BEIJING, May 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (“Kingsoft Cloud” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: KC and HKEX: 3896), a leading independent cloud service provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Mr. Tao Zou, Chief Executive Officer of Kingsoft Cloud, commented, “We welcome 2024 with an important milestone in our journey of high-quality and sustainable development. Our adjusted EBITDA turned profit, arriving at RMB33.2 million, representing an adjusted EBITDA margin of 1.9%. Our revenue has returned to sequential increase for the past two quarters and our adjusted gross margin has been consecutively increased for seven quarters. During the past year, we have been well on track to optimize our business mix, embrace AI opportunities, invest into cutting-edge technology and take strict control over costs and expenses. We have been investing billions of RMB into AI area and for this quarter, AI revenue contributed approximately 13% of revenues from public cloud services, compared with 8% last quarter.”
Mr. Henry He, Chief Financial Officer of Kingsoft Cloud, added, “We are pleased to achieve growth in both sequentially revenue expansion and profitability improvements. This quarter our adjusted gross margin was 16.8%, significantly increased by 6.4 percentage points from 10.4% in the same quarter of 2023. Adjusted gross profit was RMB299.1 million, increased by 53.8% from RMB194.4 million in the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA turned profit, arriving at RMB33.2 million, significantly improved from negative RMB130.5 million in the same quarter of 2023.
In April, we have released our fourth Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report since our listing in 2020, demonstrating our ambitions into the sustainable development.”
First Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Total Revenues reached RMB1,775.7 million (US$245.91 million), increased steadily by 3.1% quarter-over-quarter from RMB1,722.5 million in the fourth quarter 2023. The increase was mainly due to the expanded revenue from AI related customers. Total revenues decreased by 4.8% from RMB1,864.4 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was in line with our expectation along with our proactive scaling down of content delivery network (CDN) services, and more stringent project selection of enterprise cloud projects, while was partially offset by the increase from AI related revenues.
Revenues from public cloud services increased by 12.9% from RMB1,052.0 million in last quarter to RMB1,187.4 million (US$164.4 million). The increase was mainly due to the revenue contribution from AI customers. Revenues from public cloud services increased by 2.9%, compared with RMB1,153.7 million in the same quarter of 2023. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to the growth of AI demands and partially offset by the above-mentioned scaling down of our CDN services.
Revenues from enterprise cloud services were RMB588.2 million (US$81.5 million), representing a decrease of 12.3% from RMB670.3 million last quarter and a decrease of 17.2% from RMB710.0 million in the same quarter of 2023. We keep focus in selected verticals such as public services cloud, state-owned enterprise cloud, healthcare and financial services, and take profitability and sustainability of the enterprise cloud projects as our priorities.
__________________________ 1 This press release contains translations of certain Renminbi (RMB) amounts into U.S. dollars (US$) at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, the translation of RMB into US$ has been made at RMB7.2203 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on March 31, 2024 as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Other revenues were RMB0.1 million (US$0.02 million).
Cost of revenues was RMB1,482.4 million (US$205.3 million), representing a significant decrease of 11.2% from RMB1,670.2 million in the same quarter of 2023. Internet Data Center (IDC) costs decreased significantly by 11.9% year-over-year from RMB872.4 million to RMB768.5 million (US$106.4 million) this quarter. The decrease was in line with the scale down of our CDN services. Depreciation and amortization costs decreased by 18.3% from RMB224.6 million in the same quarter last year to RMB183.5 million (US$25.4 million) this quarter. The decrease was mainly due to previous impairment of our long-lived assets and partially offset by the depreciation of new servers acquired. Solution development and services costs increased by 5.3% year-over-year from RMB423.6 million to RMB446.0 million (US$61.8 million) this quarter. The increase was mainly due to the solution personnel expansion of Camelot. Fulfillment costs and other costs were RMB36.1 million (US$5.0 million) and RMB48.3 million (US$6.7 million) this quarter, respectively.
Gross profit was RMB293.3 million (US$40.6 million), a significant increase of 51.0% from RMB194.2 million in the same period in 2023, demonstrating our improvements in revenue quality. Gross margin was 16.5%, compared with 10.4% in the same period in 2023. Non-GAAP gross profit2 was RMB299.1 million (US$41.4 million), compared with RMB194.4 million in the same period in 2023. Non-GAAP gross margin2 was 16.8%, compared with 10.4% in the same period in 2023. The significant improvement of our gross profit and margin was mainly due to our strategic adjustment of revenue mix, optimized enterprise cloud project selection and efficient cost control measures.
Total operating expenses were RMB567.4 million (US$78.6 million), significantly decreased compared with RMB595.9 million last quarter and RMB792.1 million in the same period in 2023. Among which:
Selling and marketing expenses were RMB116.8 million (US$16.2 million), decreased from RMB126.5 million last quarter and increased from RMB88.1 million in the same period in 2023. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to the increase of share-based compensation and the quarter-over-quarter decrease was due to our strict expense control.
General and administrative expenses were RMB218.7 million (US$30.3 million), compared with RMB294.2 million last quarter and RMB303.5 million in the same period in 2023. The decrease was mainly due to the strict control over administrative expenses and the decrease of credit loss provision.
Research and development expenses were RMB232.0 million (US$32.1 million), increased from RMB175.2 million last quarter and RMB215.4 million in the same period in 2023. The increase was mainly due to the increase of share-based compensation.
