Frost & Sullivan Recognizes LinkShadow as Innovation Leader in User and Entity Behavior Analytics Based on Machine Learning

LinkShadow’s next-generation cybersecurity analytics capabilities provide unparalleled detection of sophisticated threats

SANTA CLARA, California, Aug. 27, 2020 — Frost & Sullivan has named LinkShadow as a top industry innovator in the Frost Radar™: User and Entity Behavior Analytics Based on Machine Learning, 2020. The company is recognized for its strong track record in cybersecurity analytics and steadily evolving growth pipeline. LinkShadow’s flagship solution is the only one available in the market that tracks the chain of incidents, aggregates them, shows their stages, and graphically represents the attack path on a global map.

LinkShadow Frost Radar
LinkShadow Frost Radar

It is becoming more crucial for organizations to have security tools that analyze the behavior of users who are connected to their networks and entities or endpoints such as servers and applications to detect anomalies. As the number of under-the-radar attacks increases, it will become more challenging for security staff to investigate the attacks to effectively take action. Therefore, the need for user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) tools is greater than ever.

To download the complimentary Frost Radar, please access: http://frost.ly/4ez

"LinkShadow is unique in providing behavioral analytics that leverage the capabilities of both supervised and unsupervised machine learning," explained Saurabh Verma, Director, ICT, at Frost & Sullivan. "The company thrives, thanks to its flexibility to fulfil client requests that rivals cannot commit to, such as developing an agent deployment in addition to its agentless deployment."

LinkShadow’s main differentiator among market competitors is its service bundle, which includes the UEBA, intelligence-driven threat hunting, insider threat detection, and comprehensive management (CXO) dashboard in a single solution. Moreover, unlike other service providers in the market, LinkShadow offers its solution on a perpetual model.

"We are proud to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan and stand out as an innovation pioneer in the cybersecurity analytics space," said Kiarash Jafari, Regional Director at LinkShadow. "The key to staying ahead in the game is innovation, and achieving the highest score in the Innovation index highlights our commitment to making a difference in the industry."

LinkShadow has fueled its success through its unique behavioral analytics capabilities, which enables it to effectively support multinational businesses with a diversified customer base by:

  • Delivering supreme solutions that include threat intelligence, insider threat management, privileged user analytics, network security optimization, machine learning, and statistical analysis.
  • Providing risk scoring, prioritization, application security visibility, and predictive analytics.
  • Providing technical support and training.
  • Identifying market needs beforehand and constantly enhancing customer value by adding new features and capabilities to its service bundles.
  • Establishing strategic partnerships with security information and event management (SIEM) providers and leveraging joint go-to-market strategies.

Frost Radar: User and Entity Behavior Analytics Based on Machine Learning, 2020 provides results from an in-depth analysis built on a 360-degree research methodology where over 20 companies were evaluated. The team of industry analysts identified nine industry leaders excelling at innovation, most poised for growth and ripe for investment, and recognizes them in the Frost Radar with insight into their innovative offerings, projected growth rates, strengths, and opportunities for the future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:
Zuzana Zukarnain
Corporate Communications
Phone: +60192657808                              
Email: zuzana.zukarnain@frost.com
http://www.frost.com

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A Unique Art Tour — London-based V&A Museum Goes Virtual on Kuaishou

BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2020 — The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), a world-renowned museum in London, launched its official account on Kuaishou on August 25th, becoming the first overseas museum to join China’s leading short-video and livestreaming platform.

The next day, the 160-year-old museum made its livestreaming debut on Kuaishou, whose livestreaming service has been embraced by over 170 million daily active users.

Before the pandemic, the V&A received over 1.5 million visitors annually, contributing more than 40% of visitor admissions in London. Renowned as the world’s largest museum of applied and decorative arts and design, the V&A houses a collection of over 2.3 million objects, with 5000 years of art and design history.

For their Chinese visitors, the V&A provided a virtual gallery-travel for Kuaishou’s millions of users, who are blocked from going abroad due to the pandemic. This 2-hour-long special exhibit tour via livestreaming attracted 3.8 million audiences, with 166 thousand users contributing likes.

"The coronavirus blocks physical communications between people from China and other countries but cannot cut the connection and emotion bonding between peoples and cultures. Artistic-cultural heritages are borderless," said Yi Xuan, Senior Director of Kuaishou’s regional cooperation.

"As the leading short-video platform in China, Kuaishou is continuously striving its best to introduce the international cultural-artistic contents via social media in China, enabling users to have a better understanding of the world without leaving home," added Yi.

Guided by Xiao Lang and Li Xiaoxin, V&A’s Chinese social media adviser and Chinese collections researcher respectively, Kuaishou users enjoyed themselves with the museum’s charms and exhibits from India and the Royal Family. Kuaishou also kicked off a Quiz Challenge about V&A to personalize the event and make it memorable for the audience.

Nick Marchand, V&A’s Director of International Business, expressed his appreciation to Kuaishou and the audience. "With the V&A’s reopening, we’re thrilled to welcome audiences back. But not everyone can travel right now, to see them. Thankfully, Kuaishou provides an invisible thread to connect us. While our worlds seem a little smaller right now, the V&A will transport you across time and geography. Step behind the doors of the museum with us, and get close to the extraordinary."

Nick Marchand, V&A's Director of International Business, addressed the online audiences in livestreaming via Kuaishou.
Nick Marchand, V&A’s Director of International Business, addressed the online audiences in livestreaming via Kuaishou.

As the leading livestream platform, Kuaishou has been putting great efforts into pushing the art sector to reach more people. On 14 February 2020, the world-renowned pianist Lang Lang gave a piano demonstration lesson to over 3 million music lovers and fans on Kuaishou via livestreaming, in honor of supporting efforts against COVID-19.

Since the first quarter of 2020, the National Museum of China has rolled out a series of cultural events on Kuaishou. On 5 March, the museum launched a short-video campaign under the hashtag of museum tour on Kuaishou, providing a chance for users to experience the museum. One of these short videos, which exhibited a 1500-year-old Celadon lotus-shape Zun from ancient China, achieved 2.5 million views and over 44,000 likes.

About Kuaishou Technology

Kuaishou Technology develops content sharing platforms and makes content production, distribution, and consumption fast and easy. Our content recommendation system is built on a deep understanding of our users and the content being shared on our platforms every day.

Our flagship product, Kuaishou, is China’s leading short video sharing and social networking platform that enables users to capture the unique and memorable moments of their everyday lives, and to interact with followers in real-time. Our technology offers users a highly personalized experience and encourages members from all communities to create and discover interesting and dynamic content.

Founded in 2011, Kuaishou Technology is headquartered in Beijing with more than 10,000 employees and offices in China, the United States, India and Brazil. Our notable investors include DCM Ventures, Morningside Venture Capital, Sequoia Capital, Temasek Holdings, Tencent and Baidu. For more information, please visit www.kuaishou.com.

  • March 2011 GIF Kuaishou was created as a product tool for creating animated GIFs
  • October 2013 GIF Kuaishou was transformed into a short-form video social platform – Kuaishou
  • January 2015 Kuaishou’s DAU (daily active user) exceeded 10 million
  • September 2017 Kuaishou’s total users exceeded 600 million and DAU exceeded 80 million
  • December 2017 Kuaishou’s DAU exceeded 100 million
  • June 2018 Kuaishou Technology completed the acquisition of Acfun, an ACG video community
  • May 2019 Kuaishou’s DAU exceeded 200 million
  • March 2020 Kuaishou’s DAU exceeded 300 million
  • July 2020 Kuaishou’s Livestream DAU surpassed 170 million

To download Kuaishou, click here.

CONTACT: Zhang Chuanshi, zhangchuanshi@kuaishou.com
Han Xing, hanxing@kuaishou.com 

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Can cybersecurity keep up with flexible work arrangements?

2020 will be remembered as the year the world experienced its largest ever work-from-home experiment as the global pandemic forced businesses to move operations online and adapt to a new distributed workforce.

As some markets around the globe gradually ease some restrictions and allow employees to go back to the office, the situation remains in a delicate balance and work as we know it has been redefined for many. Increasingly, organisations are embracing the new work model and the many benefits that come with it including increased employee well-being and better work-life balance. In fact, some organisations are now establishing permanent work-from-home policies with 60 percent of the largest companies integrating flexible virtual-physical collaborative environments by 2021, according to Bain & Company. This is supported by Lenovo’s Work From Home survey which found that nearly half (46 percent) of employees are as productive when working from home as they are in the office, with 15 percent saying that productivity increases at home.

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The survey also found that 87 percent of workers feel somewhat ready to adapt to a distributed, work-from-anywhere environment if required. So too are cybercriminals. The looming uncertainty among employees of the delicate, everchanging global circumstances, combined with their unfamiliarity with the new work arrangement, has created a wealth of opportunities for cyber-attacks. Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the situation to launch COVID-themed attacks, phishing attempts and spread fake news. In Malaysia, cybersecurity cases have seen a surge of more than 90% during the Movement Control Order (MCO) so far compared to the same period last year, CyberSecurity Malaysia revealed.

