company's operating revenue reached RMB 105.210 billion, a year-on-year increase of 25.6%; the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company reached RMB 14.612 billion, a year-on-year increase of 24.4%. CFLD's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of net profit for the past five years reached 32.1%. In addition, the company's ROE increased to 35.7%, and its cash dividends to all stakeholders amounted to RMB 4.520 billion, with the total amount of cash dividends accounting for at least 30% of the net profit for five consecutive years.
Setting a new record in investment contracts and sustaining development of urban facilities
CFLD is committed to creating the "3 + 3 + N" core metropolitan areas. The sales volume proportion outside the greater Beijing area increased to 57.8%, up from 46.5% in the same period of last year, and the sales area proportion increased from 54.2% to 63.7%. In terms of the development of various industries, CFLD set a new record by signing RMB 195.613 billion in new investment contracts, an increase of 17.8 % year-on-year. A total of 545 new companies were opened in CFLD's New Industry Cities over the past year, and the average value of contracts signed with these companies rose by 51.8 % year-on-year. CFLD's capacity for attracting leading companies was significantly enhanced in 2019. Over the past four years, the total amount of newly signed investment contracts maintained rapid growth, with a compound growth rate of nearly 38.2%.
During the reporting period, the number of CFLD's New Industry Cities attracting development partners increased from 14 to 31, and the area of land acquired by these partners rose by 58%. Over 12,000 students were attending schools in the New Industry Cities, of which the total commercial area reached 1.15 million square meters. In addition, 44 public facilities and infrastructures were being operated throughout all the New Industry Cities, and the residential property management served 320,000 households, with the management area reaching 44.43 million square meters. As the urban operation service was expanded to cover 66 million square meters, the urban operational capacity of the New Industry Cities was fully demonstrated.
Facilitating the development of new business areas by launching a number of high-quality projects
In addition to the New Industry Cities, CFLD ventured into new business areas, and created both asset-light and asset-heavy new business models. Beijing Lize marked CFLD's first project under the "asset-light" model, opening a new chapter in its cooperation with Ping An. In addition, CFLD rapidly advanced into the fields of retail property, office buildings and other commercial real estate, and explored new real estate fields such as healthcare facilities, public housing, and communities for scientists. At the same time, the company also explored new areas in core metropolitan areas, with a focus on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and cities such as Zhengzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu. In just over a year, CFLD launched a number of high-quality commercial real estate projects, including the Wuhan Yangtze River Center and the Beijing Lize project. At the same time, it stood out with its urban renewal projects such as the Bilingding Project in Shenzhen's Pingshan District. CFLD was selected as pre-service provider for urban renewal through 8 of its projects, including 6 in Shenzhen and 2 in Dongguan. The company continued to rapidly develop many more new projects.
Looking ahead, CFLD will develop New Industry Cities and related businesses primarily in metropolitan areas and urban areas. In the meantime, it will implement key strategies for commercial properties and related businesses in urban areas and core areas. The company will continue to adhere to its business logic, and improve the company's financial management capabilities, thereby increasing its operating proceeds. The company will continue to optimize its operating cash flow and maximize profits while maintaining reasonable cash flow and, at the same time, reasonably controlling the debt ratio, optimizing leverage, and expanding the business scale steadily.
Industry experts believe that, as traditional real estate enters the "Silver Age" and amid market conditions where "housing is for living in, not for speculation," CFLD's development model, which focuses on the strategy for developing core metropolitan areas and industry-city integration, will prove to be more stable and reliable. CFLD holds key strategic advantages brought by its metropolitan area developments, business advantages from its industry-city integration, and advantages from adopting the Developmental PPP model while working with local governments, as well as advantages from open platforms for cooperation. Continuous increases in proceeds from the New Industry Cities, the market share of regional residential real estate projects, and trading efficiencies, as well as the rapid development of new business projects with professional teams and high-quality capital, will also enhance CFLD's competencies, bringing in steady growth in its performance and optimizing its revenue structure. In addition, CAGR over the last five years for revenue, gross profit, and the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company were as high as 29%, 37%, and 32%, respectively; moreover, the company's cash dividends over the past five years accounted for no less than 30% of net profit, leading other companies in the industry and showing CFLD's sustained profitability and ability to pursue development at different times.
