WuXi AppTec Reports Third-Quarter 2019 Results

Revenue Accelerated 34.7% Year-Over-Year to RMB 3,384 Million

Gross Profit Up 31.5% Year-Over-Year to RMB 1,377 Million[1]

Adjusted EBITDA Up 51.6% Year-Over-Year to RMB 1,107 Million

Adjusted Non-IFRS Net Profit Attributable to Owners of the Company Up 50.2% Year-Over-Year to RMB 664 Million

WuXi AppTec Year-to-Date as of September 30, 2019 Results

Revenue Accelerated 34.1% Year-Over-Year to RMB 9,279 Million

Gross Profit Up 30.6% Year-Over-Year to RMB 3,660 Million[2]

Adjusted EBITDA Up 41.0% Year-Over-Year to RMB 3,006 Million

Adjusted Non-IFRS Net Profit Attributable to Owners of the Company Up 38.0% Year-Over-Year to RMB 1,842 Million

News provided by

WuXi AppTec

Oct 30, 2019, 08:03 ET

SHANGHAI, Oct. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd. (stock code: 603259.SH / 2359.HK), a company that provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries worldwide to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients, announces its financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2019 ("Reporting Period").

This document serves purely as a summary and is not intended to provide a complete representation of the relevant matters. For further information, please refer to the 2019 third quarterly report and relevant announcements published on the websites of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (www.sse.com.cn) and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (www.hkexnews.hk), and the designated media for dissemination of the relevant information. Investors are advised to exercise caution and be aware of the investment risks in dealing in the shares of the Company.

All financials disclosed in this press release are prepared based on International Financial Reporting Standards (or "IFRSs").

The 2019 Third-Quarter Report of the Company has not been audited.

Third-Quarter 2019 Financial Highlights

Accelerated revenue growth of 34.7% year-over-year to RMB 3,384 million, which was broad-based across all our business segments.
Gross profit grew 31.5% year-over-year to RMB 1,377 million. Gross profit margin was 40.7%.^[3]
EBITDA grew 22.0% Year-Over-Year to RMB 1,155 million.
Adjusted EBITDA grew 51.6% Year-Over-Year to RMB 1,107 million.
Adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company grew 50.2% year-over-year to RMB 664 million.
Net profit attributable to owners of the Company grew 7.9% year-over-year to RMB 708 million. Net profit growth rate was slower than revenue growth rate due to RMB 227 million decrease in fair value gain of our investment portfolio from RMB 237 million in the third quarter of 2018 to RMB 10 million in the same period this year.
Adjusted diluted non-IFRS EPS increased by 36.7% versus the same period last year while diluted EPS was down 4.4%.^[4]

Year-to-Date 2019 Financial Highlights

Accelerated revenue growth of 34.1% year-over-year to RMB 9,279 million.
Gross profit grew 30.6% year-over-year to RMB 3,660 million. Gross profit margin was 39.5%.^[5]
EBITDA grew 7.3% Year-Over-Year to RMB 2,914 million.
Adjusted EBITDA grew 41.0% Year-Over-Year to RMB 3,006 million.
Adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company grew 38.0% year-over-year to RMB 1,842 million.
Net profit attributable to owners of the Company was lower 8.5% year-over-year to RMB 1,765 million, due to a RMB 45 million loss from changes in fair value of our investment portfolio for the first nine months of 2019, versus a RMB 669 million gain in the same period last year.
Adjusted diluted non-IFRS EPS increased by 17.7% versus the same period last year while diluted EPS was down 22.5%.^[6]

Management Comment

Mr. Edward Hu, Co-CEO of WuXi AppTec, said, "Our growth continued to accelerate for the third quarter of 2019. In addition, we continue to focus on customer development and business conversion with a strategy of following the projects and following the molecules, leveraging synergies across all our business segments. For the nine months ended September 30, we have gained over 900 new customers and our number of active customers now exceed 3,700."

Mr. Edward Hu further commented, "During the Reporting Period, our success-based drug discovery unit filed INDs for 16 new-chemical-entities for domestic customers with the China National Medical Products Administration and obtained 20 CTAs. As of September 30, 2019, we have cumulatively submitted 71 new-chemical-entity IND filings with the NMPA for our customers and obtained 54 CTAs. As of September 30, 2019, our small molecule CDMO/CMO pipeline has grown to more than 900 active projects, including 40 projects in Phase III clinical trials and 17 in commercial manufacturing, and our cell and gene therapies CDMO business provided services for 33 clinical stage projects, including 24 projects in Phase I and 9 projects in Phase II/III. In September 2019, we also completed the issuance of USD 300 million zero-coupon convertible bonds, providing the Company with a strong balance sheet for investments, business expansion and potential M&A."

Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi AppTec, stated, "Our business model and the platform we have built continue to perform well. We continue to invest in new capabilities and capacities and believe these investments will allow the company to sustain our long term growth. We will continue to focus on enabling global partners and assisting them to bring the best medicines to patients in need, and to realize our vision that 'every drug can be made and every disease can be treated'."

Third-Quarter 2019 IFRS Results

Revenue increased 34.7% year-over-year to RMB 3,384 million.
Gross profit increased 31.5% year-over-year to RMB 1,377 million. Gross profit margin was 40.7%, slightly lower than 41.7% in the three months ended September 30, 2018.^[7]
EBITDA increased 22.0% Year-Over-Year to RMB 1,155 million.
Net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 7.9% year-over-year to RMB 708 million. Net profit growth rate was slower than revenue growth rate, mainly due to a RMB 10 million gain in fair value of our investment portfolio for the third quarter of 2019, compared with a RMB 237 million gain in the same period last year which was primarily due to Hua Medicine and Unity Biotechnology stock price change after the IPO. Excluding the impact of changes in fair value of our investment portfolio, the net profit attributable to owners of the Company in the current period increased by 66.4% compared with the same period last year.

Third-Quarter 2019 Non-IFRS Results

Third-Quarter 2019 non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 9.9% year-over-year to RMB 739 million. This adjusts for share-based compensation expenses, listing expenses and convertible bonds issuance expenses, distribution expenses for convertible bonds, foreign exchange-related effects and amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations.

Third-Quarter 2019 Adjusted Non-IFRS Results

Excluding realized/unrealized gains or losses from our venture investments and realized/unrealized gains or losses from our joint ventures, Third-Quarter 2019 adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 50.2% year-over-year to RMB 664 million.

Year-to-Date 2019 IFRS Results

Revenue increased 34.1% year-over-year to RMB 9,279 million.
Gross profit increased 30.6% year-over-year to RMB 3,660 million. Gross profit margin was 39.5%, slightly lower than 40.5% in the nine months ended September 30, 2018.^[8]
EBITDA increased 7.3% Year-Over-Year to RMB 2,914 million.
Net profit attributable to owners of the Company decreased 8.5% year-over-year to RMB 1,765 million, mainly due to a RMB 45 million loss in fair value of our investment portfolio for the first nine months of 2019, compared with a RMB 669 million gain in the same period last year which was primarily due to Hua Medicine and Unity Biotechnology stock price change after the IPO. Excluding the impact of changes in fair value of our investment portfolio, the net profit attributable to owners of the Company in the current period increased by 43.7% compared with the same period last year.

Year-to-Date 2019 Non-IFRS Results

Year-to-Date 2019 non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company decreased 3.9% year-over-year to RMB 1,952 million. This adjusts for share-based compensation expenses, listing expenses and convertible bonds issuance expenses, distribution expenses for convertible bonds, foreign exchange-related effects and amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations.

Year-to-Date 2019 Adjusted Non-IFRS Results

Excluding realized/unrealized gains or losses from our venture investments and realized/unrealized gains or losses from our joint ventures, Year-to-Date 2019 adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 38.0% year-over-year to RMB 1,842 million.

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS and Adjusted Non-IFRS Net Profit Attributable to Owners of the Company^[9]

RMB Million	Three Months Ended September 30, 2019	Three Months Ended September 30, 2018	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018
Profit Attributable to the owners of the Company	708.4	656.5	1,765.1	1,928.4
Add:
Share-based compensation expenses	25.8	5.4	88.5	21.3
Listing and convertible bonds issuance expenses	3.2	2.7	3.2	9.1
Foreign exchange related gains/losses	(6.2)	2.3	75.2	58.4
Amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations	7.4	5.4	19.8	13.4
Non-IFRS Net Profit Attributable the owners of the Company	738.6	672.3	1,951.8	2,030.6
Add:
Realized and unrealized gains from venture investments	(84.9)	(230.2)	(139.6)	(704.5)
Realized and unrealized share of losses of joint ventures	10.0	(0.1)	30.2	8.7
Adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to the owners of the Company	663.8	441.9	1,842.4	1,334.8

EBITDA ^[10]

RMB Million	Three Months Ended September 30, 2019	Three Months Ended September 30, 2018	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018
Profit before tax	864.5	753.7	2,146.0	2,178.7
Add:
Interest expense^[11]	34.4	23.4	67.1	69.0
Depreciation and amortization^[11]	256.3	169.9	700.5	468.8
EBITDA	1,155.1	947.0	2,913.6	2,716.5
% EBITDA margin	34.1%	37.7%	31.4%	39.2%
Add:
Share-based compensation expenses	30.5	6.4	105.8	24.7
Listing expenses for offering of our A Shares and H Shares	-	2.8	-	10.1
Foreign exchange related gains/losses	(3.9)	4.2	95.6	76.9
Realized and unrealized gains from venture investments	(84.9)	(230.2)	(139.6)	(704.5)
Realized and unrealized share of losses of joint ventures	10.0	(0.1)	30.2	8.7
Adjusted EBITDA	1,106.9	730.2	3,005.7	2,132.3
% Adjusted EBITDA margin	32.7%	29.1%	32.4%	30.8%

