Zhihu Inc. Reports Unaudited First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

BEIJING, June 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhihu Inc. ("Zhihu" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390), a leading online content community in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.

First Quarter 2024 Highlights

• Total revenues were RMB960.9 million (US$133.1 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB994.2 million in the same period of 2023.
• Gross margin expanded to 56.6% in the first quarter of 2024 from 51.5% in the same period of 2023.
• Net loss was RMB165.8 million (US$23.0 million) in the first quarter of 2024, narrowed by 7.4% from the same period of 2023.
• Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP)^[1] was RMB135.7 million (US$18.8 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB120.2 million in the same period of 2023.
• Average monthly active users (MAUs)^[2] were 89.0 million in the first quarter of 2024. 
• Average monthly subscribing members^[3] were 14.8 million in the first quarter of 2024.

"We are delighted to start 2024 with a solid financial and operating performance," said Mr. Yuan Zhou, chairman and chief executive officer of Zhihu. "We made substantial strides toward our break-even target by enhancing operating efficiency and accelerating loss reduction. Furthermore, our efforts to enhance 'trustworthiness' within the Zhihu community continued to drive community prosperity, resulting in significant increases in core users' engagement and retention rates, as well as our DAU time spent. We believe that our AI search feature's emerging potential and the value we continue to unlock across the trustworthy Zhihu community will provide fresh momentum for our sustainable growth and a clear path to profitability for the remaining quarters of the year."

Mr. Han Wang, chief financial officer of Zhihu, added, "We optimized our cost structure and enhanced monetization efficiency during the quarter. Our gross profit margin has improved year-over-year for six consecutive quarters. In terms of operating expenses, we significantly reduced community-related new user acquisition costs and maintained a high ROI across our multiple business lines, while investing prudently in AI. We are confident that with continued strong strategic execution, we will remain on track to achieve our profitability goals."

First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Total revenues were RMB960.9 million (US$133.1 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB994.2 million in the same period of 2023.

Marketing services revenue was RMB330.5 million (US$45.8 million), compared with RMB392.1 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to our ongoing refinement of service offerings to strategically focus on margin improvement.

Paid membership revenue was RMB449.7 million (US$62.3 million), compared with RMB454.8 million in the same period of 2023. The slight decrease was primarily attributable to a slight decline in our average monthly subscribing members.

Vocational training revenue was RMB145.4 million (US$20.1 million), representing a 35.9% increase from RMB107.0 million in the first quarter of 2023. The increase was primarily due to our further enriched online course offerings.

Other revenues were RMB35.2 million (US$4.9 million), compared with RMB40.3 million in the same period of 2023.

Cost of revenues decreased by 13.4% to RMB417.4 million (US$57.8 million) from RMB482.0 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in content and operating costs in connection with the decline in our revenues.

Gross profit was RMB543.5 million (US$75.3 million), representing a 6.1% increase from RMB512.2 million in the same period of 2023. Gross margin expanded to 56.6% from 51.5% in the same period of 2023, primarily attributable to our monetization enhancements.

Total operating expenses were RMB768.2 million (US$106.4 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB729.0 million in the same period of 2023.

Selling and marketing expenses increased to RMB478.0 million (US$66.2 million) from RMB445.6 million in the same period of 2023. The increase reflects our continued efforts in promoting our product and service offerings.

Research and development expenses increased to RMB197.4 million (US$27.3 million) from RMB183.0 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to our increased spending on technology innovation.

General and administrative expenses decreased to RMB92.9 million (US$12.9 million) from RMB100.4 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to lower share-based compensation expenses.

Loss from operations was RMB224.7 million (US$31.1 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB216.7 million in the same period of 2023.

Adjusted loss from operations (non-GAAP)^[1] was RMB193.6 million (US$26.8 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB157.3 million in the same period of 2023.

Net loss was RMB165.8 million (US$23.0 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB179.0 million in the same period of 2023.

Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP)^[1] was RMB135.7 million (US$18.8 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB120.2 million in the same period of 2023.

Diluted net loss per American depositary share ("ADS")^[4] was RMB1.76 (US$0.24), compared with RMB1.78 in the same period of 2023.

Cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments

As of March 31, 2024, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments of RMB5,216.9 million (US$722.5 million), compared with RMB5,462.9 million as of December 31, 2023.

Share Repurchase Programs

As of March 31, 2024, the Company had repurchased 31.1 million Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs) for a total price of US$66.5 million on both the New York Stock Exchange and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the Company's existing US$100 million share repurchase program (the "2022 Repurchase Program") established in May 2022, extended in May 2023, and effective until June 10, 2024. The repurchases made under the 2022 Repurchase Program were covered by the general unconditional mandate to purchase the Company's own shares approved by shareholders at the Company's annual general meetings held on June 10, 2022 and June 30, 2023, respectively.

The board of directors of the Company has approved an extension of the 2022 Repurchase Program until June 26, 2025, which is subject to shareholder approval for granting a general mandate to the board of directors to repurchase shares and/or ADSs of the Company not exceeding 10% of the total number of issued shares of the Company (excluding any treasury shares) as of the date of such approval (the "2024 Repurchase Mandate") at the forthcoming annual general meeting of the Company to be held on June 26, 2024 (the "2024 Shareholder Approval").

The board of directors of the Company further announces that, in addition to the extended 2022 Repurchase Program, it proposes to conduct a concurrent share repurchase program effective until June 26, 2025 (the "2024 Repurchase Program"). The maximum number of shares (including shares underlying the ADSs) that can be repurchased under the 2024 Repurchase Program, together with the remaining number of shares (including shares underlying the ADSs) that can be repurchased under the 2022 Repurchase Program, will not exceed the 2024 Repurchase Mandate, subject to the 2024 Shareholder Approval. The Company's proposed repurchases, if approved, may be made from time to time in the open market at prevailing market prices or through other legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The Company plans to fund any such repurchases from its existing cash balance.

Conference Call

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on June 12, 2024 (7:00 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time on June 12, 2024).

All participants wishing to join the conference call must pre-register online using the link provided below. Once the pre-registration has been completed, each participant will receive a set of dial-in numbers, a passcode, and a unique registrant ID which can be used to join the conference call. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

Participant Online Registration: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10189533/fc960a34f7

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.zhihu.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call, until June 19, 2024, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

About Zhihu Inc.

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390) is a leading online content community in China where people come to find solutions, make decisions, seek inspiration, and have fun. Since the initial launch in 2010, we have grown from a Q&A community into one of the top comprehensive online content communities and the largest Q&A-inspired online content community in China. For more information, please visit https://ir.zhihu.com. 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted loss from operations and adjusted net loss, to supplement the review and assessment of its operating performance. The Company defines non-GAAP financial measures by excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and the tax effects of the non-GAAP adjustments, which are non-cash expenses. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures facilitate comparisons of operating performance from period to period and company to company by adjusting for potential impacts of items, which the Company's management considers to be indicative of its operating performance. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating the Company's consolidated results of operations in the same manner as it helps the Company's management.

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. The use of the non-GAAP financial measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and investors should not consider it in isolation from, or as a substitute for analysis of, our results of operations or financial condition as reported under U.S. GAAP. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the tables captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi 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 were made at a rate of RMB7.2203 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of March 29, 2024 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. 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, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to," or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Zhihu Inc.
Email: ir@zhihu.com

Piacente Financial Communications
Helen Wu
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com 

In the United States:

Piacente Financial Communications
Brandi Piacente
Phone: +1-212-481-2050
Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com