Aurora Mobile Limited Announces First Quarter 2023 Unaudited Financial Results

Aurora Mobile Limited

SHENZHEN, China, June 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aurora Mobile Limited (“Aurora Mobile” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: JG), a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023.

First Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights

• Revenues were RMB65.4 million (US$9.5 million), a decrease of 23% year-over-year.

• Cost of revenues was RMB19.4 million (US$2.8 million), a decrease of 28% year-over-year.

• Gross profit was RMB46.0 million (US$6.7 million), a decrease of 21% year-over-year.

• Total operating expenses were RMB64.8 million (US$9.4 million), a decrease of 31% year-over-year.

• Net loss was RMB15.2 million (US$2.2 million), compared with a net loss of RMB30.9 million for the same quarter last year.

• Net loss attributable to Aurora Mobile Limited’s shareholders was RMB15.1 million (US$2.2 million), compared with a net loss attributable to Aurora Mobile Limited’s shareholders of RMB29.8 million for the same quarter last year.

• Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP) was RMB11.5 million (US$1.7 million), compared with a RMB17.7 million adjusted net loss for the same quarter last year.

• Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was a negative RMB7.5 million (US$1.1 million), compared with a negative RMB8.2 million for the same quarter last year.

Mr. Weidong Luo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aurora Mobile, commented, “Despite the challenging macro environment, we successfully concluded the first quarter of 2023. With business and social activities slowly recovering during Q1’2023 following a shift in COVID policy towards the end of 2022, some of our businesses were impacted to varying degrees. However, we are pleased to report that so far in Q2’2023 we have witnessed good momentum in revenue growth especially from Developer Services. We carried on with our strict cost management strategy and cautious hirings, flattened our management structure and, as a result, our overall expenditures have continued to drop year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter.

Let me share some of the key results with you:

• Lowest net loss since 2019’Q3, at RMB15.2 million

• Lowest operating expenses since IPO! At RMB64.8 million

• AR turnover days at 39 days
  

Developer Services revenues decreased by 24% year-over-year, mainly due to the weakness in Value-added-services, offset by the growth in Subscription Services. Subscription Services revenues were RMB37.5 million, up 9% year-over-year mainly fueled by increasing ARPU. Subscription Services as our core business include JPUSH, Analytics, UMS and other products and despite the external uncertain macro environment, we signed up many well-known clients. Going into Q2’2023, we expect some major recovery in Subscription Services, and we hope we will see double-digit growth on a quarter-over-quarter basis.

Value-added-services revenues were RMB8.0 million, decreased by 69% year-over-year which was a result of weak advertising demand. We believe Ad related revenue will continue to be impacted by the uncertain and volatile macroeconomic environment.

Moving on to our products and services, we have seen strong growth potential and interest in the EngageLab platform that we launched during Q4 last year. We have implemented various improvements to all the products under EngageLab. Recently, EngageLab has established a reliable network of data centers in multiple regions around the world to ensure that customers can choose the storage location that best suits their business needs. These data centers meet the highest security standards and have passed a rigorous certification and audit process. In addition to Singapore, EngageLab has now added more data center options for overseas customers to deploy the push notification products AppPush and WebPush. These include China-Hong Kong, Germany-Frankfurt, USA-California, Japan-Tokyo, South Korea-Seoul, UAE-Dubai, Brazil-Sao Paulo and Australia-Sydney. Customers can select an appropriate data center to store data for an application based on comprehensive considerations such as the location of their end users and regulations. We will continue to invest in technology innovation and global infrastructure building and are committed to providing our customers with the highest level of data security and compliance assurance.

We are thrilled to report that EngageLab has attracted numerous valuable overseas customers and generated significant revenue and ARPU in just a few months. Encouragingly, new contributions from overseas customers continue to outpace those from domestic customers and we anticipate that our overseas business will be one of our biggest growth drivers going forward. Our products have been well-received by customers in multiple countries and regions, including the USA, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. With this recognition from our customers, we remain committed to enhancing our products and services to enable global developers to achieve high-efficiency and cost-effective user reach.”

Mr. Shan-Nen Bong, Chief Financial Officer of Aurora Mobile, added, “We were facing external uncertainties during Q1’2023, and our Vertical Applications business was also challenged this quarter. Vertical Applications mainly consist of Financial Risk Management and Market Intelligence. Vertical Applications revenues decreased by 22% year-over-year. Both Financial Risk Management and Market Intelligence segments, revenues were negatively impacted and decreased by 20% and 5%, respectively, year-over-year to RMB11.8 million and RMB7.2 million. Our Q1’2023 revenue was impacted since many of our customers were not able to close contracts on time due to COVID outbreaks. Going into Q2’2023, we have seen recovery in the revenue from both segments already.

We are on track in our operational goal to become a more efficient company by centralizing our resources to focus on fewer but more important tasks. During Q1’2023, operating expenses marked another all-time low since IPO at RMB64.8 million. Our net loss also narrowed down to RMB15.2 million, the lowest since 2019’Q3.

