DUBLIN and SHANGHAI, Aug. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PDD Holdings Inc. (“PDD Holdings” or the “Company”) ( PDD), today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023.
Second Quarter 2023 Highlights
- Total revenues in the quarter were RMB52,280.7 million (US$17,209.8 million), an increase of 66% from RMB31,439.6 million in the same quarter of 2022.
- Operating profit in the quarter was RMB12,718.8 million (US$1,754.0 million), an increase of 46% from RMB8,697.2 million in the same quarter of 2022. Non-GAAP2 operating profit in the quarter was RMB14,609.4 million (US$2,014.7 million), an increase of 39% from RMB10,541.5 million in the same quarter of 2022.
- Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter was RMB13,108.1 million (US$1,807.7 million), an increase of 47% from RMB8,896.3 million in the same quarter of 2022. Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter was RMB15,269.4 million (US$2,105.7 million), an increase of 42% from RMB10,776.3 million in the same quarter of 2022.
“Technology serves as a pivotal driving force of sustainable, high-quality development,” said Mr. Lei Chen, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of PDD Holdings. “We remain unwaveringly committed to leveraging our resources and technology background to spearhead innovation, champion digital inclusion and generate a positive impact on society at large.”
“Over the recent quarter, we saw a positive shift in consumer sentiment, leading to a rise in demand across various product sectors,” stated Mr. Jiazhen Zhao, Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive Officer of PDD Holdings. “We are deeply dedicated to high-quality development to create values for every party of our ecosystem.”
“In Q2, we seized the opportunities of favorable consumption trends and invested firmly and responsibly,” said Ms. Jun Liu, VP of Finance at PDD Holdings. “Looking ahead, we will continue to invest with determination and patience to execute our high-quality development strategy.”
Second Quarter 2023 Unaudited Financial Results
Total revenues were RMB52,280.7 million (US$7,209.8 million), an increase of 66% from RMB31,439.6 million in the same quarter of 2022. The increase was primarily due to an increase in revenues from online marketing services and transaction services.
- Revenues from online marketing services and others were RMB37,932.8 million (US$5,231.2 million), an increase of 50% from RMB25,223.4 million in the same quarter of 2022.
- Revenues from transaction services were RMB14,347.9 million (US$1,978.7 million), an increase of 131% from RMB6,216.2 million in the same quarter of 2022.
Total costs of revenues were RMB18,689.8 million (US$2,577.4 million), an increase of 135% from RMB7,961.9 million in the same quarter of 2022. The increase mainly came from the increased fulfilment fees and payment processing fees.
Total operating expenses were RMB20,872.2 million (US$2,878.4 million), an increase of 41% from RMB14,780.5 million in the same quarter of 2022. The increase was primarily due to an increase in sales and marketing expenses.
- Sales and marketing expenses were RMB17,542.2 million (US$2,419.2 million), an increase of 55% from RMB11,343.4 million in the same quarter of 2022, mainly due to the increased spending in promotion and advertising activities.
- General and administrative expenses were RMB596.0 million (US$82.2 million), compared with RMB825.7 million in the same quarter of 2022.
- Research and development expenses were RMB2,734.0 million (US$377.0 million), compared with RMB2,611.4 million in the same quarter of 2022.
Operating profit in the quarter was RMB12,718.8 million (US$1,754.0 million), an increase of 46% from RMB8,697.2 million in the same quarter of 2022. Non-GAAP operating profit in the quarter was RMB14,609.4 million (US$2,014.7 million), an increase of 39% from RMB10,541.5 million in the same quarter of 2022.
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter was RMB13,108.1 million (US$1,807.7 million), an increase of 47% from RMB8,896.3 million in the same quarter of 2022. Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the quarter was RMB15,269.4 million (US$2,105.7 million), an increase of 42% from RMB10,776.3 million in the same quarter of 2022.
Basic earnings per ADS was RMB9.64 (US$1.33) and the diluted earnings per ADS was RMB9.00 (US$1.24), compared with basic earnings per ADS of RMB7.06 and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB6.22 in the same quarter of 2022. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS was RMB10.47 (US$1.44), compared with RMB7.54 in the same quarter of 2022.
Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB23,396.0 million (US$3,226.5 million), compared with RMB19,373.9 million in the same quarter of 2022.
