Noah Holdings Limited Announces Unaudited Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2019

SHANGHAI, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Noah Holdings Limited ("Noah" or the "Company") (NYSE: NOAH), a leading wealth and asset management service provider in China with a focus on global investment and asset allocation services for high net worth individuals and enterprises, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2019.

THIRD QUARTER 2019 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Net revenues for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB842.0 million (US$117.8 million), a 0.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2018.

• Income from operations for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB234.3 million (US$32.8 million), a 13.6% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018.

• Net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB191.6 million (US$26.8 million), a 7.8% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018.
• Non-GAAP^[1] net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB353.7 million (US$49.5 million), a 23.7% increase from the corresponding period in 2018.

THIRD QUARTER 2019 OPERATIONAL UPDATES

Wealth Management Business

The Company's wealth management business offers financial products and provides value-added services to high net worth clients in China and overseas. Noah primarily distributes private equity, public securities, credit and insurance products denominated in RMB and other currencies.

• Total number of registered clients as of September 30, 2019 was 288,245, a 21.7% increase from September 30, 2018.
• Total number of active clients^[2] during the third quarter of 2019 was 3,409, a 17.0% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018.
• Aggregate value of financial products distributed during the third quarter of 2019 was RMB13.0 billion (US$1.8 billion), a 53.7% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018, due to the fact that the Company is no longer offering single-counterparty credit products to clients.

• Average transaction value per active client^[3] for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB3.8 million (US$0.5 million), a 44.3% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018.
• Coverage network in mainland China included 307 service centers covering 81 cities as of September 30, 2019, compared with 306 service centers covering 83 cities as of June 30, 2019.
• Number of relationship managers was 1,368 as of September 30, 2019, a 4.2% decrease from June 30, 2019, as the Company removed underperforming relationship managers as part of its operational streamlining efforts.

Asset Management Business

The Company's asset management business, Gopher Asset Management Co., Ltd. ("Gopher Asset Management"), is a leading alternative multi-asset manager in China also with international offices in Hong Kong, United States and Canada. Gopher Asset Management develops and manages private equity, real estate, public securities, credit and multi-strategy investments denominated in Renminbi and other currencies. 

• Total assets under management as of September 30, 2019 were RMB176.5 billion (US$24.7 billion), a 2.4% decrease from June 30, 2019 due to the voluntary accelerated repayments of certain credit products and a 7.5% increase from September 30, 2018.

Lending and Other Businesses

The Company's lending business utilizes an advanced risk-management system to assess and facilitate short-term loans to high quality borrowers, often secured with collateral. The total amount of loans originated during the third quarter of 2019 was RMB1.3 billion, compared with RMB4.0 billion in the corresponding period of 2018 as the Company reduced loan origination in response to market changes.

Mr. Yi Zhao, Group President of Noah, said, "In response to the economic environment and our transformation strategy, we are no longer offering single-counterparty credit products to our clients, which is reflected in the decline of the credit product transaction value in the third quarter. Instead, we are focusing on satisfying our clients' fixed income investment needs with public securities products such as standardized NAV-based bond funds, mutual funds, etc. We believe the distribution of these new products will continue to ramp up and drive our transaction value growth in the future. Despite structural changes in our product mix, we still achieved resilient financial results. Moreover, we believe client confidence is gradually recovering and our standardized products will meet our clients' expectations. Looking ahead, in the face of a rapidly changing environment, Noah will continue to focus on implementing product transformation, expanding its overseas business and building up its comprehensive portfolio of services, in order to further enhance our financial platform to fully service high net worth clients."  

THIRD QUARTER 2019 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Net Revenues

Net revenues for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB842.0 million (US$117.8 million), a 0.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2018, primarily driven by increased recurring service fee revenues and other service fees, and offset by decreased one-time commissions.

• Wealth Management Business
  - Net revenues from one-time commissions for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB149.6 million (US$20.9 million), a 34.7% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018 due to a decrease in credit products distributed in third quarter of 2019.
  - Net revenues from recurring service fees for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB318.9 million (US$44.6 million), a 4.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2018. The increase was primarily due to the cumulative effect of financial products with recurring service fees previously distributed.
  - Net revenues from performance-based income for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB4.3 million (US$0.6 million), a 64.4% decrease from the corresponding period of 2018, primarily due to a decrease in performance-based income from public securities products.
  - Net revenues from other service fees for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB69.6 million (US$9.7 million), an 124.6% increase from RMB31.0 million in the corresponding period in 2018, primarily due to the growth of various value-added services Noah offers to its high net worth clients.
• Asset Management Business
  - Net revenues from recurring service fees for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB200.4 million (US$28.0 million), a 16.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2018. The increase was primarily due to the increase in assets under management and service fees income generated from voluntary accelerated repayments of certain credit products in the third quarter of 2019.
  - Net revenues from performance-based income for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB38.1 million (US$5.3 million), a 78.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2018, primarily due to an increase in performance-based income from certain real estate funds.
• Lending and Other Businesses
  - Net revenues for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB59.2 million (US$8.3 million), a 6.9% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018, due to reduced loan origination in the second and third quarters of 2019.

