Hollysys Automation Technologies Reports Unaudited Financial Results for the Second Quarter and the First Half Year Ended December 31, 2022

First Half of Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Highlights

• Total revenues were $414.8 million, an increase of 12.2% compared to the comparable prior year period.
• Gross margin was 36.1%, compared to 35.3% for the comparable prior year period. Non-GAAP gross margin was 36.3%, compared to 35.4% for the comparable prior year period.
• Net income attributable to Hollysys was $69.6 million, an increase of 57.1% compared to the comparable prior year period. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys was $72.5 million, an increase of 41.4% compared to the comparable prior year period.
• Diluted earnings per share was $1.12, an increase of 55.6% compared to the comparable prior year period. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $1.17, an increase of 41.0% compared to the comparable prior year period.
• Net cash provided by operating activities was $16.5 million.
• Days sales outstanding ("DSO") was 144 days, compared to 173 days for the comparable prior year period.
• Inventory turnover days were 74 days, compared to 48 days for the comparable prior year period.

Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Highlights

• Total revenues were $244.7 million, an increase of 13.2% compared to the comparable prior year period.
• Gross margin was 39.6%, compared to 36.1% for the comparable prior year period. Non-GAAP gross margin was 39.7%, compared to 36.2% for the comparable prior year period.
• Net income attributable to Hollysys was $48.2 million, an increase of 60.4% compared to the comparable prior year period. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys was $49.5 million, an increase of 49.4% compared to the comparable prior year period.
• Diluted earnings per share was $0.78, an increase of 59.2% compared to the comparable prior year period. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.80, an increase of 48.1% compared to the comparable prior year period.
• Net cash provided by operating activities was $15.5 million.
• DSO was 119 days, compared to 147 days for the comparable prior year period.
• Inventory turnover days were 72 days, compared to 50 days for the comparable prior year period.

See the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures" for more information about non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share.

BEIJING, Feb. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: HOLI) ("Hollysys,"  the "Company" or "we"), a leading provider of automation and control technologies and applications in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter and the first half of fiscal year 2023 ended December 31, 2022.

The Industrial Automation ("IA") business kept up its strong momentum with increased market shares and broader market recognition.

In the chemical and petrochemical field, Hollysys continued to win mid and high profile contracts with our good client relationship and competitive positioning. We have successfully signed the whole-plant integrated simulation project of China's largest single set of synthetic ammonia and urea plant, with Hollysys providing MACSV system for the power station. Also, we provided the HiaPlant SCADA system for Zhongyuan Oilfield, the second largest oil and gas field under China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation. The system has successfully monitored production performance, optimized process parameters, and ensured safe production during operation, providing reliable technical support for the project. In addition, we signed a contract for the overhaul and rectification of 16 sets of control systems for 10 million tons of oil refining enterprises of the Branch of PetroChina, providing Coordination Control System ("CCS"), Distributed Control System ("DCS") and Gas Detection System ("GDS"). Since then, the Coordination Control System ("CCS"), Safety Instrumented System ("SIS"), DCS and other systems of Hollysys have achieved a full coverage in various branches of China's oil refineries, power plants, olefin plants and other plants, marking another important breakthrough of Hollysys in the field of control systems for 10 million tons of oil refining enterprises. In project delivery, our innovative technology product Optical Control System ("OCS") has been successfully applied in Sinopec's super-large coal chemical projects, setting a positive example in the promotion and application of this innovative technology in future large-scale petrochemical and chemical projects.

In the smart factory field, we successfully signed the project of automatic control system (providing OCS, SIS and GDS) and factory intelligent management system of Jingyuan Coal Power Clean and Efficient Gasification Comprehensive Utilization Project Phase I. The application of OCS in this project is expected to present the extra advantages the system brought to users. This project is also a localization initiative of Hollysys in the gasifier field, which will further promote our localization impact.

In Rail Transportation Automation ("RTA") business, we maintain our market position. In the high-speed rail sector, the Changde-Yiyang section of the Chongqing-Xiamen high-speed railway, equipped with Hollysys train control center ("TCC"), was put into operation. In the urban rail transit section, we signed the smart inspection project for Line 1 of the Dalian Metro, which represents the first smart pilot project of the Dalian Metro and will put into application Hollysys' edge smart control in the field of smart inspection. Meanwhile, branch lines of Shenzhen Metro Line 14 and Line 6 entered into operation smoothly with the support of Hollysys' industrial control cloud access system, unmanned aerial vehicle detection system and other measures to improve the smartness of the project. In terms of highway projects, we won the weather monitoring related bids successively in Inner Mongolia, Sanmenxia and Shaanxi, providing HOLI "travel in all weather" traffic system that combines cloud and big data systems, enabling accurate inclement weather monitoring and warning, effective traffic emergency response and so on. In the tunnel monitoring and control sector, we also won consecutive bids in the provision of intelligent controllers and smart tunnel integrated management platforms, which demonstrates our dedication to contributing to the smart upgrades in highway systems.

The mechanical and electrical solutions ("M&E") segment of the Company also manifested a stable performance with our smooth executions on various projects. The risk monitor and control are still expected to be our future focus in this field.