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were RMB179.5 billion (US$24.8 billion) as of June 30, 2023, compared with RMB149.4 billion as of December 31, 2022.
Recent Development
Independent Director Appointment
PDD Holdings today announced the appointment of Ms. Ivonne M.C.M. Rietjens to serve as an independent director of the Company, effective on August 29, 2023. Ms. Rietjens has more than 25 years of experience in food safety. She has been a full professor at Wageningen University since 2001 and is currently head of the division of toxicology. She is also an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the chairperson of the KNAW Scientific Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering. Adding Ms. Rietjens to the Board increases the total number of board members to 7, of which 4 are independent directors.
Legal and Compliance Committee
PDD Holdings has formed a Legal and Compliance Committee, chaired by Mr. Lei Chen, which replaces the General Counsel role and function, effective on August 29, 2023.
Conference Call
The Company’s management will hold an earnings conference call at 7:30 AM ET on August 29, 2023 (12:30 PM IST and 7:30 PM HKT on the same day).
The conference call will be webcast live at https://investor.pddholdings.com/investor-events. The webcast will be available for replay at the same website following the conclusion of the call.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses non-GAAP measures, such as non-GAAP operating profit, non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders, non-GAAP diluted earnings per ordinary share and non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS, as supplemental measures to review and assess 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 accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The Company’s non-GAAP financial measures exclude the impact of share-based compensation expenses, fair value change of certain investments, and interest expenses related to the convertible bonds’ amortization to face value.
The Company presents these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by management to evaluate operating performance and formulate business plans. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in its business by excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses, fair value change of certain investments, and interest expenses related to the convertible bonds’ amortization to face value, which are non-cash charges. The Company also believes that the non-GAAP financial measures may provide further information about the Company’s results of operations, and enhance the overall understanding of the Company’s past performance and future prospects.
The Company’s non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. These non-GAAP financial measures do not reflect all items of income and expenses that affect the Company’s operations and do not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. 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. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating performance. The Company encourages you to review the Company’s financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to The Most Directly Comparable GAAP Measures” set forth at the end of this press release.
Safe Harbor Statements
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 business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as the Company’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “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 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 Company’s growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to understand buyer needs and provide products and services to attract and retain buyers; its ability to maintain and enhance the recognition and reputation of its brand; its ability to rely on merchants and third-party logistics service providers to provide delivery services to buyers; its ability to maintain and improve quality control policies and measures; its ability to establish and maintain relationships with merchants; trends and competition in the e-commerce markets globally and in the countries or regions where the Company has operations; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; the expected growth of e-commerce markets globally and in the countries or regions where the Company has operations; developments in the relevant governmental policies and regulations relating to the Company’s industry; and general economic and business conditions globally and in the countries or regions where the Company has operations; 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 SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
About PDD Holdings
PDD Holdings is a multinational commerce group that owns and operates a portfolio of businesses. PDD Holdings aims to bring more businesses and people into the digital economy so that local communities and small businesses can benefit from the increased productivity and new opportunities.