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss^[12]

RMB million	Three Months Ended September 30, 2019	Three Months Ended September 30, 2018	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018	YoY Change

Revenue	3,384.2	2,511.9	9,278.5	6,921.1	34.1%
Cost of services	(2,007.3)	(1,464.7)	(5,618.0)	(4,117.8)	36.4%
Gross profit	1,376.9	1,047.2	3,660.5	2,803.3	30.6%
Other income	53.9	33.1	178.8	87.9	103.5%
Other gains and losses	76.9	270.7	54.4	660.4	-91.8%
Impairment losses under expected credit losses ("ECL") model, net of reversal	(8.9)	(5.8)	(10.0)	(0.2)	6,272.5%
Selling and marketing expenses	(104.7)	(80.3)	(313.2)	(233.0)	34.4%
Administrative expenses	(376.7)	(349.3)	(1,047.9)	(784.6)	33.6%
Research and development expenses	(170.7)	(119.5)	(414.3)	(297.0)	39.5%
Operating Profit	846.7	796.1	2,108.1	2,236.8	-5.8%
Share of profits (losses) of associates	62.2	(19.1)	135.2	19.6	591.2%
Share of losses of joint ventures	(10.0)	0.1	(30.2)	(8.7)	248.8%
Finance costs	(34.4)	(23.4)	(67.1)	(69.0)	-2.7%
Profit before tax	864.5	753.7	2,146.0	2,178.7	-1.5%
Income tax expense	(151.0)	(78.6)	(327.5)	(199.6)	64.1%
Profit for the period	713.5	675.1	1,818.4	1,979.2	-8.1%

Attributable to:
Owners of the Company	708.4	656.5	1,765.1	1,928.4	-8.5%
Non-controlling interests	5.1	18.6	53.3	50.8	4.9%
	713.5	675.1	1,818.4	1,979.2	-8.1%

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss (continued)^[13]

RMB	Three Months Ended September 30, 2019	Three Months Ended September 30, 2018	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018	YoY Change

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of calculating (express in shares)
– Basic	1,631,793,331	1,458,779,778	1,631,637,398	1,393,588,887	17.1%
– Diluted	1,633,985,396	1,458,779,778	1,633,799,864	1,393,588,887	17.2%

Earnings per share attributable to ordinary equity holders of the parent (expressed in RMB per share) ^[14]
– Basic	0.43	0.46	1.08	1.39	-22.3%
– Diluted	0.43	0.45	1.07	1.38	-22.5%

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position^[15]

RMB million	September 30,	December 31,
	2019	2018

Non-current Assets
Property, plant and equipment	7,227.9	6,057.6
Right of use assets	1,113.8	-
Biological assets	77.5	-
Goodwill	1,262.6	1,144.1
Other intangible assets	427.1	347.9
Prepaid lease payments	-	272.3
Interest in associates	895.6	618.7
Interest in joint ventures	32.8	36.8
Deferred tax assets	298.5	250.2
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss ("FVTPL")	3,657.7	2,079.3
Other non-current assets	72.7	47.4
	15,066.1	10,854.4

Current Assets
Inventories	1,132.6	854.8
Contract costs	130.7	97.7
Amounts due from related parties	8.1	13.9
Trade and other receivables	3,559.1	2,498.7
Contract assets	301.3	384.5
Prepaid lease payments	-	6.2
Income tax recoverable	5.7	34.0
Financial assets at FVTPL	2,523.7	2,125.3
Derivative financial instruments	0.4	37.1
Pledged bank deposits	4.2	2.9
Bank balances and cash	4,638.4	5,757.7
	12,304.3	11,812.8

Total Assets	27,370.4	22,667.2

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position (continued)^[16]

RMB million	September 30, 2019	December 31, 2018

Current Liabilities
Trade and other payables	2,764.5	2,610.6
Amounts due to related parties	11.9	12.0
Derivative financial instruments	291.5	153.3
Contract liabilities	757.3	681.9
Borrowings	1,403.7	120.0
Income tax payables	245.7	184.3
Financial liabilities at FVTPL	18.1	-
Lease liabilities	109.0	-
	5,601.8	3,762.1