Watch for your blind spots

With employees accessing confidential data from various devices, locations, and unsecured networks, it opens more endpoints and vulnerabilities for cyberattacks. In our hyper-digital and mobile world, hardware security is becoming ever more critical, as across the globe, each person is expected to own 6.58 network connected devices in 2020. In fact, according to cybersecurity solutions provider Sepio Systems, there has been a 300 percent increase in the number of new connected devices from unknown vendors attached to the enterprise network.

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While a majority of employees are working primarily from home, it is only a matter of time before they begin heading back to shared workspaces, coffee shops and planes and once again enjoy the flexibility of working from anywhere. This means that an organisation’s network, database and confidential files may be accessed from unsecured VPNs, unknown networks, and rogue access points. Without proper security standards put in place, hackers can easily gain access to an organisation’s network via vulnerable devices and execute attacks remotely. Organisations must take this into consideration and be on the offensive to mitigate potential attacks before malicious entities infiltrate company systems and confidential data.

Adopt a Zero Trust mindset

The nature of a distributed workforce removes the luxury of face-to-face identification and validation. Tech Wire Asia reported that cyber scams based on COVID-19 becomes prevalent in recent months, as hackers look to capitalize on the virus-driven uncertainty affecting individuals, enterprises, and governments. This means that organisations must double down on their efforts in credential and access management and continue to educate employees to identify and weed out impersonation scams and phishing attempts. As hackers grow in sophistication, organisations and employees must take a Zero Trust. In order to protect business and employee data, organisations must implement a system to ensure that the right people have access to the right data at the right time, on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.

Empowering a distributed workforce with cybersecurity

To reap the full benefits of a distributed workforce in the long run, organisations must provide employees with secure devices and create a safe digital environment to operate in, allowing them to focus on the job at hand. This shift to a decentralised work environment means that IT teams must have extended visibility over digital platforms and the organisations digital ecosystems in order to identify and mitigate potential threats in a timely manner.

However, with the shortage of cyber talent and growing digital footprint, this can take a toll on IT teams. IT teams must be supported to enhance their capabilities with solutions that provide both hardware and software security. For example, Lenovo’s ThinkShield solution helps secure devices from development through disposal, giving IT admins more visibility into end points and providing easier and more secure authentication. Lenovo has also partnered with SentinelOne to leverage its behavioral AI technology to predict tomorrow’s attacks today and allow ThinkShield devices to predict cyberattacks and enable devices to self-heal from any attack instantaneously, adding another critical layer to our ThinkShield offering.

As employees have quickly adapted to new work structures in these unique times, organisations must also embrace the risk that comes with it and put in place the right measures and solutions to create a secure and robust environment for employees to operate in. One way Lenovo helps organisations empower employees is by offering services that supports remote workers. For employees who do not have access to IT helpdesks, Lenovo’s Premier Support allows for direct, 24/7 access to elite Lenovo engineers who provide unscripted troubleshooting and comprehensive support for hardware and software. This results in less downtime for end users when things go wrong, freeing IT staff up to focus on strategic efforts.

Only then will organisations and employees be able to reap the full benefits of a distributed workforce and build a stronger digital foundation to effectively navigate and succeed in the new world of work.

The Top Skills a Cloud Architect Needs to Be Successful

As the world rapidly evolves, digitalization is taking place across all aspects of life, and ushering in a rise in cloud adoption. Today, it is vital for employees to understand and acquire the skills it takes to succeed and stay relevant for jobs in the digital economy. Cloud architects must keep up with the pace by adapting and expanding their existing skillset in order to be considered valuable candidates and employees.

As cloud adoption rises, it is not surprising to see growing demand for cloud expertise. Based on the Malaysian Institute of Accounts’ “MIA-ACCA Business Outlook Report 2020,” 25% of organizations in Malaysia say they are allocating at least 10% of their budget for technology, including investing in big data analytics (64%), cloud computing (57%) and more.[1] Yet, research shows that 90% of IT decision-makers report cloud skills shortages in their workforce.[2]

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When I first started out in the IT industry years ago, the role of cloud architect was almost nonexistent. However, cloud adoption has grown considerably since then, and the role of cloud architect is currently in high demand and will continue to present endless opportunities for business growth and innovation.

But first – what does a cloud architect do?

Cloud architects are responsible for managing an organization’s cloud computing architecture. They have in-depth knowledge of the architectural principles and services used to develop technical cloud strategy, assist with cloud migration efforts, review workload architectures, and provide guidance on how to address high-risk issues. To do this, cloud architects need a mix of business, technical, and people skills, as well as an understanding of the always-evolving, technical training that may benefit their team.

At Amazon Web Services (AWS), I lead a team of cloud solutions architect in Southeast Asia, and we are constantly on the lookout for individuals with a builder’s mentality and a desire to build, invent, and innovate on behalf of their customers. This is especially important as the role of cloud architect has evolved beyond just architecting infrastructure solutions like database and storage, to building and innovating reliable solutions that involve emerging technologies such as machine learning.

What skills are most important for a cloud architect?

Flexibility and Eagerness to Learn

A cloud architect must be able to work in a wide variety of scenarios and be open to learn the unique requirements of each project. With a curious mind-set, cloud architects can be better equipped to seek out new approaches to problem solving.

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Time Management

Cloud architecture professionals must possess strong time management skills. Their days are varied and can include customer meetings to discuss problems and needs and designing architectural frameworks for those needs. As such, cloud architects are mindful to plan their days, prioritize their time on tasks, and understand how to maximize small pockets of time.

Communication Skills, Business Acumen, and Decisiveness

Cloud architects are encouraged to ask for a seat at the decision-making table and be prepared to communicate their design to any stakeholder. Successful cloud architects know how to communicate to audiences with little or no technical knowledge, while aligning their recommendations to business imperatives and the bottom-line. Other than that, stakeholders also rely on cloud architects to provide guidance from a calm, leading place of domain authority.

Industry Technical Credentials

A cloud architect must also possess the necessary technical skills to serve as the foundation for cloud architecture planning and management, including basic programming, software development and continuous integration, database, networking and security skills, modern application architecture skills, and more.

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Additionally, cloud architects can attain an industry-recognized certification, such as the new AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification, which validates the ability to design and deploy well-architected solutions on AWS that meet customer requirements.

Over the last few years, I have seen cloud computing evolve from a relatively unknown technology to a leading driver of business results. While the technology has grown and changed significantly, most skills needed to succeed in its use have remained largely constant. By committing to understand how to use cloud to its full potential – and empowering the professionals who make that possible – we can make the most of the tremendous opportunity cloud creates for businesses and employees to thrive.


[1] MIA (Malaysian Institute of Accountants) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), Business Outlook Report 2020, 2020

[2] Global Knowledge, 2018 IT Skills and Salary Report, 2018.

Clarivate Announces Appointment of Stefano Maestri as Chief Technology Officer

LONDON, Aug. 27, 2020 — Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CCC), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today announced the appointment of Stefano Maestri as Chief Technology Officer based in London. Stefano brings over 20 years of technology leadership experience leading technology teams in global organizations within the financial services sector. Stefano replaces Randy Harvey who has announced plans to retire.


A deeply experienced technology professional, Stefano spent the past four years as CTO for the financial services division of IHS-Markit where he led a complex, multi-faceted organizational transformation to support a cloud-first product strategy. Prior to IHS Markit where he spent almost 12 years in total, he held technology and content leadership roles at Barclays Capital, NYSE and Credit Suisse.

Jerre Stead, Executive Chairman and CEO, Clarivate, said: "We are delighted to welcome Stefano Maestri as our new CTO. He brings a wealth of experience as an accomplished technology leader and his experience in the financial services sector will be invaluable. I look forward to seeing him build on the impressive milestones accomplished under Randy Harvey’s leadership."

Stefano Maestri added: "I am proud and delighted to serve as the next Chief Technology Officer for Clarivate. This is an exciting time for Clarivate and for the science and intellectual property information markets. Our global technology team includes deeply experienced leaders who are already building the new products and platforms that we need to be successful in the long term. I look forward to working closely with them to deliver our ambitious vision."

About Clarivate   
Clarivate™ is a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation. We offer subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise that cover the entire lifecycle of innovation – from foundational research and ideas to protection and commercialization. Today, we’re setting a trail-blazing course to help customers turn bold ideas into life-changing inventions. Our portfolio consists of some of the world’s most trusted information brands, including the Web of Science™, Cortellis™, Derwent™, CompuMark™, MarkMonitor™ and Techstreet™. For more information, please visit clarivate.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and any statements included herein may contain forward-looking statements regarding Clarivate. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and may include statements regarding results, anticipated synergies and other future expectations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties including factors outside of the control of Clarivate that may cause actual results to differ materially. Clarivate undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contacts
Tabita Seagrave, Head of Global Corporate Communications
media.enquiries@clarivate.com

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Huawei-Philippine Basketball Association Presents ‘3-Point Shootout Virtual Tournament’

MANILA, Philippines, Aug. 27, 2020 — Huawei announced today its team-up with Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to present the inaugural ‘PBA 3-Point Shootout Virtual Tournament’ for PBA players to compete for a good cause supporting the frontliners. The tournament is happening online starting from 28 August until 27 November 2020 through the ‘Basketball Slam’ app, the official basketball gaming app of PBA downloadable from HUAWEI AppGallery.