| PDD HOLDINGS INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”)) | ||||||
| As of | ||||||
| December 31, 2022 | June 30, 2023 | |||||
| RMB | RMB | US$ | ||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||
| Current assets | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 34,326,192 | 31,379,326 | 4,327,407 | |||
| Restricted cash | 57,974,225 | 52,055,133 | 7,178,731 | |||
| Receivables from online payment platforms | 587,696 | 1,559,765 | 215,101 | |||
| Short-term investments | 115,112,554 | 148,129,260 | 20,427,959 | |||
| Amounts due from related parties | 6,318,830 | 5,097,426 | 702,967 | |||
| Prepayments and other current assets | 2,298,379 | 2,985,263 | 411,687 | |||
| Total current assets | 216,617,876 | 241,206,173 | 33,263,852 | |||
| Non-current assets | ||||||
| Property, equipment and software, net | 1,044,847 | 1,064,374 | 146,784 | |||
| Intangible assets | 134,002 | 22,651 | 3,124 | |||
| Right-of-use assets | 1,416,081 | 2,121,964 | 292,632 | |||
| Deferred tax assets | 1,045,030 | 1,544,634 | 213,015 | |||
| Other non-current assets | 16,862,117 | 28,325,561 | 3,906,273 | |||
| Total non-current assets | 20,502,077 | 33,079,184 | 4,561,828 | |||
| Total Assets | 237,119,953 | 274,285,357 | 37,825,680 | |||
| PDD HOLDINGS INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”)) | ||||||
| As of | ||||||
| December 31, 2022 | June 30, 2023 | |||||
| RMB | RMB | US$ | ||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||
| Current liabilities | ||||||
| Amounts due to related parties | 1,676,391 | 1,832,025 | 252,648 | |||
| Customer advances and deferred revenues | 1,389,655 | 1,639,290 | 226,068 | |||
| Payable to merchants | 63,316,695 | 60,115,463 | 8,290,301 | |||
| Accrued expenses and other liabilities | 20,960,723 | 30,889,820 | 4,259,900 | |||
| Merchant deposits | 15,058,229 | 16,131,012 | 2,224,568 | |||
| Convertible bonds, current portion | 13,885,751 | 14,431,092 | 1,990,139 | |||
| Lease liabilities | 602,036 | 955,395 | 131,755 | |||
| Total current liabilities | 116,889,480 | 125,994,097 | 17,375,379 | |||
| Non-current liabilities | ||||||
| Convertible bonds | 1,575,755 | 1,634,852 | 225,456 | |||
| Lease liabilities | 870,782 | 1,248,107 | 172,122 | |||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 13,025 | 64,222 | 8,857 | |||
| Total non-current liabilities | 2,459,562 | 2,947,181 | 406,435 | |||
| Total Liabilities | 119,349,042 | 128,941,278 | 17,781,814 | |||
| Shareholders’ equity | ||||||
| Ordinary shares | 170 | 176 | 24 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital | 99,250,468 | 102,681,784 | 14,160,466 | |||
| Statutory reserves | 5,000 | 5,000 | 690 | |||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | 3,322,238 | 6,254,971 | 862,600 | |||
| Retained earnings | 15,193,035 | 36,402,148 | 5,020,086 | |||
| Total Shareholders’ Equity | 117,770,911 | 145,344,079 | 20,043,866 | |||
| Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity | 237,119,953 | 274,285,357 | 37,825,680 | |||
| PDD HOLDINGS INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Amounts in thousands of RMB and US$) | ||||||||||||||||||
| For the three months ended June 30, | For the six months ended June 30, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| RMB | RMB | US$ | RMB | RMB | US$ | |||||||||||||
| (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||
| Revenues | 31,439,568 | 52,280,748 | 7,209,844 | 55,233,257 | 89,917,798 | 12,400,231 | ||||||||||||
| Costs of revenues | (7,961,866 | ) | (18,689,787 | ) | (2,577,439 | ) | (15,121,461 | ) | (29,815,072 | ) | (4,111,686 | ) | ||||||
| Gross profit | 23,477,702 | 33,590,961 | 4,632,405 | 40,111,796 | 60,102,726 | 8,288,545 | ||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing expenses | (11,343,447 | ) | (17,542,209 | ) | (2,419,181 | ) | (22,562,515 | ) | (33,801,897 | ) | (4,661,495 | ) | ||||||
| General and administrative expenses | (825,722 | ) | (596,033 | ) | (82,197 | ) | (1,417,835 | ) | (1,412,435 | ) | (194,784 | ) | ||||||
| Research and development expenses | (2,611,366 | ) | (2,733,964 | ) | (377,031 | ) | (5,279,873 | ) | (5,240,621 | ) | (722,715 | ) | ||||||
| Total operating expenses | (14,780,535 | ) | (20,872,206 | ) | (2,878,409 | ) | (29,260,223 | ) | (40,454,953 | ) | (5,578,994 | ) | ||||||
| Operating profit | 8,697,167 | 12,718,755 | 1,753,996 | 10,851,573 | 19,647,773 | 2,709,551 | ||||||||||||
| Interest and investment income, net | 756,991 | 2,287,741 | 315,494 | 1,553,252 | 3,751,340 | 517,333 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expenses | (13,148 | ) | (11,937 | ) | (1,646 | ) | (25,788 | ) | (23,624 | ) | (3,258 | ) | ||||||
| Foreign exchange (loss)/ gain | (199,349 | ) | 155,717 | |||||||||||||||
