VLW

Cấp nước Vĩnh Long ·UPCOM ·2026Q1

▼ Under pressure

Margins remain under pressure Net margin 35.16%, −2.07pp YoY
Price
42,500
Latest close
20 Apr 2026
P/E 16.93x
P/B 2.40x
EPS 2,511
BVPS 17,730
ROE 15.0%
ROA 12.1%
Profit Margin 35.2%
Asset Turnover 0.34x
Equity Mult. 1.24x

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

What Is Changing

On a TTM 2026Q1 basis, VLW is holding revenue at an acceptable level, but margins are eroding visibly — margins have been compressing consistently over multiple periods. What is still missing is better cost control to prevent margin pressure from spreading to the overall profit result.

TTM REVENUE
VND 214bn
+9.2%YoY
NET MARGIN
35.16%
−2.1ppYoY
TTM NET PROFIT
VND 75bn
+3.2%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 58.4 54.5 48.1 52.7 43.8 54.9 47.4 49.5 43.4 53.0 48.7 46.1
Growth +7% +13% -9% +20% -20% +16% -4% +14% -18% +9% +5%
Net Income 18.5 29.9 11.4 15.3 12.2 28.1 14.5 18.0 12.5 37.7 15.0 18.3
Net Margin 31.62% 54.88% 23.78% 29.03% 27.76% 51.23% 30.69% 36.29% 28.69% 71.17% 30.91% 39.59%

Drivers of VLW's profit

TTM

Net profit attributable to parent increased vs last year, mainly helped by higher gross profit. Supporting and offsetting drivers:

Gross profit ↑ 14.8bn
Financial income ↑ 4.6bn
Tax ↓ 0.7bn
Administrative expenses ↑ 10.1bn
Other profit ↓ 4.3bn
Finance costs ↑ 2.4bn
TTM

Net profit attributable to parent increased vs prior quarter, mainly helped by higher gross profit. Supporting and offsetting drivers:

Gross profit ↑ 10.4bn
Administrative expenses ↑ 1.7bn
Tax ↑ 1.3bn
Finance costs ↑ 0.7bn

Financial Highlights

Detailed analysis of each financial dimension

ROE = Profit Margin × Asset Turnover × Equity Multiplier

2025Q1 15.1% = 37.2% × 0.33 × 1.22
2026Q1 15.0% = 35.2% × 0.34 × 1.24

ROE is broadly flat at 15.0% — the components are offsetting one another.

Net margin: 35.2% -2.1pp Asset turnover: 0.34x +0.01x Leverage: 1.24x +0.02x

Is the profit sustainable?

Margins narrowed but earnings quality remains clean — pressure is mainly operational.

very positive positive stable watch under pressure

What is driving the margin?

Net margin fell to 35.16%, losing 2.1pp. The main pressure is SG&A / Revenue rose 2.6pp, outweighing the improvement in Gross margin rose 1.4pp (in addition, Net financial result / Revenue rose 0.3pp added support while Other profit / Revenue fell 2.3pp remained a drag).

The pressure comes from non-core items while core operations hold their rhythm — margin has a basis to recover once this factor passes.

Profitability trend

Net Margin 35.16% −2.1pp
Gross Margin 65.98% +1.4pp
SG&A / Revenue 32.17% +2.6pp

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Is capital being used efficiently?

Capital efficiency for utilities should be read alongside regulated tariffs and long-cycle depreciation — ROIC of 13.6% reflects a large fixed-asset base.

Is capital being deployed efficiently?

ROIC stands at 13.62%, broadly flat versus the same period. That translates to 13.62 in after-tax operating profit for every 100 units of operating capital. NOPAT margin narrowed 0.2pp, but capital turnover broadly stable, with invested capital holding roughly steady — the two factors are offsetting each other, keeping overall ROIC nearly unchanged.

For utilities, ROIC reflects returns on a large fixed-asset base — this is a reference signal and should be read alongside regulated tariffs.

CAPITAL EFFICIENCY TREND

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

ROIC 13.62% +0.1pp
NOPAT Margin 34.12% −0.2pp
Capital Turnover 0.40x +0.01x
Average Invested Capital 535.4bn +38.7bn

Balance Sheet

ROIC for utilities reflects a large fixed-asset base and regulated tariffs — the balance sheet below adds perspective. Capital structure is conservative with low leverage — liabilities at 0.27x equity, net debt at 0.07x equity.