Non-current Liabilities
Borrowings	815.0	15.0
Convertible bonds	1,883.5	-
Deferred tax liabilities	161.5	111.7
Deferred income	548.1	418.8
Other long-term liabilities	94.2	194.3
Derivative financial instruments	202.6	-
Financial liabilities at FVTPL	15.2	-
Lease liabilities	736.3	-
Total Non-current liabilities	4,456.4	739.9

Total Liabilities	10,058.2	4,502.0

Net Assets	17,312.2	18,165.2

Capital and Reserves
Share capital	1,637.7	1,164.7
Reserves	15,581.5	16,523.3
Equity attributable to owners of the Company	17,219.2	17,688.0
Non-controlling interests	93.0	477.2
Total Equity	17,312.2	18,165.2

About WuXi AppTec

WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries worldwide to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients. As an innovation-driven and customer-focused company, WuXi AppTec helps our partners improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient solutions. With industry-leading capabilities such as R&D and manufacturing for small molecule drugs, cell and gene therapies, and testing for medical devices, WuXi AppTec's open-access platform is enabling more than 3,700 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need – and to realize our vision that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated." Please visit: http://www.wuxiapptec.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" which are not historical facts, but instead are predictions about future events based on our beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management. Although we believe that our predictions are reasonable, future events are inherently uncertain and our forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks relating to, among other things, the ability of our service offerings to compete effectively, our ability to meet timelines for the expansion of our service offerings, our ability to protect our clients' intellectual property, and unforeseeable international tension. Our forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law or listing rules. Accordingly, you are strongly cautioned that reliance on any forward-looking statements involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by reference to the cautionary statements set forth in this section.

Use of Non-IFRS and Adjusted Non-IFRS Financial Measures

We provide non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company and earnings per share, which exclude share-based compensation expenses, listing expenses and convertible bonds issuance expenses, foreign exchange-related gains or losses and amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations. We further provide an adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company and earnings per share, which exclude realized and unrealized gains or losses from our venture investments and joint ventures. Neither is required by, or presented in accordance with IFRS. We believe that the adjusted financial measures used in this press release are useful for understanding and assessing our core business performance and operating trends, and we believe that management and investors may benefit from referring to these adjusted financial measures in assessing our financial performance by eliminating the impact of certain unusual and non-recurring items that we do not consider indicative of the performance of our core business. However, the presentation of these adjusted non-IFRS financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS. You should not view adjusted results on a stand-alone basis or as a substitute for results under IFRS, or as being comparable to results reported or forecasted by other companies.

[1] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, the gross profit grew 31.5% year-over-year to RMB 1,380 million.

[2] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, the gross profit grew 30.2% year-over-year to RMB 3,666 million.

[3] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, the gross profit grew 31.5% year-over-year to RMB 1,380 million. Gross profit margin was 40.8%.

[4] Gain in the fair value change of the investment portfolio of the company is RMB 10 million in the current period, decreased by RMB 227 million compared with the gains in fair value of RMB 237 million in the same period last year. Three months ended September 30, 2018 and three months ended September 30, 2019, we had a fully-diluted weighted average share count of 1,458,779,778 and 1,633,985,396 ordinary shares, respectively.

[5] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, the gross profit grew 30.2% year-over-year to RMB 3,666 million. Gross profit margin was 39.5%.

[6] The losses in the fair value of the investment portfolio of the company is RMB 45 million in the current period, decreased by RMB 714 million compared with the gains in fair value of RMB 669 million in the same period last year. Nine months ended September 30, 2018 and nine months ended September 30, 2019, we had a fully-diluted weighted average share count of 1,393,588,887 and 1,633,799,864 ordinary shares, respectively.

[7] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, nine months ended September 30, 2019 gross profit increased 31.5% year-over-year to RMB 1,380 million. Gross profit margin was 40.8%, slightly lower than 41.8% in nine months ended September 30, 2018.

[8] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, nine months ended September 30, 2019 gross profit increased 30.2% year-over-year to RMB 3,666 million. Gross profit margin was 39.5%, slightly lower than 40.7% in nine months ended September 30, 2018.

[9] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

[10] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

[11] Upon WXAT implementation of IFRS 16 Leases starting January 1, 2019, operating lease costs are bifurcated into Interest expense and Depreciation expense. Following the accounting policy change, the impact of the costs in the two line items is totaling RMB131.6 million in September 2019 year to date. If we exclude the impact from 2019, the EBITDA will be RMB2,782.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA of RMB2,874.1 million..

[12] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

[13] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

[14] In July 2019, pursuant to the 2018 Profit Distribution Plan considered and approved by the shareholders' general meeting, the Company issued 4 Shares for every 10 Shares of the Company by way of capitalization of reserve. In accordance with the regulations of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Company has adjusted the basic earnings per share and diluted earnings per share for the comparative period according to the 2018 Profit Distribution Plan.

[15] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

[16] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

SOURCE WuXi AppTec