Huawei announced today its team-up with Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to present the inaugural ‘PBA 3-Point Shootout Virtual Tournament’ for PBA players to compete for a good cause supporting the frontliners. The tournament is happening online starting from 28 August until 27 November 2020 through the ‘Basketball Slam’ app, the official basketball gaming app of PBA downloadable from HUAWEI AppGallery.
Huawei announced today its team-up with Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to present the inaugural ‘PBA 3-Point Shootout Virtual Tournament’ for PBA players to compete for a good cause supporting the frontliners. The tournament is happening online starting from 28 August until 27 November 2020 through the ‘Basketball Slam’ app, the official basketball gaming app of PBA downloadable from HUAWEI AppGallery.

Each PBA team will nominate two players for a total of 24 players to contend each other. The tournament will take place online from the safety of their homes in a full-court mobile basketball gameplay.

The nominated players will be given five rounds to score as many points as possible with a time limit of 90 seconds at each round where a series of elimination will occur. Round One will kick off with 24 players challenging one another to qualify for Round Two where only 12 players will remain. At the Grand Finale, the top two players will battle against each other to emerge as Final Champion.

At the end of the campaign, the winner of the tournament can nominate a beneficiary charity organization to receive the tournament prize incentive of PHP 250,000.

All of the virtual plays will be streamed on www.pba.ph and Cignal TV, starting from 28 August and 29 October respectively.

Exclusive PBA Merchandises and Huawei Gifts Up for Grabs

The one-of-a-kind Basketball Slam app features an online basketball league where users can choose their favourite PBA basketball stars with real stats and abilities to play against each other.

Active players who downloaded Basketball Slam app from AppGallery and made in-app purchases (IAP) will be eligible to join the social media contest to win PBA merchandises.

Besides, Five PBA games from the popular Season 42 will be available free of charge on HUAWEI Video app starting from October onward. HUAWEI Video users will also stand a chance to win a slew of gift items from both Huawei and PBA. Users can enter the contest by voting for their favourite matches via HUAWEI Video. The participant can vote once a day and receive one lucky draw daily.

Users can visit HUAWEI Mobile Services Official Fan Page for more campaign updates.

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LAIX Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2020 Unaudited Financial Results

SHANGHAI, Aug. 27, 2020 — LAIX Inc. ("LAIX" or the "Company") (NYSE: LAIX), an artificial intelligence (AI) company in China that creates and delivers products and services to popularize English learning, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Second Quarter 2020 Financial and Operating Highlights

  • Gross billings[1] for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB306.2 million (US$43.3 million), a 13.2% decrease from RMB352.7 million for the previous quarter and a 5.5% increase from RMB290.1 million for the same quarter last year.
  • Net revenues for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB269.4 million (US$38.1 million), an 18.0% increase from RMB228.3 million for the previous quarter and a 2.5% decrease from RMB276.4 million for the same quarter last year.
  • Gross margin for the second quarter of 2020 was 71.9%, compared with 65.5% for the previous quarter and 76.5% for the same quarter last year.
  • Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB200.7 million (US$28.4 million), a 24.2% decrease from RMB264.7 million for the previous quarter and an 8.7% decrease from RMB219.7 million for the same quarter last year.
  • Net loss for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB92.5 million (US$13.1 million), compared with RMB197.0 million for the previous quarter and RMB87.8 million for the same quarter last year.
  • Operating cash outflow for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB66.4 million (US$9.4 million), compared with RMB99.8 million for the previous quarter and RMB58.9 million for the same quarter last year.
  • Approximately 0.5 million paying users purchased the Company’s courses and services for the second quarter of 2020, compared with approximately 0.9 million paying users for the previous quarter and approximately 0.9 million paying users for the same quarter last year.
  • Total cumulative registered users were 185.6 million as of June 30, 2020, compared with 179.7 million total cumulative registered users as of March 31, 2020 and 138.8 million total cumulative registered users as of June 30, 2019.

[1] "Gross billings" for a certain period refer to the total amount of cash received from the sale of course packages in that period net of the total amount of cash refunds paid to users in the same period.

Management Comments

Dr. Yi Wang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LAIX, commented, "We are pleased to see the net revenues for the second quarter of 2020 reach RMB269.4 million, an 18.0% increase from the previous quarter and exceeding the high end of our guidance range. Gross profit margin bounced back above 70%, and sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net revenues declined to 74.5%, compared to 115.9% in the previous quarter. Consequently, net loss narrowed to RMB92.5 million, down 53.0% sequentially. Operating cash outflow also declined to RMB66.4 million in the second quarter of 2020, compared with RMB99.8 million in the first quarter of 2020. While the total number of unique paying users decreased sequentially as a result of both the fade-away of the unexpected increase in traffic due to the COVID-19 outburst in the first quarter as well as our stringent cost control in advertising and optimization of user acquisition costs, our gross billings per paying user improved by 50.6% quarter-over-quarter, demonstrating our success in migrating users into targeted courses with higher average selling prices. We believe there is room for further improvement in these metrics in the coming quarters.

"Our improving financial performance reflects our focus and priority on efficiently allocating resources, restructuring the product mix and streamlining our operations. Streamlining our operations involves optimizing the organizational structure, refining marketing channels and enhancing free learning content, in order to drive our company towards profitable growth in the long term. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on product innovation and further refinement of our internal operations, together as our efforts to achieve a healthy and sustainable growth in the long term." concluded Dr. Wang.

Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Net Revenues

Net revenues for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB269.4 million (US$38.1 million), an 18.0% increase from RMB228.3 million for the previous quarter and a 2.5% decrease from RMB276.4 million for the same quarter last year. The quarter-over-quarter increase was primarily attributable to the upgrade of product mix, introducing additional courses and services with higher average selling prices.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB75.6 million (US$10.7 million), a 4.0% decrease from RMB78.8 million for the previous quarter and a 16.6% increase from RMB64.9 million for the same quarter last year. The quarter-over-quarter change was primarily due to decreases in salaries and benefit expenses.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB193.8 million (US$27.4 million), a 29.6% increase from RMB149.5 million for the previous quarter and an 8.4% decrease from RMB211.6 million for the same quarter last year.

Gross margin for the second quarter of 2020 was 71.9%, compared with 65.5% for the previous quarter and 76.5% for the same quarter last year.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB289.7 million (US$41.0 million), a 16.3% decrease from RMB346.1 million for the previous quarter and a 3.6% decrease from RMB300.5 million for the same quarter last year. The changes were primarily due to an improvement in operating efficiency and the optimization of the organizational structure.

Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB200.7 million (US$28.4 million), a 24.2% decrease from RMB264.7 million for the previous quarter and an 8.7% decrease from RMB219.7 million for the same quarter last year. The changes were primarily due to the Company’s stringent cost control in advertising and optimization of user acquisition costs. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net revenues decreased to 74.5% for the second quarter of 2020, compared with 115.9% for the previous quarter and 79.5% for the same quarter last year.

Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB48.5 million (US$6.9 million), an 18.1% decrease from RMB59.2 million for the previous quarter and an 8.3% decrease from RMB52.9 million for the same quarter last year. Research and development expenses as a percentage of net revenues decreased from the same quarter last year, representing 18.0% of net revenues for the second quarter of 2020, compared with 25.9% for the previous quarter and 19.1% for the same quarter last year. The changes were primarily due to the efficiency optimization in personnel management.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2020 were RMB40.5 million (US$5.7 million), an 82.8% increase from RMB22.1 million for the previous quarter and a 45.0% increase from RMB27.9 million for the same quarter last year, primarily due to a one-off impairment loss on leasehold improvement caused by early termination of lease in Wuhan due to changes in business strategy. Subsequently in August, the early termination of lease was confirmed with the lessor. General and administrative expenses were 15.0% of net revenues for the second quarter of 2020, compared with 9.7% for the previous quarter and 10.1% for the same quarter last year.

Loss from Operations

Loss from operations for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB95.9 million (US$13.6 million), compared with RMB196.5 million for the previous quarter and RMB88.9 million for the same quarter last year. The improvement in operating result was attributable to: (i) the upgrade of product mix, introducing additional courses and services with higher average selling prices; (ii) an improvement in operating efficiency; and (iii) stringent cost control in advertising and optimization of user acquisition costs.

Adjusted EBITDA[2]

Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2020 was a loss of RMB77.8 million (US$11.0 million), compared with an adjusted EBITDA loss of RMB182.5 million for the previous quarter and an adjusted EBITDA loss of RMB77.2 million for the same quarter last year.

[2] "Adjusted EBITDA" is a non-GAAP measure, which represents EBITDA before share-based compensation expenses. EBITDA represents net loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. See "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this press release.

Foreign exchange related (losses) / gains, net

Foreign exchange gain was RMB0.1 million (US$20 thousand) in the second quarter of 2020, compared with a foreign exchange loss of RMB2.3 million for the previous quarter and a foreign exchange loss of RMB1.7 million for the same quarter last year. 

Net Loss

Net loss for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB92.5 million (US$13.1 million), compared with RMB197.0 million for the previous quarter and RMB87.8 million for the same quarter last year.

