Gridsum Reports Unaudited Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results

BEIJING, Sept. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Gridsum Holding Inc. ("Gridsum" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:GSUM), a leading provider of cloud-based big-data analytics and artificial intelligence ("AI") solutions in China, today reported its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019.

Highlights

    --  Net revenues decreased by 38% to RMB69.7 million (US$10.2 million) from
        RMB112.4 million in the comparable period of 2018.
    --  Net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders decreased to
        RMB123.5 million (US$18.0 million) from RMB132.2 million in the
        comparable period of 2018.

Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results

REVENUES: Net revenues decreased by 38% to RMB69.7 million (US$10.2 million) from RMB112.4 million in the comparable period of 2018.

Enterprise revenues decreased by 40% to RMB60.4 million (US$8.8 million) from RMB100.7 million in the comparable period of 2018, primarily due to the Company's ongoing strategic evolution to achieve a more optimal revenue mix by proactively optimizing its Search Engine Marketing (SEM) business toward higher return opportunities and a slowdown in the Chinese economy.

E-Government and other revenues decreased by 25% to RMB9.9 million (US$1.4 million) from RMB13.2 million in the comparable period of 2018, mainly due to the lengthening sales cycles and lower budgeted spending by the Chinese government for legal services solutions as a result of government reorganization efforts which began in 2018.

COST OF REVENUES: Cost of revenues was RMB19.9 million (US$2.9 million), compared with RMB22.8 million in the comparable period of 2018.

GROSS PROFIT AND GROSS MARGIN: Gross profit decreased by 44% to RMB49.7 million (US$7.2 million) from RMB89.6 million in the comparable period of 2018, while gross margin decreased to 71.4% from 79.7%. This was mainly due to a change in revenue mix as well as a time-lag between the Company's restructuring/optimization of its revenue mix and its cost structure.

OPERATING EXPENSES: Total operating expenses were RMB181.7 million (US$26.5 million), compared with RMB203.3 million in the comparable period of 2018.

    --  Sales and marketing expenses were RMB38.1 million (US$5.6 million),
        compared with RMB40.1 million in the comparable period of 2018. The
        decrease was primarily due to a RMB4.0 million decrease in staff and
        other costs, which was partially offset by a RMB1.0 million increase in
        share-based compensation expenses.
    --  Research and development expenses were RMB87.9 million (US$12.8
        million), compared with RMB119.9 million in the comparable period of
        2018. The decrease primarily reflected the Company moving past the peak
        of front-end investment into its industrial AI and IIoT platforms.
    --  General and administrative expenses were RMB55.7 million (US$8.1
        million), compared with RMB43.3 million in the comparable period of
        2018. The increase was primarily due to a RMB8.7 million increase in
        share-based compensation expenses, a RMB5.4 million increase in office
        leasing costs and a RMB5.3 million increase in staff costs, which were
        partially offset by a RMB12.9 million decrease in professional service
        fees.

LOSS FROM OPERATIONS: Loss from operations was RMB132.0 million (US$19.2 million), compared with RMB113.7 million in the comparable period of 2018.

NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO GRIDSUM'S ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS: Net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders was RMB123.5 million (US$18.0 million), compared with RMB132.2 million in the comparable period of 2018. Net loss attributable to Gridum's ordinary shareholders narrowed due to a decrease in research and development expenses, gain on change in fair value of derivative liabilities and income tax benefit.

NON-GAAP NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO GRIDSUM'S ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS: Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders, which is defined as net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders before share-based compensation expenses, was RMB103.2 million (US$15.0 million), compared with RMB123.1 million in the comparable period of 2018.

EBITDA: Loss before interest, income tax, depreciation and amortization was RMB119.6 million (US$17.4 million), compared with RMB113.1 million in the comparable period of 2018.

ADJUSTED EBITDA: Adjusted loss before interest, income tax, depreciation and amortization, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, was RMB99.3 million (US$14.5 million), compared with RMB104.0 million in the comparable period of 2018.

NET LOSS PER ADS ATTRIBUTABLE TO GRIDSUM'S ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS: Net loss per ADS attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders was RMB3.60 (US$0.52), compared with RMB4.29 in the comparable period of 2018.

NON-GAAP NET LOSS PER ADS ATTRIBUTABLE TO GRIDSUM'S ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS: Non-GAAP net loss per ADS attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders was RMB3.01 (US$0.44), compared with RMB3.99 in the comparable period of 2018.

Each ADS represents one Class B ordinary share. For purposes of determining net loss per ADS attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders, the weighted average number of ordinary shares for the second quarter of 2019 was 34,315,488. As of June 30, 2019, the total number of ordinary shares outstanding was 34,460,747.

