First High-School Education Group Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020 Unaudited Financial Results
--Fourth Quarter Revenues of RMB163.6 million,up 36.2% year-over-year
--Fourth Quarter Net Income of RMB47.0million,up 94.6% year-over-year
--Full Year Revenues of RMB445.8 million,up 32.5% year-over-year
--Full Year Net Income of RMB80.9 million,up 155.3% year-over-year
--Full Year Student Enrollments of 25,867,up 21.8% year-over-year
KUNMING,China,April 6,2021 -- First High-School Education Group Co.,Ltd. ("First High-School Education Group" or the "Company") (NYSE: FHS),the largest operator of private high schools in Western China and the third largest operator in China[1],today announced its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31,2020.
Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial and Operational Highlights
Total revenues were RMB163. 6 million (US$25.1 million),an increase of 36.2 % from RMB120.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Gross profit was RMB67.2 million (US$10.3million),an increase of 52.0% from RMB44.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Income from operations was RMB60.4 million (US$9.3 million),an increase of 116.0% from RMB28.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Net income was RMB47.0 million (US$7.2 million),an increase of 94.6% from RMB24.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Adjusted net income[2] (Non-GAAP) was RMB47.0 million (US$7.2 million),an increase of 94.6% from RMB24.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Fiscal Year 2020 Financial and Operational Highlights
Total revenues were RMB445.8 million (US$68.3 million),an increase of 32.5% from RMB336.5 million in 2019.
Gross profit was RMB158.6 million (US$24.3 million),an increase of 51.7 % from RMB104.5 million in 2019.
Income from operations was RMB99.7 million (US$15.3 million),an increase of 155.5% from RMB39.0 million in 2019.
Net income was RMB80.9 million (US$12.4 million),an increase of 155.3% from RMB31.7 million in 2019.
Adjusted net income[2] (Non-GAAP) was RMB80.9 million (US$12.4 million),an increase of 99.1% from RMB40.5 million in 2019.
The total number of students enrolled as of December 31,2020 was 25,an increase of 21.8% from 21,236 as of December 31,2019.
[1]In terms of student enrollment as of December 31,2019,according to an industry report commissioned by First High-School Education Group and prepared by China Insights Industry Consultancy Limited.
[2] Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP measure. See "Non-GAAP measure" in this press release. A reconciliation of the Company's most directly comparable GAAP measure to historical non-GAAP financial measure has been provided in the tables captioned "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measure" included at the end of this press release,and investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation.
Mr. Shaowei Zhang,Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First High-School Education Group commented: "In March 2021,First High-School Education Group was successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange,which marked a significant milestone for us. We raised capital for growth and significantly raised our visibility. As a newly public company,we are delighted to report strong results with impressive financial and operational performance. We continue to expand our operations and drive strong top-line and bottom-line growth. As of December 31,2020,we have developed a network of 19 schools and enrolled nearly 26,000 students in China."
"Despite temporary disruptions and short-term impact on our business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,we experienced the fastest growth rate among the top 20 operators of private high schools in China[3]. With our unwavering mission to become a leader and innovator in the private high school education sector in China,we are committed to accelerate our expansion into new geographical markets. We believe we are well-positioned to capture the enormous and sustainable demand for high quality private high school education in China,with our highly scalable and asset-light business model and superior education quality," Mr. Zhang concluded.