Adjusted net loss[3] for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB85.3 million (US$12.1 million), compared with RMB189.2 million for the previous quarter and RMB81.6 million for the same quarter last year.

Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB1.87 (US$0.27), compared with RMB3.99 for the previous quarter and RMB1.78 for the same quarter last year. 

[3] "Adjusted net loss" is a non-GAAP measure, which excludes share-based compensation expenses. See "Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this press release.

Balance Sheet & Cashflows

As of June 30, 2020, the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments totaled RMB390.3 million (US$55.3 million), compared with RMB459.4 million as of March 31, 2020 and RMB552.6 million as of December 31, 2019. 

Operating cash outflow for the second quarter of 2020 was RMB66.4 million (US$9.4 million), compared with RMB99.8 million for the previous quarter and RMB58.9 million for the same quarter last year.

The Company had deferred revenues of RMB828.8 million (US$117.3 million) as of June 30, 2020, compared with RMB820.7 million as of March 31, 2020 and RMB696.0 million as of December 31, 2019.

Impact of the Recently Adopted Major Accounting Pronouncement

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 "Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326)," which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This replaces the existing incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost. The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2020 on a modified retrospective basis and did not restate comparative periods. The impact of new standard was immaterial to the Company.

Outlook

For the third quarter of 2020, the Company currently expects:

–  Net revenues to be between RMB230.0 million to RMB250.0 million, which would represent a decrease of approximately 12.2% to 4.6% from RMB262.1 million for the same quarter last year;

This forecast reflects the Company’s current and preliminary view on the current business situation and market conditions, which is subject to change.

Conference Call

The Company’s management will host an earnings conference call at 9:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on August 26, 2020 (9:00 AM Beijing/Hong Kong time on August 27, 2020).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States (toll free):

+1-877-396-2308

International:

+1-647-689-5527

Mainland China:

400-048-6136 or 400-043-3098

Hong Kong:

+852-5803-0358

Conference ID:

2666857

Participants should dial-in at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time to be connected to the call.

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.laix.com/investors.

About LAIX Inc.

LAIX Inc. ("LAIX" or the "Company") is an artificial intelligence (AI) company in China that creates and delivers products and services to popularize English learning. Its proprietary AI teacher utilizes cutting-edge deep learning and adaptive learning technologies, big data, well-established education pedagogies and the mobile internet. LAIX believes its innovative approach fundamentally transforms learning. LAIX provides its products and services on demand via its mobile apps, primarily its flagship "English Liulishuo" mobile app launched in 2013. On the Company’s platform, AI technologies are seamlessly integrated with diverse learning content incorporating well-established language learning pedagogies, gamified features and strong social elements to deliver an engaging, adaptive learning experience. LAIX provides a variety of courses inspired by a broad range of topics and culture themes to make English learning more interesting and is committed to offering a fun, interactive learning environment to motivate and engage its users.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.laix.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We use adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.

We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that we include in loss from operations and net loss. We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss provide useful information about our results of operations, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to loss from operations, net loss or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review the historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net loss presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB7.0651 to US$1.00, the rate in effect as of June 30, 2020 published by the Federal Reserve Board.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident," "potential," "continue" or other similar expressions. Among other things, the Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as LAIX’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. LAIX may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about LAIX’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: LAIX’s goals and strategies; LAIX’s future business development, results of operations and financial condition; the expected growth of the education market; LAIX’s ability to monetize the user base; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China; the potential impact of the COVID-19 to LAIX’s business operations and the economy in China and elsewhere generally; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

LAIX Inc.
Harry He
Investor Relations
Email: ir@laix.com 

The Piacente Group Investor Relations
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: liulishuo@tpg-ir.com

Emilie Wu
Tel: +86-21-6039-8363
Email: liulishuo@tpg-ir.com  

 

 

 

LAIX INC.

 UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 (Amount in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and US dollars ("US$"))

 As of

As of

December 31, 2019

June 30, 2020

RMB

RMB

US$

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

281,166

169,248

23,955

Restricted cash

1,816

2,147

304

Short-term investments

269,643

218,953

30,991

Accounts receivable, net

7,360

8,509

1,204

Prepayments and other current assets

86,787

81,449

11,528

Total current assets

646,772

480,306

67,982

Non-current assets:

Property and equipment, net

71,637

45,670

6,464

Investment in equity fund

5,919

6,196

877

Intangible assets, net

15,541

15,776

2,233

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net 

155,525

111,929

15,843

Other non-current assets

8,447

7,253

1,027

Deferred tax assets

15,336

15,336

2,171

Total non-current assets

272,405

202,160

28,615

Total assets

919,177

682,466

96,597

LIABILITIES 

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable 

137,684

102,208

14,467

Deferred revenue

695,971

828,763

117,304

Salary and welfare payable

153,969

130,490

18,470

Tax payable

74,340

75,080

10,627

Operating lease liability, current

37,009

34,973

4,950

Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities

15,444

16,448

2,327

Total current liabilities

1,114,417

1,187,962

168,145

Non-current liabilities:

Operating lease liability, non-current

117,124

77,868

11,022

Other non-current liabilities

12,441

12,839

1,817

Total non-current liabilities

129,565

90,707

12,839

Total liabilities

1,243,982

1,278,669

180,984

Shareholders’ equity/(deficit)

Class A Ordinary shares

208

210

30

Class B Ordinary shares

121

121

17

Subscriptions receivable from founding shareholders

(122)

(122)

(17)

Treasury Stock

(10,730)

(15,327)

(2,169)

Additional paid-in capital

1,167,884

1,184,200

167,613

Accumulated other comprehensive income

29,483

35,874

5,077

Accumulated (deficit)

(1,511,649)

(1,801,159)

(254,938)

Total shareholders’ equity/(deficit)

(324,805)

(596,203)

(84,387)

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity/(deficit)

919,177

682,466

96,597

 

 

 

LAIX INC. 

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Amount in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and US dollars ("US$")

except for number of shares and per share data)

Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30

March 31

June 30

June 30

June 30

2019

2020

2020

2019

2020

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$

Net revenues

276,427

228,338

269,405

38,132

529,731

497,743

70,451

Cost of revenues

(64,865)

(78,799)

(75,646)

(10,707)

(124,555)

(154,445)

(21,860)

Gross profit

211,562

149,539

193,759

27,425

405,176

343,298

48,591

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses

(219,734)

(264,740)

(200,726)

(28,411)

(413,362)

(465,466)

(65,882)

Research and development expenses

(52,882)

(59,219)

(48,482)

(6,862)

(102,961)

(107,701)

(15,244)

General and administrative expenses

(27,895)

(22,139)

(40,461)

(5,727)

(47,942)

(62,600)

(8,860)

Total operating expenses

(300,511)

(346,098)

(289,669)

(41,000)

(564,265)

(635,767)

(89,986)

Other operating income

18

25

4

43

6

Loss from Operations

(88,949)

(196,541)

(95,885)

(13,571)

(159,089)

(292,426)

(41,389)

Other income/(expenses):

Interest income

761

683

366

52

1,062

1,049

148

Foreign exchange related (losses)/gains, net

(1,711)

(2,319)

140

20

(1,012)

(2,179)

(308)

Change in fair value of short-term investment

1,815

517

806

114

3,938

1,323

187

Other income, net

269

682

2,098

297

42

2,780

393

Loss before income taxes expenses

(87,815)

(196,978)

(92,475)

(13,088)

(155,059)

(289,453)

(40,969)

Income tax expenses

(28)

(29)

(28)

(4)

(56)

(57)

(8)

Net loss

(87,843)

(197,007)

(92,503)

(13,092)

(155,115)

(289,510)

(40,977)

Net loss attributable to LAIX Inc.’s ordinary
shareholders

(87,843)

(197,007)

(92,503)

(13,092)

(155,115)

(289,510)

(40,977)

 

 

 

LAIX INC.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Amount in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and US dollars ("US$")

except for number of shares and per share data)

Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30

March 31

June 30

June 30

June 30

2019

2020

2020

2019

2020

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$

Net loss

(87,843)

(197,007)

(92,503)

(13,092)

(155,115)

(289,510)

(40,977)

Other comprehensive income/(loss)

—Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax

14,605

6,776

(385)

(54)

835

6,391

905

Comprehensive loss

(73,238)

(190,231)

(92,888)

(13,146)

(154,280)

(283,119)

(40,072)

Net loss per Class A and Class B ordinary shares

—Basic and Diluted

(1.78)

(3.99)

(1.87)

(0.27)

(3.19)

(5.87)

(0.83)

Weighted average number of Class A and Class B
ordinary shares used in per share calculation

—Basic and Diluted

49,246,017

49,359,565

49,337,462

49,337,462

48,609,846

49,348,103

49,348,103

 

 

LAIX INC.

Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results

(Amount in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and US dollars("US$")

except for percentage data)

Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,
2019

March 31,
2020

June 30,
2020

June 30,
2019

June 30,
2020

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$

Net loss

(87,843)

(197,007)

(92,503)

(13,092)

(155,115)

(289,510)

(40,977)

Add:

Share-based compensation expenses

6,239

7,774

7,241

1,025

19,059

15,015

2,125

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

5,001

7,347

7,781

1,101

7,439

15,128

2,141

Amortization of prepaid interest expense and service fees to loan companies

92

252

Income tax expenses

28

29

28

4

56

57

8

Subtract:

Interest income

(761)

(683)

(366)

(52)

(1,062)

(1,049)

(148)

Adjusted EBITDA

(77,244)

(182,540)

(77,819)

(11,014)

(129,371)

(260,359)

(36,851)

Net loss

(87,843)

(197,007)

(92,503)

(13,092)

(155,115)

(289,510)

(40,977)

Add back:

Share-based compensation expenses

6,239

7,774

7,241

1,025

19,059

15,015

2,125

Adjusted net loss

(81,604)

(189,233)

(85,262)

(12,067)

(136,056)

(274,495)

(38,852)

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2020

– Third Quarter 2020 Net Revenue was $50.7 Million, within Guidance Range –

– Third Quarter 2020 Gross Profit was $24.1 Million, with Gross Margin of 47.5% –

– Third Quarter 2020 Operating Income was $2.5 Million, with Operating Margin of 4.9% –

– Third Quarter 2020 Net Income Attributable to CDEL was $3.0 Million, with Net Income Margin of 5.9% –

BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2020 — China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China, today announced unaudited financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 ended June 30, 2020.

Third Quarter Fiscal 2020 Financial and Operational Highlights

  • Net revenue decreased by 17.9% to $50.7 million from $61.7 million in the prior year period.
  • Total course enrollments were 738,300, an increase of 0.5% from the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
  • Cash receipts from online course registration were $34.6 million, a 31.3% decrease from the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
  • Gross profit decreased by 22.8% to $24.1 million from $31.2 million in the prior year period.
  • Non-GAAP[1] gross profit decreased by 22.7% to $24.1 million from $31.2 million in the prior year period.
  • Gross margin was 47.5%, compared with 50.5% in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] gross margin was 47.5%, compared with 50.5% in the prior year period.
  • Operating income decreased by 75.0% to $2.5 million from $9.9 million in the prior year period.
  • Non-GAAP[1] operating income decreased by 69.6% to $3.2 million from $10.4 million in the prior year period.
  • Net income attributable to CDEL was $3.0 million, compared with net income attributable to CDEL of $9.4 million in the prior year period.
  • Non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL was $3.7 million, compared with non- GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL of $10.0 million in the prior year period.
  • Basic and diluted net income per American Depositary Share ("ADS") attributable to CDEL were $0.089 and $0.088, respectively, compared with basic and diluted net income per ADS attributable to CDEL of $0.282 and $0.281, respectively, for the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Each ADS represents four ordinary shares.
  • Basic and diluted non-GAAP[1] net income per ADS attributable to CDEL were $0.111 and $0.109, respectively, compared with basic and diluted non-GAAP[1] net income per ADS attributable to CDEL of $0.299 and $0.296, respectively, for the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
  • Cash flow from operations decreased by 59.2% to $7.2 million from $17.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019.

[1] For more information about the non-GAAP financial measures contained in this press release, please see "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.

Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and CEO of CDEL, said, "In the third quarter of fiscal 2020, we reported net revenue of $50.7 million, within our guidance range. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to support our students across China with high-quality online professional education at a time when offline classes were suspended, we provided free online courses to students in Hubei province and significant discounts for certain online exam preparation courses to students outside Hubei. Our socially responsive actions resulted in a surge in enrollment in our second fiscal quarter as previously disclosed, effectively pulling forward the demand for our courses and thus dampening enrollment and cash receipts growth in our third fiscal quarter."

"We believe in the long-term growth prospects of online professional education in China, and expect online education will continue to transform how knowledge is delivered and how students learn. We remain committed to serving students with our high-quality courseware and compelling online educational solutions during this challenging time. We are confident that our comprehensive lifelong learning ecosystem will enable us to reach a broad and growing student audience, and extend convenience, flexibility and engagement to their learning experience," Mr. Zhu concluded.

Mr. Mark Marostica, Co-Chief Financial Officer of CDEL, added, "As anticipated, the decrease in cash receipts for our courses due to our socially responsive actions, together with the postponement of certain professional certification examinations, negatively impacted our revenue growth for the third fiscal quarter. In addition, a delay in the publication of certain legal exam preparation books further weakened our third quarter revenue growth. Despite these headwinds, we maintained a disciplined cost structure and achieved a non-GAAP operating margin of 6.2% for the quarter. With our fourth fiscal quarter well underway, we are further impacted by the postponement of a number of core professional certification examinations held in Beijing and several other cities. We remain focused on balancing growth with a keen focus on profitability."

Third Quarter Fiscal 2020 Financial Results

Net Revenue. Total net revenue decreased by 17.9% to $50.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $61.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Net revenue from online education services, books and reference materials, and other sources contributed 78.9%, 12.8% and 8.3%, respectively, of total net revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2020.

Online education services. Net revenue from online education services decreased by 8.1% to $40.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $43.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, primarily attributable to the decrease in revenue from the Company’s healthcare and accounting verticals due to the impact of COVID-19, stemming from the postponement of certain professional certification examinations across China and the aforementioned socially responsive actions the Company adopted, which resulted in a significant decline in cash receipts from online course registration in both the second and third fiscal quarters of 2020.

Books and reference materials. Net revenue from books and reference materials decreased by 33.8% to $6.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $9.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, primarily attributable to the delay in the publication of certain Legal Professional Qualification Examination books, due to the promulgation of new laws.

Others. Net revenue from other sources decreased by 49.8% to $4.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $8.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, primarily due to a significant decrease in revenue from the sale of college-related learning simulation software, and a significant decrease in the provision of offline training courses, resulting from the impact of COVID-19.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales decreased by 12.8% to $26.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $30.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] cost of sales decreased by 13.0% to $26.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $30.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. The decrease in cost of sales was primarily attributable to a decrease in cost of books and reference materials and lecture fees.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin. Gross profit was $24.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, down 22.8% from $31.2 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] gross profit was $24.1 million, decreasing by 22.7% from $31.2 million in the prior year period. Gross margin was 47.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with 50.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] gross margin was 47.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with 50.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2019.

Operating Expenses. Total operating expenses increased by 5.6% to $23.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $22.0 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] total operating expenses increased by 5.0% to $22.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $21.5 million in the prior year period.

Selling expenses. Selling expenses increased by 4.6% to $17.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $17.0 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] selling expenses increased by 4.5% to $17.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $17.0 million in the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by higher advertising and promotional expenses, and the increase in commission to agents.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by 8.8% to $5.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $4.9 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] general and administrative expenses increased by 7.0% to $4.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $4.4 million in the prior year period. The increase was mainly due to the increase in share-based compensation expenses.

Income Tax Expenses. Income tax expense decreased by 77.1% to $0.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $2.5 million in the prior year period, primarily due to the decrease in taxable income in the third quarter of fiscal 2020.

Net Income Attributable to CDEL. As a result of the foregoing, net income attributable to CDEL was $3.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with net income attributable to CDEL of $9.4 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL was $3.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL of $10.0 million in the prior year period.

Operating Cash Flow. Net operating cash inflow decreased by 59.2% to $7.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $17.6 million in the prior year period. The operating cash inflow was mainly attributable to net income before non-cash items generated in the third quarter of fiscal 2020. The increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities also contributed to the operating cash inflow. The operating cash inflow was partially offset by the decrease in deferred revenue and the decrease/increase in amount due to/from related parties.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Term Deposits, Restricted Cash and Short-term Investments. Cash and cash equivalents, term deposits, restricted cash and short-term investments as of June 30, 2020 increased by 2.7% to $133.7 million from $130.2 million as of March 31, 2020, mainly due to the operating cash inflow generated in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 and the drawdown of an offshore loan of $20.0 million. The increase was partially offset by (i) the dividend distribution of $19.6 million, (ii) the repayment of an onshore loan of $2.8 million, (iii) the payment of an investment of $0.7 million and (iv) the capital expenditure of $0.6 million.

First Nine Months of Fiscal 2020 Financial Results

Net Revenue. Total net revenue increased by 0.6% to $144.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $143.1 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019. Net revenue from online education services, books and reference materials, and other sources contributed 75.0%, 10.9% and 14.1%, respectively, of total net revenues for the first nine months of fiscal 2020.

Online education services. Net revenue from online education services increased by 11.9% to $107.9 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $96.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Books and reference materials. Net revenue from books and reference materials decreased by 27.2% to $15.8 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $21.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Others. Net revenue from other sources decreased by 18.9% to $20.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $25.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales decreased by 8.4% to $72.8 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $79.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] cost of sales decreased by 8.5% to $72.7 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $79.4 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin. Gross profit was $71.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, up 11.9% from $63.7 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] gross profit was $71.3 million, increasing by 12.0% from $63.7 million in the prior year period. Gross margin was 49.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with 44.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] gross margin was 49.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with 44.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Operating Expenses. Total operating expenses increased by 9.7% to $69.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $63.2 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] total operating expenses increased by 9.4% to $67.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $61.7 million in the prior year period.