Operating loss was RMB274.2 million (US$38.0 million), significantly narrowed down compared with operating loss of RMB342.7 million last quarter and RMB597.9 million in the same quarter of 2023. The improvement was mainly due to our gross profit expansion and we have been taking strict control over expenses, bearing fruit from our high-quality and sustainable development strategy.
Net loss was RMB363.6 million (US$50.4 million), compared with net loss of RMB286.8 million last quarter and RMB608.8 million in the same quarter of 2023. The improvements of our profitability were in line with our strategies of high quality and sustainable development, as we focus on profitable business and execute strict control over costs and expenses.
__________________________ 2 Non-GAAP gross profit is defined as gross profit excluding share-based compensation allocated in the cost of revenues and we define Non-GAAP gross margin as Non-GAAP gross profit as a percentage of revenues. See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” set forth at the end of this press release.
Non-GAAP net loss3 was RMB217.3 million (US$30.1 million), compared with net loss of RMB250.4 million last quarter and RMB412.5 million in the same quarter of 2023.
Non-GAAP EBITDA4 was RMB33.2 million (US$4.6 million), compared with RMB-27.7 million last quarter and RMB-130.5 million in the same quarter of 2023. Non-GAAP EBITDA margin was 1.9%, compared with -1.6% last quarter and -7.0% in the same quarter of 2023.
Basic and diluted net loss per share was RMB0.10 (US$0.01), compared with RMB0.08 last quarter and RMB0.17 in the same quarter of 2023.
Cash and cash equivalents were RMB1,811.7 million (US$250.9 million) as of March 31, 2024, compared with RMB2,255.3 million as of December 31, 2023. The decrease was mainly due to the payment to daily operation and the investment into the procurement of computing power equipment.
Outstanding ordinary shares were 3,580,816,010 as of March 31, 2024, equivalent to about 238,721,067 ADSs.
Resignation of a Vice President
Mr. Yifeng Qian, one of our vice presidents and responsible for operation and management of certain Internet business segments, has recently tendered his resignation from his current position with the Company, effective from May 20, 2024. The resignation of Mr. Qian is due to his other personal commitments and does not result from any dispute or disagreement with the Company. The Company would like to extend sincere gratitude to Mr. Qian for his service and contributions to the Group and wishes him all the best in the future.
Conference Call Information
Kingsoft Cloud’s management will host an earnings conference call on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 8:15 am, U.S. Eastern Time (8:15 pm, Beijing/Hong Kong Time on the same day).
To join the conference, simply dial the number in the calendar invite you receive after preregistering, enter the passcode followed by your PIN, and you will join the conference instantly.
Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.ksyun.com.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial information is prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). In evaluating our business, we consider and use certain non-GAAP measures, Non-GAAP gross profit, Non-GAAP gross margin, Non-GAAP EBITDA, Non-GAAP EBITDA margin, Non-GAAP net loss and Non-GAAP net loss margin, as supplemental measures to review and assess our operating performance. 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 U.S. GAAP. We define Non-GAAP gross profit as gross profit excluding share-based compensation allocated in the cost of revenues, and we define Non-GAAP gross margin as Non-GAAP gross profit as a percentage of revenues. We define Non-GAAP net loss as net loss excluding share-based compensation, foreign exchange (gain) loss and impairment of long-lived assets, and we define Non-GAAP net loss margin as Non-GAAP net loss as a percentage of revenues. We define Non-GAAP EBITDA as Non-GAAP net loss excluding interest income, interest expense, income tax expense (benefit) and depreciation and amortization, and we define Non-GAAP EBITDA margin as Non-GAAP EBITDA as a percentage of revenues. We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance and formulate business plans. We also believe that the use of these non-GAAP measures facilitates investors’ assessment of our operating performance.
__________________________ 3 Non-GAAP net loss is defined as net loss excluding share-based compensation, foreign exchange (gain) loss and impairment of long-lived assets, and we define Non-GAAP net loss margin as Non-GAAP net loss as a percentage of revenues. See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” set forth at the end of this press release.
4 Non-GAAP EBITDA is defined as Non-GAAP net loss excluding interest income, interest expense, income tax expense (benefit) and depreciation and amortization, and we define Non-GAAP EBITDA margin as Non-GAAP EBITDA as a percentage of revenues. See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” set forth at the end of this press release.
These non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. One of the key limitations of using these non-GAAP financial measures is that they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect our operations. Further, these non-GAAP measures may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited.
We compensate for these limitations by reconciling these non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating our performance. We encourage you to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Exchange Rate Information
This press release contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars, in this press release, were made at a rate of RMB7.2203 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on March 31, 2024 as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
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,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook, and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Kingsoft Cloud’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Kingsoft Cloud may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), 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 Kingsoft Cloud’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: Kingsoft Cloud’s goals and strategies; Kingsoft Cloud’s future business development, results of operations and financial condition; relevant government policies and regulations relating to Kingsoft Cloud’s business and industry; the expected growth of the cloud service market in China; the expectation regarding the rate at which to gain customers, especially Premium Customers; Kingsoft Cloud’s ability to monetize the customer base; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China; and the economy in China and elsewhere generally; China’s political or social conditions and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Kingsoft Cloud’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Kingsoft Cloud does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
About Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited
Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: KC and HKEX:3896) is a leading independent cloud service provider in China. With extensive cloud infrastructure, cutting-edge cloud-native products based on vigorous cloud technology research and development capabilities, well-architected industry-specific solutions and end-to-end fulfillment and deployment, Kingsoft Cloud offers comprehensive, reliable and trusted cloud service to customers in strategically selected verticals.