Balance Sheet

As of June 30, 2019, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB65.6 million (US$9.6 million), and restricted cash of RMB1.3 million (US$0.2 million).

Second Quarter 2019 Review

The Company's performance in the second quarter of 2019 continued to reflect the Company moving through resolution of some of the challenges, originating in 2018, where a number of events and issues negatively impacted the Company's business and performance. Additionally, revenue and growth momentum continued to be impacted by the slowdown in the Chinese economy.

The Company's restructuring of its sales and service functions continues to gain traction and is creating a more optimal revenue mix with a focus on higher-return opportunities. Following significant investments in its industrial AI and IIoT platforms throughout 2018, revenue from the Company's IIoT business continued to gain strong growth momentum during the quarter and accounted for a low double-digit percentage of total revenues in the quarter.

Recent Development

On July 16, 2019, the Company announced that its board of directors (the "Board") had received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter, dated July 15, 2019, from Guosheng Qi, Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Guofa Yu, a director and the Chief Operating Officer of the Company, and their respective affiliated entities, and Beta Dynamic Limited, an affiliate of Hammer Capital Private Investments Limited, proposing to acquire the Company in a going private transaction for US$3.80 in cash per American depositary share (each representing one Class B ordinary share of the Company), or US$3.80 in cash per ordinary share.

On July 22, 2019, the Company announced that the Board had formed a special committee (the "Special Committee") comprised of three independent directors Mr. Dannis Cheuk Yin Lee, Mr. Xudong Gao and Mr. Feng Lu, to evaluate the proposal and any other alternative transactions. Mr. Lee had been appointed as Chairman of the Special Committee.

On August 9, 2019, the Company announced that the Special Committee retained Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as its legal counsel in connection with its review and evaluation of the proposal.

At this time, no decisions have been made with respect to Gridsum's response to the proposal or any other alternative transaction. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that the proposal or any other alternative transaction will be approved or consummated.

Exchange Rate

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. Dollars ("US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB6.8650 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on June 28, 2019 in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating the Company's business, the Company considers and uses the following non-GAAP financial measures as supplemental measures to review and assess the Company's operating performance: non-GAAP net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders, non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders, non-GAAP net loss per ADS attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders is net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders before share-based compensation, non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders is the per share equivalent and non-GAAP net loss per ADS attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders is the per ADS equivalent, EBITDA is net loss before interest income and expenses, income tax expenses and depreciation expenses, and adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA before share-based compensation.

The Company presents these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by the Company's management to evaluate the Company's operating performance and formulate the Company's business plans. These non-GAAP financial measures enable the Company's management to assess the Company's operating results without considering the impact of non-cash charges, including depreciation expenses and share-based compensation, and without considering the impact of non-operating items such as interest income and expenses and income tax expenses. The Company also believes that the use of these non-GAAP measures facilitates investors' assessment of the Company's operating performance.

These non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. One of the key limitations of using these non-GAAP financial measures is that they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect the Company's operations. Interest income and expenses, income tax expenses, depreciation expenses and share-based compensation have been and may continue to be incurred in the Company's business and are not reflected in the presentation of adjusted EBITDA. Further, these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, including Gridsum's peer companies, so their utility for comparison purposes may be limited.

The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the Company's non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures, which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their closest U.S. GAAP financial measures appears at the end of this release.

About Gridsum

Gridsum Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: GSUM) is a leading provider of cloud-based big-data analytics and AI solutions for multinational and domestic enterprises and government agencies in China. Gridsum's core technology, the Gridsum Big Data Platform and the Gridsum Prophet: Enterprise AI Engine, is built on a distributed computing framework and performs real-time multi-dimensional correlation analysis of both structured and unstructured data. This enables Gridsum's customers to identify complex relationships within their data and gain new insights that help them make better business decisions. The Company is named "Gridsum" to symbolize the combination of distributed computing (Grid) and analytics (sum). As a digital intelligence pioneer, the Company's mission is to help enterprises and government organizations in China use data in new and powerful ways to make better-informed decisions and be more productive.

For more information, please visit http://www.gridsum.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to" and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to unexpected difficulties in pursuit of our goals and strategies, unpredictability of demand for new solutions we have developed, difficulties keeping and strengthening relationships with customers, potential difficult expanding our customer base or securing new orders from existing customers, potentially costly research and development activities, liquidity and the availability of additional capital when needed, and weaknesses of our internal controls, competition in the digital intelligence market, PRC governmental policies relating to media, software, big data, the internet, internet content providers and online advertising; and general economic and business conditions . Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Gridsum's annual report on Form 20-F and other reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Gridsum undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations
Gridsum
ir@gridsum.com

Christensen

In China
Mr. Christian Arnell
Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
Email: carnell@christensenir.com

In U.S.
Mr. Tip Fleming
Phone: +1 917 412 3333
Email: tfleming@christensenir.com


                                                                
        
              GRIDSUM HOLDING INC.


