China Merchants Port Group Co Ltd

The A-share port sector is being reassessed by the market from a traditional defensive core holding into an allocation option that combines cash flow stability with long-term strategic value. In 2025, national port container throughput reached 354 million TEUs, up 6.8 percent year on year, and in the first half of 2026 it rose 5.9 percent year on year, with the industry's counter-cyclical resilience continuing to show. Wind data shows that in 2025, the dividend payout ratios of 16 Shenwan port constituents all exceeded 30 percent, among which Yantian Port, Xiamen Port, Tangshan Port, Liaoning Port and China Merchants Port paid out more than 50 percent, and the sector's overall dividend yield was in the range of 2 to 4 percent. As a scarce globalised A-share target, China Merchants Port has invested in and operates 51 ports in 26 countries and regions around the world. In 2025, overseas terminal revenue was 6.51 billion yuan, up 18.2 percent year on year, with a gross margin of 57.4 percent. Its payout ratio including buybacks reached 50.3 percent, and its dividend yield was about 3.6 percent. As of August 18, its share price had risen more than 20 percent cumulatively since the start of the year.

China Merchants Group is seeking to gain control of Antong Holdings, a leading domestic container shipping company in China's domestic trade sector. On the evening of August 12, Sinotrans Container Lines, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Merchants Energy Shipping, formally proposed an early re-election of Antong Holdings' board of directors. The director seats jointly nominated by Sinotrans Container Lines and its concert party China Merchants Port have exceeded half of all board members of Antong Holdings. If the proposal is approved by the shareholders' meeting, the controlling shareholder of Antong Holdings will change from Zhaohang Logistics to Sinotrans Container Lines, and the actual controller will change to China Merchants Group, ending the situation of having no actual controller. As of August 12, Sinotrans Container Lines has cumulatively increased its shareholding in Antong Holdings by 632 million shares since July 11, 2025, accounting for 14.94% of the total share capital, making it the single largest shareholder. Together with China Merchants Port and Sinotrans Limited, the combined shareholding is 24.84%. Previously, a major asset restructuring planned in June 2024, under which Antong Holdings would issue shares to acquire 100% equity of Sinotrans Container Lines, was terminated in May 2025. China Merchants Group subsequently shifted to an integration path of continued shareholding increases and step-by-step coordination.