Operating Costs and Expenses

Operating costs and expenses for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB607.7 million (US$85.0 million), a 7.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2018. Operating costs and expenses primarily consisted of compensation and benefits of RMB394.8 million (US$55.2 million), selling expenses of RMB83.6 million (US$11.7 million), general and administrative expenses of RMB104.5 million (US$14.6 million) and other operating expenses of RMB52.8 million (US$7.4 million).

• Operating costs and expenses for the wealth management business for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB458.8 million (US$64.2 million), a 12.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2018, primarily due to an increase in compensation and benefits and legal fees.
• Operating costs and expenses for the asset management business for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB94.8 million (US$13.3 million), a 2.1% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018, primarily due to a decrease in compensation and benefits.
• Operating costs and expenses for the lending and other businesses for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB54.1 million (US$7.6 million), a 14.7% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018, primarily due to a decrease in compensation and benefits as employees under non-lending businesses were restructured since the beginning of 2019.

Operating Margin

Operating margin for the third quarter of 2019 was 27.8%, compared with 32.3% for the corresponding period in 2018.

• Operating margin for the wealth management business for the third quarter of 2019 was 15.4%, compared with 29.3% for the corresponding period in 2018, due to legal expenses incurred related to Camsing case.
• Operating margin for the asset management business for the third quarter of 2019 was 60.6%, compared with 51.2% for the corresponding period in 2018.
• Income from operations for the lending and other businesses for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB5.1 million (US$0.7 million), compared with RMB0.2 million in the corresponding period of 2018.

Investment Loss

Investment Loss for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB48.4 million (US$6.8 million), compared with investment loss of RMB16.8 million for the corresponding period in 2018. The loss was primarily due to changes in fair value of equity securities and other investments.

Income Tax Expenses

Income tax expenses for the third quarter of 2019 were RMB44.7 million (US$6.3 million), a 27.6% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018, primarily due to lower taxable income. 

Net Income

• Net Income
  - Net income for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB203.8 million (US$28.5 million), which is largely unchanged compared to the corresponding period in 2018.
  - Net margin for the third quarter of 2019 was 24.2%, down from 24.5% for the corresponding period in 2018.
  - Net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB191.6 million (US$26.8 million), a 7.8% decrease from the corresponding period in 2018.
  - Net margin attributable to Noah shareholders for the third quarter of 2019 was 22.8%, down from 24.8% for the corresponding period in 2018.
  - Net income attributable to Noah shareholders per basic and diluted ADS for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB3.13 (US$0.44) and RMB3.10 (US$0.43), respectively, compared with RMB3.51 and RMB3.41 respectively, for the corresponding period in 2018.
• Non-GAAP Net Income Attributable to Noah Shareholders 
  - Non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB353.7 million (US$49.5 million), a 23.7% increase from the corresponding period in 2018.
  - Non-GAAP net margin attributable to Noah shareholders for the third quarter of 2019 was 42.0%, up from 34.1% for the corresponding period in 2018.
  - Non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders per diluted ADS for the third quarter of 2019 was RMB5.73 (US$0.80), up from RMB4.68 for the corresponding period in 2018.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of September 30, 2019, the Company had RMB3,669.2 million (US$513.3 million) in cash and cash equivalents, compared with RMB2,360.1 million as of September 30, 2018 and RMB2,873.7 million as of June 30, 2019.

Net cash inflow from the Company's operating activities during the third quarter of 2019 was RMB220.4 million (US$30.8 million), compared to net cash inflow of RMB449.8 million in the corresponding period in 2018. The decrease was mainly due to changes in working capital.

Net cash inflow from the Company's investing activities during the third quarter of 2019 was RMB440.0 million (US$61.6 million), compared to net cash outflow of RMB203.6 million in the corresponding period in 2018. The cash inflow was primarily due to proceeds from the disposal of various investments.

Net cash inflow from the Company's financing activities was RMB40.6 million (US$5.7 million) in the third quarter of 2019, compared to net cash outflow of RMB16.2 million in the corresponding period in 2018,  primarily due to the capital contribution by non-controlling shareholders of a consolidated subsidiary.

OTHER COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS

The Company also announced today that Mr. Grant Pan has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Mr. Shang Chuang who has decided to depart Noah for new professional pursuits, effective November 30, 2019.