                                                              
        
            CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS


                                                            
        
         (All amounts in thousands, unaudited)






                                                                                                                          
       
         As of



                                                                                     
            
               December 31,    
       
         June 30,        June 30,


                                                                                                                     2018                 2019            2019




       
              Assets                                                                 
            
               RMB          
       
          RMB     
     
         USD



       
              Current assets:



                  Cash and cash equivalents                                                                       92,684               65,567           9,551



                  Restricted cash                                                                                  1,334                1,349             197



                  Accounts receivable, net                                                                       397,969              402,901          58,689



                  Prepayments and other current assets                                                           294,904              268,465          39,107




       
              Total current assets                                                                           786,891              738,282         107,544



       
              Non-current assets:



                  Investment in associates                                                                         5,000                5,000             728



                  Property, equipment and software, net                                                           62,328               53,633           7,813



                  Intangible assets, net                                                                          13,840               22,109           3,221



                  Goodwill                                                                                           537                  537              78



                  Deferred tax assets                                                                             46,359               62,466           9,099



                  Other non-current assets                                                                           435                  434              63



                  Operating lease right-of-use assets                                                                  -             131,709          19,186



       
              Total non-current assets                                                                       128,499              275,888          40,188




       
              Total assets                                                                                   915,390            1,014,170         147,732






       
              Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity



       Current liabilities:



                  Short-term bank loan                                                                             5,000               60,000           8,740



                  Accounts payable                                                                                97,293               27,138           3,953



                  Salary and welfare payables                                                                     65,451               54,574           7,950



                  Taxes payable                                                                                  110,529              114,644          16,700



                  Deferred revenues                                                                               36,126               47,640           6,940



                  Advances from customers                                                                        154,731              168,906          24,604



                     Accrued expenses and other current                                                          147,940              141,770          20,651
      liabilities



                  Derivative liabilities                                                                             596               19,059           2,776



                  Operating lease liabilities current                                                                  -              36,861           5,369



                  Convertible note                                                                               242,702              261,692          38,120



       
              Total current liabilities                                                                      860,368              932,284         135,803



       Non-current liabilities:



                   Long-term borrowing                                                                                 -              91,948          13,394



                   Deferred tax liabilities                                                                          212                  193              28



                   Operating lease liabilities non-current                                                             -             104,889          15,279



       
              Total non-current liabilities                                                                      212              197,030          28,701




       
              Total liabilities                                                                              860,580            1,129,314         164,504






       
              Shareholders' (deficit)/equity:



       Ordinary shares -Class A                                                                                       31                   31               5



       Ordinary shares -Class B                                                                                      177                  200              29



       Additional paid-in capital                                                                              1,146,253            1,251,771         182,341



       Statutory reserve                                                                                          12,903               12,903           1,879



       Accumulated other comprehensive loss                                                                     (35,496)            (25,464)        (3,709)



       Accumulated deficit                                                                                   (1,077,409)         (1,362,327)      (198,445)




       Total Gridsum shareholders' (deficit)/equity                                                               46,459            (122,886)       (17,900)



                         Non-controlling interest                                                                  8,351                7,742           1,128




       Total shareholders' (deficit)equity                                                                        54,810            (115,144)       (16,772)




       Total liabilities and shareholders' equity                                                                915,390            1,014,170         147,732


                                                                     
              
                GRIDSUM HOLDING INC.


                                                 
              
                CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS


                                     
              
                (All amounts in thousands, except for share, per share and per ADS data, unaudited)




                                                                                     For the Three Months Ended



                                                                                              30-Jun-18                                   30-Jun-19      30-Jun-19

                                                                                                                                                               ---

                                                                        
              
                 RMB                 
              
                 RMB    
     
         USD



              
                Revenues:


                            Enterprise                                                                  100,676                               60,381           8,796


                            e-Government and other                                                       13,204                                9,879           1,439


                            Less: Business tax and                                                      (1,487)                               (576)           (84)
             surcharges



                            Net revenues                                                                112,393                               69,684          10,151



              Cost of revenues                                                                        (22,812)                            (19,936)        (2,904)



                            Gross profit                                                                 89,581                               49,748           7,247



              
                Operating expenses:


                            Sales and marketing expenses                                               (40,102)                            (38,125)        (5,554)


