CST

Than Cao Sơn - TKV ·HNX ·2026Q1

▲ Slightly positive

Earnings conversion is confirmed CFO/NPAT 5.40x
Price
12,100
Latest close
02 Jun 2026
P/E 6.40x
P/B 0.50x
EPS 1,891
BVPS 24,244
ROE 7.6%
ROA 2.9%
Profit Margin 1.0%
Asset Turnover 3.04x
Equity Mult. 2.63x

TTM · Applied to: EPS, ROE, ROA, Net Margin, Asset Turnover, Debt/Equity

What Is Changing

On a TTM 2026Q1 basis, CST has not moved the needle on revenue, but profitability has edged up slightly — profit is at an all-time high. What remains unclear is whether this improvement can widen without revenue momentum to back it.

TTM REVENUE
VND 8,491bn
−4.2%YoY
NET MARGIN
0.95%
+0.3ppYoY
TTM NET PROFIT
VND 81bn
+38.5%YoY
Metric Q1'26 Q4'25 Q3'25 Q2'25 Q1'25 Q4'24 Q3'24 Q2'24 Q1'24 Q4'23 Q3'23 Q2'23
Revenue 2,312.4 1,870.7 1,987.5 2,320.3 2,360.5 2,100.1 1,782.5 2,618.6 2,964.2 1,561.9 2,139.9 1,789.8
Growth +24% -6% -14% -2% +12% +18% -32% -12% +90% -27% +20%
Net Income 10.6 59.8 -4.9 15.6 12.7 6.7 -42.8 81.9 94.0 179.9 31.0 -4.3
Net Margin 0.46% 3.19% -0.25% 0.67% 0.54% 0.32% -2.40% 3.13% 3.17% 11.52% 1.45% -0.24%

Drivers of CST's profit

TTM

Net profit attributable to parent increased vs last year, mainly helped by lower administrative expenses. Supporting and offsetting drivers:

Administrative expenses ↓ 143.7bn
Gross profit ↓ 82.8bn
Other profit ↓ 26.7bn
Finance costs ↑ 7.9bn
Tax ↑ 5.7bn
TTM

Net profit attributable to parent declined vs prior quarter, mainly due to lower gross profit. Supporting and offsetting drivers:

Administrative expenses ↓ 33.9bn
Other profit ↑ 6.1bn
Tax ↓ 0.6bn
Gross profit ↓ 42.2bn
Finance costs ↑ 0.8bn

Financial Highlights

Detailed analysis of each financial dimension

ROE = Profit Margin × Asset Turnover × Equity Multiplier

2025Q1 5.1% = 0.7% × 2.97 × 2.62
2026Q1 7.6% = 1.0% × 3.04 × 2.63

ROE rose from 5.1% to 7.6% — all three components improved, with asset turnover contributing the most.

Net margin: 1.0% +0.3pp Asset turnover: 3.04x +0.07x Leverage: 2.63x +0.01x

Is the profit sustainable?

Margins are improving and earnings quality is solid — a durable foundation for ROE.

very positive positive stable watch under pressure

What is driving the margin?

Net margin stands at 0.95%, broadly flat versus the same period. Supportive factors and pressure points are offsetting one another.

Margin is nearly flat but the underlying components are moving — this is a transitional phase, more time is needed to see the real trend.

Profitability trend

Net Margin 0.95% +0.3pp
Gross Margin 3.79% −0.8pp
SG&A / Revenue 2.38% −1.5pp

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Is capital being used efficiently?

Capital is being used more efficiently — ROIC rose and cash cycle shortened to 44.2 days.

Is capital being deployed efficiently?

ROIC expanded to 5.11%, rising 3.0pp. That translates to 5.11 in after-tax operating profit for every 100 units of operating capital. The main driver is NOPAT margin rose 0.5pp, with capital turnover fell 0.18x; with invested capital holding roughly steady.

NOPAT margin led the improvement, but the ROIC level has not yet cleared typical cost of capital — margin needs to hold in coming periods rather than being a one-period rebound.