Mr. Pan brings over 17 years of experience to the CFO role in areas such as corporate finance and corporate strategy. He has been serving as COO for Noah's asset management business since 2017. Prior to joining Noah, Mr. Pan was an audit partner with a Big Four accounting firm and assisted a number of successful offerings of China-based companies in the global capital markets. Mr. Pan received his MBA and Master's Degree from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and Bachelor's Degree from Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is a member of AICPA, CICPA and HKICPA.

Ms. Jingbo Wang, Chairlady and CEO of Noah, commented, "Mr. Pan is an experienced veteran in the financial services industry and brings a blend of operational and strategic experience to our finance operations since joining our company. We are confident that his extensive experience with financial service firms will prove invaluable to our finance planning and execution after stepping into his new role. Meanwhile, we want to extend our warm appreciation to Shang for his services during the past eight years in various key roles of Noah. We respect his decision to return to Hong Kong to pursue new professional endeavors and sincerely wish him the best."

2019 FORECAST

The Company estimates that non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the full year 2019 will be in the range of RMB1.0 billion to RMB1.1 billion, the mid-point of which representing an increase of 3.9% compared with the full year 2018. This forecast reflects management's current business outlook and is subject to further change.

CONFERENCE CALL

Senior management will host a combined English and Chinese language conference call to discuss the Company's third quarter 2019 unaudited financial results and recent business activities.

The conference call may be accessed with the following details:

A telephone replay will be available starting one hour after the end of the conference call until November 18, 2019 at +1-877-344-7529 (US Toll Free) or +1-412-317-0088 (International Toll). The replay access code is 10136399.

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at Noah's investor relations website under the News & Events section at http://ir.noahgroup.com.

DISCUSSION OF RECENTLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARD AND NON-GAAP MEASURES       

In addition to disclosing financial results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company's earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures excluding the effects of all forms of share-based compensation, fair value changes of equity investments (unrealized), adjustment for sale of equity securities and net of tax impact, if any. See "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this press release.

The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by the Company should not be considered a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The financial results reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP and reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results should be carefully evaluated. The non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company may be prepared differently from and, therefore, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

When evaluating the Company's operating performance in the periods presented, management reviewed the foregoing non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders and per diluted ADS and non-GAAP net margin attributable to Noah shareholders to supplement U.S. GAAP financial data. As such, the Company's management believes that the presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures provides important supplemental information to investors regarding financial and business trends relating to its results of operations in a manner consistent with that used by management.  

ABOUT NOAH HOLDINGS LIMITED

Noah Holdings Limited (NYSE: NOAH) is a leading wealth and asset management service provider in China with a focus on high net worth individuals. In the first nine months of 2019, Noah distributed RMB65.4 billion (US$9.5 billion) of financial products. Through Gopher Asset Management, Noah had assets under management of RMB176.5 billion (US$24.7 billion) as of September 30, 2019.

Noah's wealth management business primarily distributes private equity, public securities, credit and insurance products denominated in RMB and other currencies. Noah delivers customized financial solutions to clients through a network of 1,368 relationship managers across 307 service centers in 81 cities in mainland China, and serves the international investment needs of its clients through offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States, Canada, Australia and Singapore. The Company's wealth management business had 288,245 registered clients as of September 30, 2019. As a leading alternative multi-asset manager in China, Gopher Asset Management manages private equity, real estate, public securities, credit and multi-strategy investments denominated in Renminbi and other currencies. The Company also provides lending services and other businesses, including online financial advisory platform and payment technology services.

For more information, please visit Noah at ir.noahgroup.com.

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION

In this announcement, the unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2019 ended September 30, 2019 are stated in RMB. This announcement contains currency conversions of certain RMB amounts into US$ at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ are made at a rate of RMB7.1477 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate for September 30, 2019 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of 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," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook for 2019 and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Noah's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Noah 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 statements about Noah's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause Noah's actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: its goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the wealth management and asset management market in China and internationally; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of the products it distributes; investment risks associated with financial products distributed to Noah's investors, including the risk of default by counterparties or loss of value due to market or business conditions or misconduct by counterparties; uncertainty regarding the outcome of the legal actions which are being or may be taken by the Company's affiliates in connection with the Camsing situation, including its ability to recoup amounts extended as financing to third parties and the risk of potential claims by investors; its expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with key clients; relevant government policies and regulations relating to its industries; its ability to attract and retain qualified employees; its ability to stay abreast of market trends and technological advances; its plans to invest in research and development to enhance its product choices and service offerings; competition in its industries in China and internationally; general economic and business conditions in China; and its ability to effectively protect its intellectual property rights and not to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Noah's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 20-F. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Noah does not undertake any obligation to update any such information, including forward-looking statements, as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under the applicable law.

Contacts:

Noah Holdings Limited
Ryan Teng
Tel: +86-21-8035-9221
ir@noahgroup.com

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