Mr. Lidong (Ben) Zhu,Chief Financial Officer of First High-School Education Group commented: "We got off to a great start as a public company. Total revenues increased by 32.5% from RMB336.5 million in 2019 to RMB445.8 million in 2020; net income increased by 155.3% from RMB31.7 million in 2019 to RMB80.9 million in 2020; and adjusted net income[2](Non-GAAP) increased by 99.1% from RMB40.5 million in 2019 to RMB80.9 million in 2020. When the outbreak of COVID-19 first appeared,we regarded the safety and health of all our students and employees as top priority. To reduce the risk of infection and contain the virus spread,we implemented a series of control measures,including body temperature monitoring of our students and staff and periodical sanitization of school facilities. We also expanded our online education service during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided online tri-teacher lectures for our students from different locations within our school network. As a result of above countermeasures,our financial and operation performance were not materially affected by COVID-19 and conversely,we successfully opened five new high schools in five new cities in Yunnan province and one tutorial school in Guizhou province. These solid results demonstrated the soundness of our growth strategy and our outstanding execution capabilities. Leveraging our highly scalable and asset-light business model,we aim to further expand our school operations to areas outside of Yunnan province,such as Sichuan province,Chongqing and Shaanxi province,in collaboration with third parties,including local real estate developers. Looking ahead,we will continue to drive rapid growth by further expanding our operations and enhancing the quality of our education services,which will enable us to emerge as an industry leader."
[3] According to an industry report commissioned by First High-School Education Group and prepared by China Insights Industry Consultancy Limited,First High-School Education Group experienced the fastest growth rate with a CAGR of 77.3% in terms of high school student enrollment and with a CAGR of 41.4% in terms of the number of high schools from December31,2015 to December 31,among top 20 operators of private high schools in China.
Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial Results
Total Revenues
Total revenueswere RMB163.6 million (US$25.1 million),an increase of 36.2 % from RMB120.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Revenues from customerswere RMB148.0 million (US$22.7 million),an increase of 37.2% from RMB107.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The increase was primarily driven by (1) higher student enrollment due to the opening of new schools and the increased number of students enrolled in our existing schools; and (2) the increased income from management services provided to the various vendors of student catering services as more schools opened.
Revenues from government cooperative agreementswere RMB15.6 million (US$2.4 million),an increase of 26.8% from RMB12.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2019,primarily driven by the increased number of students enrolled under government cooperative programs.
Cost of revenues
Cost of revenues were RMB96.3 million (US$14.8 million),an increase of 26.9% from RMB75.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The increase was primarily due to the increased staff cost in line with the increased student enrollments and the opening of new schools.
Gross profit
Gross profitwas RMB67.2 million (US$10.3 million),an increase of 52.0% from RMB44.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Gross marginwas 41.1%,compared with 36.8% in the fourth quarter of 2019. The increased gross margin was primarily due to synergies from school expansion and better operating efficiency.
Net operating expenses
Net operating expenseswere RMB6.8 million (US$1.0 million),a decrease of 58.1% from RMB16.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Selling and marketing expenses were RMB1.5 million (US$0.2 million),an increase of 55.4 % from RMB1.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
General and administrative expenses were RMB11.1 million (US$1.7 million),a decrease of 42.5% from RMB19.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The decrease was primarily due to certain non-recurring office building maintenance expenses and discretionary bonus expenses occurred in 2019 while no such events occurred in the same period of 2020.
Government grants were RMB5.8 million (US$0.9 million),an increase of 43.0% from RMB4.1 million in 2019,primarily due to the increased government subsidies,which was in line with the increase in student enrollments and the opening of new schools.
Income from operations
Income from operations was RMB60.4 million (US$9.3 million),an increase of 116.0% year-over-year from RMB28.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Net income
Net incomewas RMB47.0 million (US$7.2 million),an increase of 94.6% from RMB24.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Adjusted net income[2](Non-GAAP)
Adjusted net income was RMB47.0 million (US$7.2million),an increase of 94.6% from RMB24.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Cash and restricted cash
As of December 31,the Company had cash and restricted cash of RMB208.4 million (US$31.9 million),compared with RMB153.4 million as of December 31,2019.
Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Results
Total revenues
Total revenueswere RMB445.8 million (US$68.3 million),an increase of 32.5% from RMB336.5 million in 2019.
Revenues from customerswere RMB404.6 million (US$62.0 million),an increase of 31.0% from RMB308.7 million in 2019. The increase was primarily driven by (1) higher student enrollment due to the opening of new schools and the increased number of students enrolled in our existing schools; and (2) the increased income from management services provided to the various vendors of student catering services as more schools opened.