Over the last 12 months, working capital released 0.0bn of cash.

Working Capital Drivers

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Receivables were broadly stable → neutral CFO:
Inventories were broadly stable → neutral CFO:
Payables were broadly stable → neutral CFO:

Working Capital Efficiency

Working capital is being managed more efficiently, supporting overall capital efficiency. Cash conversion cycle improved by 21.6 days versus the same period last year. The main moves came from DIO fell 20.0 days, DSO rose 1.2 days, and DPO rose 2.8 days.

Improvement comes mainly from faster inventory turnover — watch whether this trend persists in coming periods.

For utilities, working capital cycle reflects regulated pricing mechanics and long-term settlement contracts — DSO/DIO/DPO should be treated as contextual signals rather than pure efficiency indicators.

Watchpoints

Receivables collection is slowing

DSO increased by +1.2 days, pointing to slower receivables turnover.

Working Capital Efficiency

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Receivables 17.3 days +1.2 days
Inventory 65.9 days −20.0 days
Payables 43.7 days +2.8 days
Cash Conversion Cycle 39.5 days −21.6 days

Is financial risk significant?

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

Leverage & Liquidity

Leverage looks fairly comfortable, with net debt / equity at 0.07x and interest coverage at 36.30x.

At present, short-term debt accounts for 15.1% of total debt, cash equals 24.9% of debt, and total debt stands at 50.7bn.

Leverage for utilities reflects long-term capital needs for fixed assets and recovery through regulated pricing — elevated leverage is structural to the industry.

Watchpoints

Cash buffer is thin relative to debt

Cash / debt stands at 24.9%, leaving limited liquidity buffer to monitor.

Leverage and liquidity trend

Net Debt / Equity 0.07x +0.01x
Interest Coverage 36.30x −1349.74x
Cash / Debt 24.9% −17.7pp
Short-term Debt / Total Debt 15.1% +1.1pp
CFO / NI 0.92x −0.44x

TTM YoY · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

Cash Flow

With safe leverage noted above, cash flow below shows the self-funding capacity. Operating cash flow reached 60.2bn in 2025, against investing cash flow of -19.4bn.

Post-investment cash flow was positive +40.8bn. Financing cash flow was negative +45.4bn.

CFO / net income was 0.92x.

After spending +23.5bn on fixed-asset investment, the business generated trailing free cash flow of +45.9bn.

For utilities, high capex and long investment cycles are structural — short-term FCF volatility does not reflect long-term cash generation through regulated pricing.

Cash Conversion

TTM Cash Conversion · 2025Q1 -> 2026Q1

CFO TTM 69.4bn −29.7bn
Cash Capex 23.5bn −18.4bn
FCF TTM +45.9bn −11.3bn

Investment Takeaway

The business is showing a few weaker signals, but the current magnitude is not yet clear enough to conclude that this is a broader weakening phase. The next item to monitor is the earnings mix, when non-core contribution is 19.0%. The main risk still sits in core profitability, with net margin down 2.1 pp.

Watchpoint: the earnings mix still needs monitoring, with net financial result still accounting for 19.0% of PBT and CFO / net income currently at 0.92x.

Key risk: profitability remains under pressure, with trailing-12M net margin at 35.16% after a 2.1pp decline versus the same period last year.

Statement Data

Item 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021
Net Revenue
199.1 195.2 187.0 184.9 175.5
Cost of Goods Sold
68.7 70.2 66.0 63.1 0.0
Gross Profit
130.5 125.0 121.0 121.8 114.1
Financial Expenses
1.8 0.1 0.1 0.1 -0.1
Selling Expenses
33.1 34.0 30.9 29.8 -31.3
General and Administrative Expenses
33.3 24.9 27.9 26.1 -24.1
Operating Profit
82.0 82.2 81.7 80.8 70.5
Profit Before Tax
84.8 89.1 87.8 84.8 74.7
Net Income
69.0 73.1 80.9 79.0 69.1
Profit Attributable to Parent
69.0 73.1 80.9 79.0 69.1
Earnings per Share
2,031.00 2,192.00 2,462.00 2,390.00 2,038.00

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