Selling expenses. Selling expenses increased by 15.3% to $52.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $45.3 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] selling expenses increased by 15.3% to $52.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $45.3 million in the prior year period.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses decreased by 4.7% to $17.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $17.9 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] general and administrative expenses decreased by 7.0% to $15.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $16.4 million in the prior year period.

Income Tax Expenses. Income tax expense was $1.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with income tax expense of $2.1 million in the prior year period.

Net Income Attributable to CDEL. As a result of the foregoing, net income attributable to CDEL was $5.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with net income attributable to CDEL of $7.5 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL was $7.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL of $9.0 million in the prior year period.

Operating Cash Flow. Net operating cash inflow decreased by 33.8% to $41.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $61.9 million in the prior year period.

Recent Developments Regarding the Non-binding "Going Private" Proposal

On June 8, 2020, the board of directors of the Company (the "Board") received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter (the "Proposal Letter") from Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, co-founder, chairman of the Board and chief executive officer of the Company ("Mr. Zhu"), Ms. Baohong Yin, co-founder of the Company, deputy chairman of the Board and the spouse of Mr. Zhu and their affiliated entity (collectively, the "Buyer Group") to acquire all of the outstanding ordinary shares of the Company, including ordinary shares represented by American depositary shares (the "ADSs", each representing four ordinary shares), for $2.27 in cash per ordinary share, or $9.08 in cash per ADS (the "Proposal"). On June 22, 2020, the Company announced that the Board had formed a special committee of independent directors (the "Special Committee") consisting of Ms. Carol Yu and Ms. Annabelle Yu Long to review and evaluate the Proposal, and the Special Committee had retained Goulston & Storrs PC as its United States legal counsel in connection with its review and evaluation of the Proposal. On July 29, 2020, the Company announced that the Special Committee had retained Duff & Phelps, LLC as its financial advisor in connection with its review and evaluation of the Proposal.

The Company cautions its shareholders and others considering trading in its securities that neither the Board nor the Special Committee has made any decision with respect to the Company’s response to the Proposal. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated. The Company does not undertake any obligation to provide any updates with respect to this or any other transaction, except as required under applicable law.

Outlook

For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company expects to generate total net revenue in the range of $58.4 million to $61.8 million, representing year-over-year decline of approximately 15% to 10%, respectively.

For fiscal year 2020, the Company expects to generate total net revenue in the range of $202.4 million to $205.8 million, representing year-over-year decline of approximately 4.4% to 2.8%, respectively.

The above guidance reflects the Company’s current and preliminary view, which is subject to change, particularly in consideration of uncertainties related to the impact of COVID-19, including the postponement of certain professional examinations, the schedule of reopening of schools, and the schedule of resumption of provision of offline training courses, among others.

Conference Call

Management will hold a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 27, 2020 (8:00 p.m. Beijing Time on Thursday, August 27, 2020) to discuss financial results and answer questions from investors and analysts. Details for the conference call are as follows:

Event Title:

China Distance Education Holdings Limited Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2020 Earnings Conference Call

Conference ID:

9952634

Registration Link:

http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/9952634

All participants must use the link provided above to complete the online registration process at least 20 minutes in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a participant dial-in number, Direct Event passcode, and a unique registrant ID, which will be used to join the conference call.

A telephone replay will be available two hours after the call until September 3, 2020 by dialing:

US Toll Free:

+1-855-452-5696

International:

+61-2-8199-0299

Mainland China:

400-632-2162

Hong Kong, China:

800-963-117

United Kingdom:

0808-234-0072

Replay Passcode:

9952634

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.cdeledu.com.

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited

China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China. The courses offered by the Company through its websites are designed to help professionals seeking to obtain and maintain professional licenses and to enhance their job skills through our professional development courses in China in the areas of accounting, healthcare, engineering & construction, legal and other industries. The Company also offers online test preparation courses for self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees, and practical accounting training courses for college students and working professionals. In addition, the Company provides business services to corporate clients, including but not limited to tax advisory and accounting outsourcing services. For further information, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expect," "predict," "anticipate," "future," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "estimate" and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2020 and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as the Company’s strategic and operational plans (in particular, the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses; the solutions we adopt to address such impact of COVID-19; balancing growth and profitability; the growth prospects of online professional education in China; as well as the anticipated benefits of our strategic growth initiatives, including the promotion of the Company’s life-long learning ecosystem) contain forward-looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic and annual reports to the SEC, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the potential impact of the Proposal and any transaction in connection with the Proposal, our goals and growth strategies; future prospects and market acceptance of our courses and other products and services; our future business development and results of operations; projected revenues, profits, earnings and other estimated financial information; projected enrollment numbers; our plans to expand and enhance our courses and other products and services; anticipated benefits of acquisition or disposal of businesses, competition in the education and test preparation markets; and Chinese laws, regulations and policies, including those applicable to the Internet, Internet content providers, the education and telecommunications industries, mergers and acquisitions, taxation and foreign exchange. In addition, with respect to the "going private" Proposal, there can be no assurance that the Buyer Group will make any definitive offer to the Company, that any definitive agreement relating to the Proposal will be entered into between the Company and the Buyer Group or that a transaction based on the Proposal or any other similar transaction will be approved or consummated.

Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed or furnished with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Statement Regarding Unaudited Financial Information

The unaudited financial information set forth in this press release is preliminary and subject to adjustments. Adjustments to the financial statements may be identified when audit work is performed for the year-end audit, which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited financial information.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the Company’s consolidated financial results presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, the Company uses the following measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP net income attributable to CDEL, operating income, gross profit, cost of sales, selling expenses, general and administrative expenses, net income margin attributable to CDEL, operating margin, gross profit margin, and basic and diluted earnings per ADS and per share attributable to CDEL. 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 and presented in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures" set forth at the end of this release.

The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance by excluding share-based compensation expenses. However, non-GAAP financial measures may not be indicative of the Company’s operating performance from a cash perspective. The Company believes that both management and investors benefit from these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing its performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management’s internal comparisons to the Company’s historical performance and liquidity. The Company computes its non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making. A limitation of excluding share-based compensation expenses from the above-mentioned line items and presenting these non-GAAP measures is that such items may continue to be for the foreseeable future a significant recurring expense in our business. Management compensates for this limitation by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying table at the end of this release provides more detail on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures.

Contacts:

In China:

China Distance Education Holdings Limited
Jiao Jiao
Tel: +86-10-8231-9999 ext. 1826
Email: IR@cdeledu.com

The Piacente Group, Inc. 
Xi Zhang 
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
E-mail: dl@tpg-ir.com

In the United States: 

The Piacente Group, Inc.    
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1 212-481-2050
Email: dl@tpg-ir.com

 

 

(Financial Tables on Following Pages)

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands of US Dollars, except number of shares and per share data)

September 30, 2019

June 30, 2020

Assets:

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

67,977

83,927

Term deposits

4,954

Restricted cash

38,358

20,241

Short-term investments

22,118

24,550

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of US$1,648 and
US$1,282 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively

7,330

6,182

Inventories

4,232

5,713

Prepayment and other current assets

26,732

30,143

Amounts due from related parties

515

908

Deferred cost

1,427

2,104

   Total current assets

168,689

178,722

Non-current assets:

Property, plant and equipment, net

37,935

40,732

Operating lease right of use asset

30,074

Goodwill, net

74,829

75,704

Long term investments

25,379

25,572

Other intangible assets, net

30,113

24,318

Deposit for purchase of non-current assets

4,448

1,552

Deferred tax assets

3,865

3,713

Other non-current assets

10,092

7,579

   Total non-current assets

186,661

209,244

   Total assets

355,350

387,966

Liabilities and equity:

Current liabilities:

Bank borrowings

38,502

7,199

Accrued expenses and other liabilities (including accrued expenses and other
liabilities of the consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education
Holdings Limited of US$47,280 and US$35,491 as of June 30, 2020 and September
30, 2019, respectively)

38,267

49,950

Amount due to related parties

600

687

Income tax payable (including income tax payable of the consolidated VIE without
recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$6,942 and US$8,188
as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

10,899

8,579

Deferred revenue, current portion (including deferred revenue of the consolidated
VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$71,477
and US$93,364 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

94,202

72,253

Refundable fees – current portion (including refundable fees of the consolidated VIE
without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$24 and
US$435 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

435

24

Operating lease liability – current portion (including operating lease liability of the
consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
of US$3,614 and nil as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

3,967

   Total current liabilities

182,905

142,659

Non-current liabilities:

Deferred revenue, non-current portion (including deferred revenue of the
consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
of US$80,430 and US$33,564 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019,
respectively)

33,564

80,430

Refundable fees – non-current portion (including refundable fees of the consolidated
VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$3,944
and US$2,440 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

2,440

3,944

Long-term bank borrowing

16,000

Deferred tax liabilities

12,695

6,410

Operating lease liability – non-current portion (including operating lease liability of
the consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited of US$24,536 and nil as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019,
respectively)

24,927

Total non-current liabilities

48,699

131,711

   Total liabilities

231,604

274,370

 

Equity:

Ordinary shares (par value of US$0.0001 per share; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 
135,320,433 and 134,210,745 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2020 and
September 30, 2019, respectively)