Revenues from government cooperative agreementswere RMB41.3 million (US$6.3 million),an increase of 48.4% from RMB27.8 million in 2019,primarily driven by the increased number of students enrolled under government cooperative programs.
Cost of revenues
Cost of revenues were RMB287.2 million (US$44.0 million),an increase of 23.8% from RMB232.0 million in 2019. The increase was primarily due to the increased staff cost along with the more student enrollments and the opening of new schools.
Gross profit
Gross profit was RMB158.6 million (US$24.3 million),an increase of 51.7% from RMB104.5 million in 2019.
Gross marginwas 35.6%,compared with 31.1 % in 2019. The increased gross margin was primarily due to synergies from school expansion and better operating efficiency.
Net operating expenses
Net operating expenses were RMB58.9 million (US$9.0 million),a decrease of 10.1% from RMB65.5 million in 2019.
Selling and marketing expenseswere RMB7.6 million (US$1.2 million),an increase of 57.7% from RMB4.8 million in 2019. The increase was primarily due to the increased expenses in brand promotion and marketing activities in relation to the opening of new schools.
General and administrative expenses were RMB60.5 million (US$9.3 million),an increase of 5.6% from RMB57.3 million in 2019. The increase was mainly due to increased professional service fees and business travel expenses.
Government grants were RMB9.2 million (US$1.4 million),an increase of 39.0% from RMB 6.6 million in 2019,which was in line with the increase in our student enrollment and new schools opened.
Donation was nil compared to RMB10.0 million in 2019.
Income from operations
Income from operations was RMB99.7 million (US$15.3 million),an increase of 155.5 % from RMB39.0 million in 2019.
Net income
Net income was RMB80.9 million (US$12.4 million),an increase of 155.3% from RMB31.7 million in 2019.
Adjusted net income[2](Non-GAAP)
Adjusted net income was RMB80.9 million (US$12.4 million),an increase of 99.1% from RMB40.5 million in 2019.
Business Outlook
For the full fiscal year 2021,the Company expects total revenues to be between RMB770.0 million to RMB820.0 million,representing an increase of 73% to 84% on a year- over- year basis. This outlook reflects the Company's current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions,and the outlook ranges for fiscal year 2021 reflect a number of assumptions that are subject to change based on uncertainties.
Conference Call
First High-School Education Group's management will hold an earnings conference call on Tuesday,2021,at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time (8:00 PM April 6,Beijing/Hong Kong Time). Please dial in 15 minutes before the conference is scheduled to begin using below numbers.
International
1-412-317-6061
United States
1-888-317-6003
Hong Kong
800-963976
Mainland China
4001-206115
Passcode
5120108
A telephone replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until April 13,2021.
International
1-412-317-0088
United States
1-877-344-7529
Replay Access Code
10153700
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the company's investors relations website at https://ir.diyi.top/
About First High-School Education Group
First High-School Education Group is the largest operator of private high schools in Western China and the third largest operator in China[1]. First High-School Education Group has a network of 19 schools,offering 14 high school programs,seven middle school programs and four tutorial school programs for Gaokao repeaters,as of December 31,2020. All of schools of the Company are strategically located in Western China. The Company aspires to become a leader and innovator of private high school education in China. For more information,please visit https://ir.diyi.top/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,as amended,and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include,without limitation,the Company's business plans and development,which can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks,uncertainties and other factors,all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control,which may cause the Company's actual results,performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks,uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information,future events or otherwise,except as required under law.
Statement Regarding Preliminary Unaudited Financial Information
The unaudited financial information set out in this earnings release is preliminary and subject to potential adjustments. Adjustments to the consolidated financial statements may be identified when audit work has been performed for the Company's year-end audit,which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited financial information.