We continued to maintain a healthy AR turnover days level at 39 days. Usually, Q1 is the slower quarter due to the Chinese New Year holiday, so I am glad to see our persistent payment collection policy works effectively.

Total Deferred Revenue, which represents cash collected in advance from customers for future contract performance, ended the quarter on a high note, at RMB133.8 million. This is the 12th quarter our deferred revenue balance has exceeded RMB100 million. Healthy cash flow aside, the level of Deferred Revenue also signifies that our business is in great shape. Our customers have continued to buy our products and services quarter after quarter and year after year. We are very pleased with the trending of this Deferred Revenue balance.”

First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

Revenues were RMB65.4 million (US$9.5 million), a decrease of 23% from RMB85.3 million in the same quarter of last year, mainly due to the impact of COVID-19 on overall macroeconomic conditions.

Cost of revenues was RMB19.4 million (US$2.8 million), a decrease of 28% from RMB26.8 million in the same quarter of last year. The decrease was mainly due to a RMB10.7 million decrease in media cost, and offset by a RMB1.7 million increase in technical service cost.

Gross profit was RMB46.0 million (US$6.7 million), a decrease of 21% from RMB58.5 million in the same quarter of last year.

Total operating expenses were RMB64.8 million (US$9.4 million), a decrease of 31% from RMB94.5 million in the same quarter of last year.

• Research and development expenses were RMB31.7 million (US$4.6 million), a decrease of 21% from RMB40.0 million in the same quarter of last year, mainly due to a RMB2.4 million decrease in personnel costs, a RMB1.3 million decrease in cloud cost, and a RMB3.9 million decrease in depreciation expense.

• Sales and marketing expenses were RMB18.9 million (US$2.8 million), a decrease of 28% from RMB26.3 million in the same quarter of last year, mainly due to a RMB7.2 million decrease in personnel costs.

• General and administrative expenses were RMB14.3 million (US$2.1 million), a decrease of 49% from RMB28.2 million in the same quarter of last year, mainly due to a RMB8.4 million decrease in personnel costs, a RMB2.9 million decrease in professional fee, and a RMB1.8 million decrease in bad debt provision.
  

Loss from operations was RMB18.9 million (US$2.7 million), compared with RMB36.0 million in the same quarter of last year.

Net Loss was RMB15.2 million (US$2.2 million), compared with RMB30.9 million in the same quarter of last year.

Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP) was RMB11.5 million (US$1.7 million), compared with RMB17.7 million in the same quarter of last year.

Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) was a negative RMB7.5 million (US$1.1 million) compared with a negative RMB8.2 million for the same quarter of last year.

The cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash were RMB88.4 million (US$12.9 million) as of March 31, 2023 compared with RMB116.3 million as of December 31, 2022.

Update on Share Repurchase

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had repurchased a total of 1,387,978 ADS, of which 193,903 ADSs, or around US$123.9 thousand were repurchased during the first quarter in 2023 at the average purchase price of US$0.64.

Conference Call

The Company will host an earnings conference call on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 7:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (7:30 p.m. Beijing time on the same day).

All participants must register in advance to join the conference using the link provided below. Please dial in 15 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. Conference access information will be provided upon registration.

Participant Online Registration:https://register.vevent.com/register/BIee0a6e3851704cbaafa10d2c47d0333a

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of Aurora Mobile’s website at https://ir.jiguang.cn/.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses two non-GAAP measures, adjusted net loss and adjusted EBITDA, as a supplemental measure to review and assess its 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 U.S. GAAP. The Company defines adjusted net loss as net loss excluding share-based compensation, reduction in force charges, impairment of long-lived assets, impairment of long-term investment and change in fair value of foreign currency swap contract. The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as net loss excluding interest expense, depreciation of property and equipment, amortization of intangible assets, amortization of land use right, income tax expenses/(benefits), share-based compensation, reduction in force charges, impairment of long-lived assets, impairment of long-term investment and change in fair value of foreign currency swap contract.

The Company believes that adjusted net loss and adjusted EBITDA help identify underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that it includes in loss from operations and net loss.

The Company believes that adjusted net loss and adjusted EBITDA provide useful information about its operating results, enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the management in their financial and operational decision-making.

The 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. One of the key limitations of using adjusted net loss and adjusted EBITDA is that they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect the Company’s operations. Further, the non-GAAP financial 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 the Company’s performance. The Company encourages you to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure are included at the end of this press release.