                            Research and development                                                  (119,907)                            (87,947)       (12,811)
             expenses


                            General and administrative                                                 (43,296)                            (55,652)        (8,107)
             expenses



                            Total operating expenses                                                  (203,305)                           (181,724)       (26,472)



                            Losses from operations                                                    (113,724)                           (131,976)       (19,225)


                            Foreign exchange loss                                                       (3,462)                               (297)           (43)


                            Interest expense, net                                                       (2,332)                             (4,783)          (697)


                            Other (expense)/income, net                                                   2,058                                3,045             444


                            Amortization of debt discount                                               (5,995)                            (10,415)        (1,517)


                           Gain on change in fair value
                            of                                                                                -                              10,824           1,577
            derivative liabilities



                            Loss before income tax                                                    (123,455)                           (133,602)       (19,461)


                            Income tax benefit                                                          (8,873)                               9,745           1,420



                            Net loss                                                                  (132,328)                           (123,857)       (18,041)


               Less: Net loss attributable to
                non-                                                                                      (142)                               (331)           (48)
    controlling interests



                            Net loss attributable to
                             Gridsum Holding                                                          (132,186)                           (123,526)       (17,993)
    Inc.



                            Net loss attributable to
                             Gridsum's                                                                (132,186)                           (123,526)       (17,993)
    ordinary shareholders






              Net loss                                                                               (132,328)                           (123,857)       (18,041)


               Foreign currency translation
                adjustment,                                                                               4,853                                4,371             637
    net of tax


                            Comprehensive loss                                                        (127,475)                           (119,486)       (17,404)


               Less: Comprehensive loss
                attributable to                                                                           (142)                               (331)           (48)
    non-controlling interests


                            Comprehensive loss
                             attributable to                                                          (127,333)                           (119,155)       (17,356)
    Gridsum Holding Inc.






              
                Weighted average number of ordinary
    shares used in per share calculations:



              Basic and diluted                                                                     30,825,645                           34,315,488      34,315,488


                            Net loss per ordinary share attributable
    to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders:



              Basic and diluted                                                                         (4.29)                              (3.60)         (0.52)



              
                Net loss per ADS attributable to
    Gridsum's ordinary shareholders:



              Basic and diluted                                                                         (4.29)                              (3.60)         (0.52)


                                                                                                                          
              
                GRIDSUM HOLDING INC.


                                                                                                              
              
                RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS


                                                                                          
              
                (All amounts in thousands, except for share, per share and per ADS data, unaudited)




                                                                                                                                                                                               For the Three Months Ended



                                                                                                                                                                                                        30-Jun-18             30-Jun-19      30-Jun-19

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ---

                                                                                                                                                                                   
              
                RMB            
     
         RMB    
     
         USD



              
                Reconciliation of net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders to non-GAAP net loss attributable to
    Gridsum's ordinary shareholders



              Net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders                                                                                                                                         (132,186)     (123,526)       (17,993)



              Share-based compensation                                                                                                                                                                             9,091         20,332           2,962



              Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders                                                                                                                                (123,095)     (103,194)       (15,031)



              Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in net loss per share
    attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders and non-GAAP net loss
    per share attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders calculations:



              Basic and diluted                                                                                                                                                                               30,825,645     34,315,488      34,315,488



              Net loss per ordinary share attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders:



              Basic and diluted                                                                                                                                                                                   (4.29)        (3.60)         (0.52)



              Net loss per ADS attributable to Gridsum's ordinary shareholders:



              Basic and diluted                                                                                                                                                                                   (4.29)        (3.60)         (0.52)



              Non-GAAP net loss per ordinary share attributable to Gridsum's
    ordinary shareholders:



              Basic and diluted                                                                                                                                                                                   (3.99)        (3.01)         (0.44)



              Non-GAAP net loss per ADS attributable to Gridsum's ordinary
    shareholders:



              Basic and diluted                                                                                                                                                                                   (3.99)        (3.01)         (0.44)





              
                Reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA



              Net loss                                                                                                                                                                                         (132,328)     (123,857)       (18,041)



              Interest expense, net                                                                                                                                                                                2,332          4,783             697



              Income tax expenses                                                                                                                                                                                  8,873        (9,745)        (1,420)



              Depreciation and amortization expenses                                                                                                                                                               8,032          9,204           1,341



              EBITDA                                                                                                                                                                                           (113,091)     (119,615)       (17,423)



              Share-based compensation                                                                                                                                                                             9,091         20,332           2,962



              Adjusted EBITDA                                                                                                                                                                                  (104,000)      (99,283)       (14,461)

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SOURCE Gridsum Holding Inc.