Non-GAAP measure
The Company has provided in this press release financial information that has not been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles,or U.S. GAAP. The Company considers and uses one non-GAAP measure,adjusted net income,as a supplemental measure to review and assess its operating performance. Adjusted net income enables the Company's management to assess the Company's operating results without considering the impact of non-cash charges,including share-based compensation expenses,and without considering the impact of donation expenses and transaction costs in relation to previous financing activities. The Company also believes that the use of the non-GAAP measure facilitate investors' assessment of its operating performance.
The presentation of the non-GAAP financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP measure. See "Non-GAAP measure" in this press release. A reconciliation of the Company's most directly comparable GAAP measure to historical non-GAAP financial measure has been provided in the tables captioned "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measure" included at the end of this press release,and investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation.
Exchange Rate
The Company's business is primarily conducted in China and all of the revenues are denominated in Renminbi ("RMB"). This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("USD" or "US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the readers. Unless otherwise noted,all translations from RMB to USD are made at the rate of RMB 6.5250 to US$1.00,the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on December 31,2020. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been,or could be,converted,realized or settled into US$ at that rate on December 31,or at any other rate.
For Investor and Media Inquiries Please Contact:
In China:
First High-School Education Group
Lillian Liu
Tel: +86-13062818313
E-mail: liuyi@longspringedu.com
The Blueshirt Group
Ms. Susie Wang
Phone: +86 138-1081-7475
Email: susie@blueshirtgroup.com
In the United States:
The Blueshirt Group
Ms. Julia Qian
Phone: +1 973-619-3227
Email: Julia@blueshirtgroup.com
First High-School Education GroupCo.,Ltd.
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
(All amounts in thousands,except share data and per share data,or otherwise noted)
Years Ended December 31,
2019
2020
2020
RMB
RMB
US$
Revenues
Revenue from customers
308,715
404,562
62,002
Revenue from government cooperative agreements
27,804
41,272
6,325
Total revenues
336,519
445,834
68,327
Cost of revenues
(231,993)
(287,233)
(44,020)
Gross profit
104,526
158,601
24,307
Operating expenses and income
Selling and marketing expenses
(4,834)
(7,625)
(1,169)
General and administrative expenses
(57,284)
(60,475)
(9,268)
Government grants
6,606
9,185
1,408
Donation
(10,000)
-
-
Income from operations
39,014
99,686
15,278
Other income (expenses):
Interest income
983
1,155
177
Interest expense
(1,407)
(5,368)
(58)
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
(1,144)
(379)
(823)
Foreign currency exchange loss,net
(169)
(469)
(72)
Others,net
(217)
1,699
260
Income before income taxes
37,060
96,324
14,762
Income tax expenses
(5,370)
(15,404)
(2,361)
Net income
31,690
80,920
12,401
Attributable to
Shareholders of the Company
31,604
80,819
12,386
Non-controlling interests
86
101
15
Foreign currency translation adjustments,net of tax
-
144
22
Comprehensive income
31,690
81,064
12,423
Attributable to
Shareholders of the Company
31,963
12,408
Non-controlling interests
86
101
15
Earnings per ordinary share
Basic and diluted
RMB0.45
RMB1.15
US$0.18
Weighted average number of ordinary share outstanding
Basic and diluted
70,488,700
70,700
First High-School Education GroupCo.,or otherwise noted)
Three Months Ended December 31,
2019
2020
2020
RMB
RMB
US$
Revenues
Revenue from customers
107,831
147,973
22,678
Revenue from government cooperative agreements
12,292
15,589
2,389
Total revenues
120,123
163,562
25,067
Cost of revenues
(75,886)
(96,327)
(14,763)
Gross profit
44,237
67,235
10,304
Operating expenses and income
Selling and marketing expenses
(961)
(1,493)
(229)
General and administrative expenses
(19,369)
(11,132)
(1,706)
Government grants
4,072
5,821
892
Income from operations
27,979
60,431
9,261
Other income (expenses):
Interest income
588
422
65
Interest expense
(506)
(3,583)
(549)
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
(205)
-
-
Foreign currency exchange gain/(loss),net
146
(718)
(110)
Others,net
(858)
938
144
Income before income taxes
27,144
57,490
8,811
Income tax expenses
(3,008)
(10,516)
(1,612)
Net income
24,136
46,974
7,199
Attributable to
Shareholders of the Company
24,050
46,928
7,192
Non-controlling interests
86
46
7
Foreign currency translation adjustments,net of tax
-
144
22
Comprehensive income
24,136
47,118
7,221
Attributable to
Shareholders of the Company
24,050
47,072
7,214
Non-controlling interests
86
46
7
Earnings per ordinary share
Basic and diluted
RMB0.34
RMB0.67
US$0.10
Weighted average number of ordinary share outstanding
Basic and diluted
70,Ltd.