13

14

Additional paid-in capital

24,507

26,629

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(12,357)

(8,805)

Retained earnings

60,668

46,612

   Total China Distance Education Holdings Limited shareholder’s equity

72,831

64,450

Noncontrolling interests

50,915

49,146

   Total equity

123,746

113,596

   Total liabilities and equity

355,350

387,966

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations

(in thousands of US dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Three Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

Sales, net of business tax, value-added tax and related surcharges:

Online education services

43,529

39,996

Books and reference materials

9,826

6,507

Others

8,392

4,211

–  Sale of learning simulation software

2,665

833

–  Business start-up training services

886

175

–  Others

4,841

3,203

   Total net revenues

61,747

50,714

Cost of sales

Cost of services and others

(20,836)

(19,767)

Cost of tangible goods sold

(9,735)

(6,882)

   Total cost of sales

(30,571)

(26,649)

Gross profit

31,176

24,065

Operating expenses

Selling expenses

(17,043)

(17,828)

General and administrative expenses

(4,947)

(5,383)

   Total operating expenses

(21,990)

(23,211)

Other operating income

665

1,607

Operating income 

9,851

2,461

Interest income

526

582

Interest expense

(703)

(216)

Gain from disposal of an investment

318

Exchange gain/(loss)

1,996

(243)

Income before income taxes

11,988

2,584

Income tax expense

(2,460)

(564)

Loss from equity method investments

(656)

(570)

Net income

8,872

1,450

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

575

1,566

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

9,447

3,016

 

Net income per share attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.070

0.022

Diluted

0.070

0.022

 

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.282

0.089

Diluted

0.281

0.088

Weighted average shares used in calculating net income per share
attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited:

Basic

133,037,866

134,005,063

Diluted

134,342,150

135,441,737

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations

 (in thousands of US dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Nine Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

Sales, net of business tax, value-added tax and related surcharges:

Online education services

96,450

107,939

Books and reference materials

21,632

15,751

Others

25,049

20,322

–  Sale of learning simulation software

9,630

7,295

–  Business start-up training services

2,258

1,826

–  Others

13,161

11,201

   Total net revenues

143,131

144,012

Cost of sales

Cost of services and others

(62,461)

(57,938)

Cost of tangible goods sold

(16,997)

(14,840)

   Total cost of sales

(79,458)

(72,778)

Gross profit

63,673

71,234

Operating expenses

Selling expenses

(45,327)

(52,273)

General and administrative expenses

(17,855)

(17,016)

Total operating expenses

(63,182)

(69,289)

Change in fair value of contingent consideration payable

695

Other operating income

2,434

3,932

Operating income 

3,620

5,877

Interest income

1,714

1,952

Interest expense

(2,294)

(901)

Gain from disposal of an investment

318

Gain from deconsolidation of a subsidiary

6,869

Exchange loss

(104)

(1,154)

Income before income taxes

10,123

5,774

Income tax expense

(2,077)

(1,259)

Loss from equity method investments

(1,019)

(847)

Net income

7,027

3,668

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

457

1,897

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

7,484

5,565

 

Net income per share attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.056

0.041

Diluted

0.056

0.041

 

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.224

0.165

Diluted

0.223

0.165

Weighted average shares used in calculating net income per share
attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited:

Basic

132,946,829

133,808,589

Diluted

134,072,148

135,124,141

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures

(In thousands of US Dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Three Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

Cost of sales

30,571

26,649

Share-based compensation expense in cost of sales

45

Non-GAAP cost of sales

30,571

26,604

Selling expenses

17,043

17,828

Share-based compensation expense in selling expenses

19

Non-GAAP selling expenses

17,043

17,809

General and administrative expenses

4,947

5,383

Share-based compensation expense in general and administrative expenses

503

626

Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses

4,444

4,757

Gross profit

31,176

24,065

Share-based compensation expenses

45

Non-GAAP gross profit

31,176

24,110

Gross profit margin

50.5%

47.5%

Non-GAAP gross profit margin

50.5%

47.5%

Operating income

9,851

2,461

Share-based compensation expenses

503

690

Non-GAAP operating income

10,354

3,151

Operating margin

16.0%

4.9%

Non-GAAP operating margin

16.8%

6.2%

Net income attributable to CDEL

9,447

3,016

Share-based compensation expense

503

690

Non-GAAP net income attributable to CDEL

9,950

3,706

Net income margin attributable to CDEL

15.3%

5.9%

Non-GAAP net income margin attributable to CDEL

16.1%

7.3%

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.070

0.022

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.070

0.022

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.075

0.028

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.074

0.027

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—basic (note 1)

0.282

0.089

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—diluted (note 1)

0.281

0.088

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—basic (note 1)

 

0.299

0.111

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—diluted (note 1)

 

0.296

0.109

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic net income per share attributable
      to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

133,037,866

134,005,063

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,342,150

135,441,737

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic non-GAAP net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

133,037,866

134,005,063

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted non-GAAP net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,342,150

135,441,737

Note 1: Each ADS represents four ordinary shares

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures

(In thousands of US Dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Nine Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

Cost of sales

79,458

72,778

Share-based compensation expense in cost of sales

23

95

Non-GAAP cost of sales

79,435

72,683

Selling expenses

45,327

52,273

Share-based compensation expense in selling expenses

10

39

Non-GAAP selling expenses

45,317

52,234

General and administrative expenses

17,855

17,016

Share-based compensation expense in general and administrative expenses

1,482

1,795

Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses

16,373

15,221

Gross profit

63,673

71,234

Share-based compensation expenses

23

95

Non-GAAP gross profit

63,696

71,329

Gross profit margin

44.5%

49.5%

Non-GAAP gross profit margin

44.5%

49.5%

Operating income

3,620

5,877

Share-based compensation expenses

1,515

1,929

Non-GAAP operating income

5,135

7,806

Operating margin

2.5%

4.1%

Non-GAAP operating margin

3.6%

5.4%

Net income attributable to CDEL

7,484

5,565

Share-based compensation expense

1,515

1,929

Non-GAAP net income attributable to CDEL

8,999

7,494

Net income margin attributable to CDEL

5.2%

3.9%

Non-GAAP net income margin attributable to CDEL

6.3%

5.2%

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.056

0.041

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.056

0.041

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.068

0.056

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.067

0.055

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—basic (note 1)

0.224

0.165

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—diluted (note 1)

0.223

0.165

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—basic (note 1)

 

0.271

0.224

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—diluted (note 1)

 

0.269

0.222

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic net income per share attributable
      to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

132,946,829

133,808,589

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,072,148

135,124,141

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic non-GAAP net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

132,946,829

133,808,589

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted non-GAAP net income per
      share attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,072,148

135,124,141

 Note 1: Each ADS represents four ordinary shares

 

Delta Controls, a Delta Group Company, Wins the 2020 Global Building Automation Systems Company of the Year Award by Frost & Sullivan

FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 26, 2020 — Delta, a global leader in power and thermal management solutions, today announced Delta Controls, Inc., a Delta Group company and provider of cutting-edge building automation systems, has won Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 Global Building Automation Systems Company of the Year Award. The honor by the prestigious market research firm recognizes Delta Controls’ ability to provide superior value to worldwide customers with its industry-leading technologies that offer a full suite of smart features and functionality, as well as with its best-in-class technical support. Delta Controls’ signature O3 Sensor Hub 2.0, an innovative system integrating multiple sensors and IoT interfaces to enable next-generation smart and energy-efficient buildings, served as a key factor in receiving the Frost & Sullivan award.

"Delta Controls exemplifies superior best practices in best-of-breed technology offerings and innovative solutions because it incorporates a convergence of technologies with a dedicated customer service partnership experience," said Neha Tatikota, an industry analyst for energy and environment at Frost & Sullivan.

Mr. Bill Lo, general manager of Delta’s Building Automation Business Group, said, "We are extremely proud of Delta Controls’ passion in always pushing the envelope. They are a tremendously valued part of Delta – enabling us to collectively create a more energy-efficient built environment for a smarter and greener future."

Frost & Sullivan called the IoT-enabled O3 Sensor Hub 2.0  "revolutionary," before concluding "it is beneficial not just for building owners, managers, and occupants, but also accepted by architects, installers, and consultant community as a highly cost-effective installation." The hub utilizes sensor fusion technology for superior room control and to optimize occupant comfort. The ceiling-mounted device observes its environment and reports interior temperature, occupancy, humidity, lighting, heating and cooling – while serving as a connectivity platform for sensing air quality, ventilation, window contact and shade positions. It also supports multiple protocols that allow for integration with nearly any system, including native BACnet, MQTT and REST API for third-party integration and BLE API for custom app development.

"Winning this award is a testament to the hard work, spirit and dedication that shines across our organization every day," said John Nicholls, president of Delta Controls. "Our guiding philosophy is to ‘do it right,’ which fuels our ambition to develop only the most innovative solutions."

Surrey, Canada-based Delta Controls was acquired by Delta Electronics in 2016 to strengthen the company’s building automation capabilities and expand its portfolio of critical smart infrastructure solutions.