With our continuous dedication to the industry and the support of experienced and passionate experts, we believe that we will continue to create greater value for our clients and shareholders.

Operational Results Analysis for the First Half Year Ended December 31, 2022

Total revenues for the six months ended December 31, 2022 were $414.8 million, as compared to $369.6 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year, representing an increase of 12.2%. In terms of revenues by type, integrated solutions contracts revenue increased by 14.1% to $332.1 million, products sales revenue increased by 21.9% to $23.8 million, and services revenue decreased by 0.2% to $58.9 million.

The following table sets forth the Company's total revenues by segment for the periods indicated.

Gross margin was 36.1% for the six months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 35.3% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Gross margins for integrated solutions contracts, product sales, and services rendered were 28.3%, 78.0% and 63.2% for the six months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 26.5%, 74.9% and 65.5% for the same period of the prior fiscal year, respectively. Non-GAAP gross margin was 36.3% for the six months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 35.4% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts was 28.5% for the six months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 26.7% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. See the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures" for more information about non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts.

Selling expenses were $29.0 million for the six months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of $6.0 million, or 26.1%, compared to $23.0 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Selling expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 7.0% and 6.2% for the six months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

General and administrative expenses were $32.5 million for the six months ended December 31, 2022, representing a decrease of $10.6 million, or 24.6%, compared to $43.0 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Share-based compensation expenses were $2.2 million and $6.3 million for the six months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 7.8% and 11.6% for the six months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. 

Research and development expenses were $37.8 million for the six months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of $1.1 million, or 3.1%, compared to $36.7 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Research and development expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 9.1% and 9.9% for the six months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The VAT refunds and government subsidies were $14.0 million for the six months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $10.8 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year, representing a $3.2 million, or 29.9%, increase.

The income tax expenses and the effective tax rate were $7.5 million and 9.7% for the six months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $8.7 million and 16.5% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. The effective tax rate fluctuates, as the Company's subsidiaries contributed different pre-tax income at different tax rates.

Net income attributable to Hollysys was $69.6 million for the six months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of 57.1% from $44.3 million reported in the same period of the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys was $72.5 million or $1.17 per diluted share. See the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures" for more information about non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys.

Diluted earnings per share was $1.12 for the six months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of 55.6% from $0.72 in the same period of the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $1.17 for the six months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of 41.0% from $0.83 in the same period of the prior fiscal year. These were calculated based on 62.0 million and 61.6 million diluted weighted average ordinary shares outstanding for the six months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. See the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures" for more information about non-GAAP diluted earnings per share.

Operational Results Analysis for the Second Quarter Ended December 31, 2022

Total revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2022 were $244.7 million, as compared to $216.3 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year, representing an increase of 13.2%. In terms of revenues by type, integrated contracts revenue increased by 13.5% to $188.9 million, products sales revenue increased by 21.7% to $12.0 million, and services revenue increased by 9.8% to $43.8 million.

The following table sets forth the Company's total revenues by segment for the periods indicated.

Gross margin was 39.6% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 36.1% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. The gross margin fluctuated mainly due to the product and service mix. Gross margin of integrated solutions contracts, product sales, and service rendered was 30.8%, 85.2% and 64.9% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 27.5%, 75.0% and 62.0% for the same period of the prior fiscal year, respectively. Non-GAAP gross margin was 39.7% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 36.2% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts was 31.0% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 27.7% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. See the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures" for more information about non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts.

Selling expenses were $16.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of $2.4 million, or 17.7%, compared to $13.6 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Selling expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 6.5% and 6.3% for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

General and administrative expenses were $19.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022, representing a decrease of $6.2 million, or 24.0%, compared to $26.0 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Share-based compensation expenses were $0.9 million and $2.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 8.1% and 12.0% for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. 

Research and development expenses were $20.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022, representing a decrease of $0.2 million, or 0.9%, compared to $20.6 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Research and development expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 8.3% and 9.5% for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The VAT refunds and government subsidies were $7.2 million for three months ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $5.9 million for the same period in the prior fiscal year, representing a $1.3 million, or 21.5%, increase.

The income tax expenses and the effective tax rate were $3.6 million and 7.0% for the three months ended December 31, 2022, respectively, as compared to $4.8 million and 13.7% for the same period in the prior fiscal year, respectively. The effective tax rate fluctuates, as the Company's subsidiaries contributed different pre-tax income at different tax rates.

Net income attributable to Hollysys was $48.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of 60.4% from $30.1 million reported in the same period in the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys was $49.5 million or $0.80 per diluted share. See the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures" for more information about non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys

Diluted earnings per share was $0.78 for the three months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of 59.2% from $0.49 reported in the same period in the prior fiscal year. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.80 for the three months ended December 31, 2022, representing an increase of 48.1% from $0.54 reported in the same period in the prior fiscal year. These were calculated based on 62.0 million and 61.7 million diluted weighted average ordinary shares outstanding for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. See the section entitled "Non-GAAP Measures" for more information about non-GAAP diluted earnings per share.