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(All amounts in thousands,or otherwise noted)
As of December 31,
Assets
2019
2020
2020
RMB
RMB
US$
Current assets
Cash
153,418
148,756
22,798
Restricted cash
-
59,600
9,134
Accounts receivable,net of allowance for
doubtful accounts
7,687
30,903
4,736
Amounts due from related parties
82,225
80,464
12,332
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
21,803
53,450
8,192
Total current assets
265,133
373,173
57,192
Property and equipment,net
136,431
142,407
21,825
Intangible assets,net
50,705
48,976
7,506
Goodwill
40,218
40,218
6,164
Deferred tax assets
6,567
12,274
1,881
Amounts due from related parties
5,600
500
77
Other non-current assets
10,707
18,524
2,839
Total assets
515,361
636,072
97,484
As of December 31,
Liabilities and Equity/(Deficit)
2019
2020
2020
RMB
RMB
US$
Current liabilities
Contract liabilities
171,303
203,482
31,185
Deferred revenue from governments
17,789
13,770
2,110
Borrowings under financing arrangements
14,577
64,140
9,830
Bank loan
-
46,637
7,148
Accounts payable
11,207
8,064
1,236
Accrued expenses and other payables
77,591
91,253
13,986
Income tax payables
6,055
15,377
2,357
Amounts due to related parties
113,359
218,996
33,563
Total current liabilities
411,881
661,719
101,415
Contract liabilities
5,778
7,115
Deferred revenue from governments
4,032
12,370
1,896
Borrowings under financing arrangements
7,453
28,643
4,390
Other payables
3,686
9,607
1,472
Deferred tax liabilities
12,323
11,933
1,829
Total liabilities
445,153
731,546
112,116
Equity/(Deficit)
Ordinary shares (US$0.00001 par value;
5,000,000 shares authorized; and
70,700 shares issued and
outstanding as of December 31,2019
and 2020,respectively) *
-
-
-
Additional paid-in capital
221,791
64,128
9,828
Statutory reserves
29,101
41,591
6,374
Accumulated deficit
(180,770)
(201,524)
(30,885)
Accumulated other comprehensive income
-
144
22
Total equity/(deficit) attributable to the
shareholders of the Company
70,122
(95,661)
(14,661)
Non-controlling interests
86
187
29
Total equity/(deficit)
70,208
(95,474)
(14,632)
Commitments and contingencies
-
Total liabilities and equity
515,484
* Number of ordinary shares reflect on a retrospective basis the effect of shares issued in
connection with the corporate restructuring in January 2021.
First High-School Education GroupCo.,Ltd.
Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measure
(All amounts in thousands)
Three Months Ended December
31,
Years Ended December 31,
2019
2020
2020
2019
2020
2020
RMB
RMB
US$
RMB
RMB
US$
Reconciliation of net income
to adjusted net income:
Net income
24,136
46,974
7,199
31,690
80,920
12,401
Add:
Share-based
compensation expenses
—
—
—
—
—
—
Donation expenses
—
—
—
10,000
—
—
Transaction costs in
relation to previous
financing activities
—
—
—
322
—
—
Tax effects of adjustments **
—
—
—
(1,548)
—
—
Adjusted net income
24,199
40,464
80,401
**Tax effects were determined based upon the nature,as well as the jurisdiction,of each reconciliation
adjustment at the respective applicable income tax rate.
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