CAPITAL EFFICIENCY TREND

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

ROIC 5.11% +3.0pp
NOPAT Margin 0.89% +0.5pp
Capital Turnover 5.78x −0.18x
Average Invested Capital 1,470.1bn −17.3bn

Balance Sheet

ROIC is improving — the asset structure below shows how capital is being allocated. Capital structure is conservative with low leverage — liabilities at 1.43x equity, net debt at 0.44x equity.

Inventory ended the period at 692.7bn, roughly 27.8% of total assets.

Over the last 12 months, working capital absorbed 66.1bn of cash, mainly because of higher inventories. Part of that drag was offset by lower receivables and higher payables.

Working Capital Drivers

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Receivables decreased → higher CFO: +315.2bn
Inventories increased → lower CFO: −416.5bn
Payables increased → higher CFO: +35.2bn

Working Capital Efficiency

Working capital is being managed more efficiently, supporting overall capital efficiency. Cash conversion cycle improved by 11.2 days versus the same period last year. The main moves came from DIO rose 10.1 days, DSO fell 19.4 days, and DPO rose 1.9 days.

Improvement comes mainly from faster receivables collection — reflects the quality of receivables management.

Watchpoints

Inventory turnover is slowing

DIO increased by +10.1 days, suggesting more capital is being tied up in inventories.

Working Capital Efficiency

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Receivables 44.7 days −19.4 days
Inventory 21.6 days +10.1 days
Payables 22.0 days +1.9 days
Cash Conversion Cycle 44.2 days −11.2 days

Is financial risk significant?

Financial risk is low — leverage is safe, both CFO and FCF are positive.

Leverage & Liquidity

Leverage is balanced for now, with net debt / equity at 0.44x and interest coverage at 3.03x.

At present, cash equals 1.0% of debt and total debt stands at 379.5bn.

Watchpoints

Cash buffer is thin relative to debt

Cash / debt stands at 1.0%, leaving limited liquidity buffer to monitor.

Leverage and liquidity trend

Net Debt / Equity 0.44x +0.03x
Interest Coverage 3.03x +1.33x
Cash / Debt 1.0% +0.6pp
Short-term Debt / Total Debt
CFO / NI 5.40x +3.70x

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Cash Flow

With safe leverage noted above, cash flow below shows the self-funding capacity. Operating cash flow reached 169.9bn in 2025, against investing cash flow of -355.7bn.

Post-investment cash flow was negative +185.8bn. Financing cash flow was positive +187.0bn.

CFO / net income was 5.40x.

After spending +338.7bn on fixed-asset investment, the business generated trailing free cash flow of +98.8bn.

Cash Conversion

TTM Cash Conversion · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

CFO TTM 437.5bn +338.0bn
Cash Capex 338.7bn +131.9bn
FCF TTM +98.8bn +206.2bn

Investment Takeaway

The business is heading the right way, but the current picture is still at partial confirmation — not yet a fully clean case. The positive points have clearly improved, showing the operating base is better than before. The brighter spot is earnings conversion is confirmed, with CFO/NI at 5.40x. The main risk still sits in leverage and liquidity, with interest coverage at 3.03x.

Improvement: earnings conversion looks more confirmed, with CFO / net income at 5.40x.

Key risk: leverage and liquidity remain a pressure point, with net debt / equity at 0.44x and a thin cash buffer.

Statement Data

Item 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021
Net Revenue
8,498.6 9,448.1 7,905.7 10,388.8 8,698.2
Cost of Goods Sold
8,136.1 8,978.7 7,283.8 9,722.2 0.0
Gross Profit
362.5 469.4 621.9 666.6 423.0
Financial Expenses
30.4 20.0 20.5 26.9 -87.8
Selling Expenses
4.0 5.7 7.0 6.9 -6.0
General and Administrative Expenses
230.5 325.1 250.0 212.6 -199.1
Operating Profit
103.7 124.2 349.4 424.7 134.2
Profit Before Tax
104.5 163.0 351.7 448.6 135.1
Net Income
82.7 130.0 280.5 358.3 106.6
Profit Attributable to Parent
82.7 130.0 280.5 358.3 106.6
Earnings per Share
1,931.00 3,055.00 6,546.00 8,362.00 2,489.00

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