To learn about Delta Controls and the O3 Sensor Hub 2.0, visit www.deltacontrols.com

About Delta Controls

Delta Controls is at the forefront of building automation systems. Through our network of partners in over 80 countries, our solutions span the globe. Our focus on innovation and sustainability has made us industry leaders for over 30 years. Delta Controls offers dependable and user-friendly control solutions for buildings in the commercial, healthcare, hospitality, education and leisure markets. As part of Delta Electronics, we are committed to leading building automation into a sustainable future.

For more information, please visit: https://deltacontrols.com/

About Delta Electronics (Americas)

Delta Electronics (Americas) was established 38 years ago and has grown to over one thousand employees in the entire Americas region. Delta has offices, R&D centers, manufacturing, distribution and repair centers in multiple locations in the United States, Mexico and South America. In the U.S., operations are located in Fremont, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Raleigh, Boston and Detroit to better serve its diverse customer base. Outside the U.S., Delta continues to expand its Americas operations in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Canada.

Delta Electronics (Americas) serves the IT, communications, industrial automation, renewable energy, lighting, power tool, automotive electric vehicle and other major industries. Products include power electronics, DC brushless fans, visual displays, industrial automation, networking products, electronic components, consumer products and energy efficient and renewable energy products. The company is always striving to define new ways to improve the energy efficiency of its products through advanced research and product development.

For more information, please visit: www.delta-americas.com

About Delta

Delta, founded in 1971, is a global leader in switching power supplies and thermal management products with a thriving portfolio of smart energy-saving systems and solutions in the fields of industrial automation, building automation, telecom power, data center infrastructure, EV charging, renewable energy, energy storage and display, to nurture the development of smart manufacturing and sustainable cities. As a world-class corporate citizen guided by its mission statement, "To provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow," Delta leverages its core competence in high-efficiency power electronics and its CSR-embedded business model to address key environmental issues, such as climate change. Delta serves customers through its sales offices, R&D centers and manufacturing facilities spread over close to 200 locations across 5 continents.

Throughout its history, Delta has received various global awards and recognition for its business achievements, innovative technologies and dedication to CSR. Since 2011, Delta has been listed on the DJSI World Index of Dow Jones Sustainability™ Indices for 9 consecutive years. Delta also ranked a Climate Change Leadership Level by CDP for the 3rd year in 2019.

For detailed information about Delta, please visit: www.deltaww.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, helps clients accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation, and leadership. The company’s Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO’s growth team with disciplined research and best practices models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages nearly 60 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses, and the investment community from 45 offices on 6 continents. To join Frost & Sullivan’s Growth Partnership, visit http://www.frost.com.

Media Contacts:

Delta Electronics (Americas)
Public Relations and Communications
Richard Chang
+1 (510) 364-8432
richard.chang@deltaww.com 

PAN Communications for Delta Electronics (Americas)
Sean Welch
+1 (407) 734-7330
swelch@pancomm.com

Capture Magnetic Moments With The New DJI OM 4 Smartphone Stabilizer

OM 4 Makes The Most Of Your Smartphone Camera With A Sleek Folding Design, New Intelligent Features And A Novel Magnetic Phone Attachment

SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 26, 2020 — DJI, the world leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, today unveiled the DJI OM 4, a premium smartphone stabilizer that helps capture important moments that pull you in. The rebranded sequel to DJI’s popular Osmo Mobile line, the DJI OM 4, features a highly functional quick-snap magnetic phone attachment system, intuitive operation, upgraded motors, new creative capture modes and a portable folding design. As mobile phone cameras become more advanced, the DJI OM 4 optimizes their technology by helping anyone easily create smoother, higher quality and more visually appealing images and videos. Using high-quality materials, robust motors and the absolute latest in 3-axis stabilizer technology, the DJI OM 4 offers everyone an effortless way to capture compelling content with just a few taps of your finger.

The Smartphone Stabilizer You Can Use Every Day

The DJI OM 4’s folding design makes it portable and convenient to take everywhere and the perfect companion for all of life’s adventures, whether on upcoming road trips, video conferencing with friends far away or memorable moments with family. On a full charge, the DJI OM 4 offers an impressive battery life of up to 15 hours and can also be used as a portable battery charger if need be. With durable, premium materials made to last and easy to use features, the DJI OM 4 will quickly integrate into daily life as the smartphone stabilizer you won’t leave home without. It is compatible with the vast majority of smartphones. Using upgraded motors, it can now support a heavier weight than its predecessors.

"As the DJI OM smartphone stabilizers have evolved over the years, every iteration has made it easier for anyone to add rock-solid stabilization to their photos and videos. With its new magnetic attachment and folding design, the DJI OM 4 again goes farther so anyone, no matter their experience with gimbals, can pick it up and make content that pulls in the viewer," said Paul Pan, Senior Product Line Manager at DJI. "As people around the globe now rely on their smartphones to navigate the new work-from-home world, stay connected with loved ones and showcase their lives, the DJI OM 4 is our phone’s companion we need to make capturing footage fun, smooth and magnetic."

Easier Than Ever Before

The DJI OM 4 transforms handheld stabilizer technology with a new and unique high-grade magnetic attachment design that makes it easier than ever to attach and balance your phone to the DJI OM 4. Two new options allow for quick and easy attachment and detachment of your phone. A sleek, secure and lightweight metal clamp connects to the back of your phone and can remain fixed to it during daily use, while ready to instantly attach to the DJI OM 4. A second option removes the balancing step by sticking an aesthetically designed magnetic mount with ring holder onto the back of your phone allowing snapping onto DJI OM4 even easier. The intuitive design allows DJI OM 4 users to access and control its core features and functions with just one hand. When not in immediate use, the DJI OM 4 can remain in Standby Mode to be easily reactivated at any time.

Capture Content You’ll Want to Share

The DJI OM 4 and the DJI Mimo app work together to help anyone generate top-quality content easily, with pre-programmed shooting modes and professional-grade features that make your photos and videos jump off the screen:

  • ActiveTrack 3.0: Select a subject for the DJI OM 4 to automatically track and let the gimbal do the work for you. Newly updated, the mode features improved distinction between subjects such as adults, children, and pets. Framing during ActiveTrack can now be adjusted by using the dedicated joystick for enhanced control.
  • Gesture Control: Easily start and stop video recording or take photos by using hand gestures to control the DJI OM 4, perfect for capturing an epic selfie or group footage without a finicky self-timer.
  • Pre-programmed Movements and Modes: Take advantage of unique gimbal movements and high-grade image modes that will make footage look like it was shot by a professional:
    – DynamicZoom: A visually appealing cinematic look, the DJI OM 4 automatically adjusts the zoom function to create the dramatic background shift made popular by Alfred Hitchcock.
    – Timelapse, Motionlapse, Hyperlapse: Show the passing of time in a sped-up form using TimeLapse; Motionlapse, which adds set movement points for the gimbal; or HyperLapse to physically move with the gimbal. All three modes use Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) technology as well as the 3-axis gimbal for an added level of smoothness. Easily share these creative videos on social media for the world to enjoy.
    – Slow-motion: Slow down the world around you in stunning detail with the Slow-motion feature.
    – Sport Mode: The DJI OM 4 will respond and follow subjects and movements faster to add a level of action to the scene.
    – Panoramas: Choose from three creative panorama options to capture a wider perspective including 3X3 panorama, 240°panorama and a new "CloneMe" panorama which allows the user to add multiple versions of a person or subject into one shot for a unique and creative effect.
    – Spin Shot Gimbal Movement: Activated in the DJI Mimo app and using the joystick, the gimbal will rotate the phone to give a spinning effect.
    – Story Mode Templates: Choose from one of the preset templates to add a creative spin to your content. The DJI OM 4 uses preset movements, music and color palates for quick videos perfect for sharing on social media.

Useful Accessories, an Intuitive DJI Mimo App

Using a Bluetooth connection, users can easily navigate through the DJI Mimo app to control vital settings, adjustments and choose the various preset modes. Besides the Mimo App, the DJI OM 4 also controls the basic camera functions of your smartphone’s native camera app with the option of more advanced functions depending on the type of phone. Additionally, the DJI OM 4 is supported by useful accessories including a wrist strap, grip tripod and storage pouch.

DJI Care Refresh

DJI Care Refresh, the comprehensive protection plan for DJI product, will be available in select countries and regions for DJI OM 4. For a small additional charge, DJI Care Refresh provides 2 replacement units in 1 year, covering accidents like water and impact damage. The 2-Year plan provides 3 replacement units in 2 years and extends the original warranty period by one more year. Other exclusive services of DJI Care Refresh include International Warranty Service, VIP phone service and free shipping. For details, please visit: https://www.dji.com/service/djicare-refresh.

Pricing and Availability

The DJI OM 4 can be purchased from store.dji.com and authorized DJI resellers for the retail price of USD $149 which includes a magnetic ring holder, magnetic phone clamp, grip tripod, wrist strap, storage pouch and power cable. For more information, please visit https://www.dji.com/mobile/om-4. For local pricing, please visit store.dji.com or an authorized DJI reseller in your country or region.

Additional images and video can be found here: https://bit.ly/3g5sfZ1

For additional information, please contact:
pr@dji.com

Related Links :

http://store.dji.com/cn

http://www.dji.com