Contracts and Backlog Highlights

Hollysys achieved $388.7 million and $193.8 million of value of new contracts for the six months and three months ended December 31, 2022, respectively. Order backlog of contracts presents the amount of unrealized revenue to be earned from the contracts that Hollysys won. The backlog was $861.7 million as of December 31, 2022. The following table sets forth a breakdown of the value of new contracts achieved and backlog by segment.

Cash Flow Highlights

For the six months ended December 31, 2022, the total net cash outflow was $51.5 million. The net cash provided by operating activities was $16.5 million. The net cash used in investing activities was $45.9 million, mainly consisting of $85.9 million purchases of short-term investments, and $24.4 million purchases of property, plant and equipment, which was partially offset by $59.3 million maturity of short-term investments, and $4.2 million proceeds from disposal of a subsidiary. The net cash provided by financing activities was $5.0 million, mainly consisting of $5.3 million of proceeds from long-term bank loans.

For the three months ended December 31, 2022, the total net cash inflow was $52.7 million. The net cash provided by operating activities was $15.5 million. The net cash provided by investing activities was $23.6 million, mainly consisting of $47.7 million maturity of short-term investments, and $4.2 million of proceeds from disposal of a subsidiary, partially offset by $14.8 million purchases of short-term investments, and $14.3 million purchases of property, plant and equipment. The net cash provided by financing activities was $4.1 million, mainly consisting of $4.3 million of proceeds from long-term bank loans.

Balance Sheet Highlights

The total amount of cash and cash equivalents was $627.6 million, and $575.1 million as of December 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022, respectively.

For the six months ended December 31, 2022, DSO was 144 days, as compared to 173 days from the same period of the prior fiscal year, and inventory turnover days were 74 days, as compared to 48 days from the same period of the prior fiscal year.

For the three months ended December 31, 2022, DSO was 119 days, as compared to 147 days for the same period of the prior fiscal year and 171 days for the last fiscal quarter; inventory turnover days were 72 days, as compared to 50 days for the same period of the prior fiscal year and 79 days for the last fiscal quarter.

About Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd.

Hollysys is a leading automation control system solutions provider in China, with overseas operations in eight other countries and regions throughout Asia. Leveraging its proprietary technology and deep industry know-how, Hollysys empowers its customers with enhanced operational safety, reliability, efficiency, and intelligence which are critical to their businesses. Hollysys derives its revenues mainly from providing integrated solutions for industrial automation and rail transportation automation. In industrial automation, Hollysys delivers the full spectrum of automation hardware, software, and services spanning field devices, control systems, enterprise manufacturing management and cloud-based applications. In rail transportation automation, Hollysys provides advanced signaling control and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems for high-speed rail and urban rail (including subways). Founded in 1993, with technical expertise and innovation, Hollysys has grown from a research team specializing in automation control in the power industry into a group providing integrated automation control system solutions for customers in diverse industry verticals. As of June 30, 2022, Hollysys had cumulatively carried out more than 40,000 projects for approximately 22,000 customers in various sectors including power, petrochemical, high-speed rail, and urban rail, in which Hollysys has established leading market positions.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENTS

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements," including statements regarding the ability of the Company to achieve its commercial objectives; the business strategy, plans and objectives of the Company and its subsidiaries; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident," or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements, based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Hollysys' management, are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

For further information, please contact:

Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd.
www.hollysys.com
+8610-58981386
investors@hollysys.com

Non-GAAP Measures

To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, in evaluating our results, we use the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts, non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd., as well as non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share.

These non-GAAP financial measures serve as additional indicators of our operating performance and not as any replacement for other measures in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe these non-GAAP measures help identify underlying trends in the Company's business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the share-based compensation expenses, which are calculated based on the number of shares or options granted and the fair value as of the grant date, and amortization of acquired intangible assets. They will not result in any cash inflows or outflows. We believe that using non-GAAP measures help our shareholders to have a better understanding of our operating results and growth prospects.

Non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts, non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd., as well as non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to gross profit and gross margin, gross profit and gross margin of integrated solutions contracts, net income attributable to Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd., basic and diluted earnings per share, or any other measure of performance, or as an indicator of the Company's operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review the historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin, non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts, non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd., as well as non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share 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 the Company's data. The Company encourages investors and others to review the Company's financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

We define non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin as gross profit and gross margin, respectively, adjusted to exclude non-cash amortization of acquired intangibles. The following table provides a reconciliation of our gross profit and gross margin to non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin for the periods indicated.

We define non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts as gross profit and gross margin of integrated solutions contracts, respectively, adjusted to exclude non-cash amortization of acquired intangibles associated with integrated solutions contracts. The following table provides a reconciliation of the gross profit of integrated solutions contracts to non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin of integrated solutions contracts for the periods indicated.

We define non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys as net income attributable to Hollysys adjusted to exclude the share-based compensation expenses and non-cash amortization of acquired intangible assets. The following table provides a reconciliation of net income attributable to Hollysys to non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys for the periods indicated.

Non-GAAP basic (or diluted) earnings per share represents non-GAAP net income attributable to Hollysys divided by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the periods (or on a diluted basis). The following table provides a reconciliation of our basic (or diluted) earnings per share to non-GAAP basic (or diluted) earnings per share for the periods indicated.

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