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 Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Aurora Mobile’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Aurora Mobile may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its 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 but not limited to statements about Aurora Mobile’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: Aurora Mobile’s strategies; Aurora Mobile’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Aurora Mobile’s ability to attract and retain customers; its ability to develop and effectively market data solutions, and penetrate the existing market for developer services; its ability to transition to the new advertising-driven SAAS business model; its ability to maintain or enhance its brand; the competition with current or future competitors; its ability to continue to gain access to mobile data in the future; the laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection; general economic and business conditions globally and in China 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 Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Aurora Mobile undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

About Aurora Mobile Limited

Founded in 2011, Aurora Mobile is a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China. Since its inception, Aurora Mobile has focused on providing stable and efficient messaging services to enterprises and has grown to be a leading mobile messaging service provider with its first-mover advantage. With the increasing demand for customer reach and marketing growth, Aurora Mobile has developed forward-looking solutions such as Cloud Messaging and Cloud Marketing to help enterprises achieve omnichannel customer reach and interaction, as well as artificial intelligence and big data-driven marketing technology solutions to help enterprises' digital transformation.

For more information, please visit https://ir.jiguang.cn/.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Aurora Mobile Limited
ir@jiguang.cn

Christensen
In China
Mr. Eric Yuan
Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
E-mail: eric.yuan@christensencomms.com

In U.S.
Ms. Linda Bergkamp
Phone: +1-480-614-3004
Email: linda.bergkamp@christensencomms.com

Footnote:

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB6.8676 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of March 31, 2023.

AURORA MOBILE LIMITED
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS
(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”), except for number of shares and per share data)
		Three months ended
		March 31, 2022			December 31, 2022			March 31, 2023
		RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
Revenues		85,330			86,914			65,433			9,528
Cost of revenues		(26,828	)		(27,118	)		(19,441	)		(2,831	)
Gross profit		58,502			59,796			45,992			6,697
Operating expenses
Research and development		(39,978	)		(35,009	)		(31,681	)		(4,613	)
Sales and marketing		(26,283	)		(24,480	)		(18,890	)		(2,751	)
General and administrative(1)		(28,196	)		(35,893	)		(14,273	)		(2,078	)
Total operating expenses		(94,457	)		(95,382	)		(64,844	)		(9,442	)
Loss from operations		(35,955	)		(35,586	)		(18,852	)		(2,745	)
Foreign exchange (loss)/gain, net		(597	)		847			25			4
Interest income		1,251			406			330			48
Interest expenses		(1,846	)		(321	)		(223	)		(32	)
Other income		4,805			2,308			3,316			483
Change in fair value of structured deposits		-			7			13			2
Change in fair value of foreign currency swap contract		1,441			74			-			-
Loss before income taxes		(30,901	)		(32,265	)		(15,391	)		(2,240	)
Income tax benefits		4			480			150			22
Net loss		(30,897	)		(31,785	)		(15,241	)		(2,218	)
Less: net (loss)/income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests		(1,089	)		871			(175	)		(25	)
Net loss attributable to Aurora Mobile Limited’s shareholders		(29,808	)		(32,656	)		(15,066	)		(2,193	)
Net loss attributable to common shareholders		(29,808	)		(32,656	)		(15,066	)		(2,193	)
Net loss per share, for Class A and Class B common shares:
Class A and B Common Shares - basic and diluted		(0.38	)		(0.41	)		(0.19	)		(0.03	)
Shares used in net loss per share computation:
Class A Common Shares - basic and diluted		62,058,860			62,674,291			62,766,001			62,766,001
Class B Common Shares - basic and diluted		17,000,189			17,000,189			17,000,189			17,000,189
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		309			(1,447	)		(804	)		(117	)
Total other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax		309			(1,447	)		(804	)		(117	)
Total comprehensive loss		(30,588	)		(33,232	)		(16,045	)		(2,335	)
Less: comprehensive (loss)/income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests		(1,089	)		871			(175	)		(25	)
Comprehensive loss attributable to Aurora Mobile Limited’s shareholders		(29,499	)		(34,103	)		(15,870	)		(2,310	)
(1) Starting from January 1, 2023, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”), which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss methodology, which will result in more timely recognition of credit losses.

AURORA MOBILE LIMITED
UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”))
		As of
		December 31, 2022			March 31, 2023
		RMB			RMB			US$
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		116,128			88,255			12,851
Restricted cash		132			132			19
Accounts receivable		29,727			26,381			3,841
Prepayments and other current assets		30,401			33,742			4,914
Amounts due from a related party		255			242			35
Total current assets		176,643			148,752			21,660
Non-current assets:
Long-term investments		141,901			141,126			20,550
Property and equipment, net		14,947			11,880			1,730
Operating lease right-of-use assets(2)		33,756			32,346			4,710
Intangible assets, net		23,947			22,340			3,253
Goodwill		37,785			37,785			5,502
Other non-current assets		4,128			2,165			315
Total non-current assets		256,464			247,642			36,060
Total assets		433,107			396,394			57,720
LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Short-term loan		5,000			5,000			728
Accounts payable		18,169			18,384			2,677
Deferred revenue and customer deposits		138,804			131,130			19,094
Operating lease liabilities(2)		18,133			18,215			2,652
Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities		75,333			65,222			9,497
Total current liabilities		255,439			237,951			34,648
Non-current liabilities:
Deferred revenue		3,585			2,715			395
Operating lease liabilities(2)		6,959			5,253			765
Deferred tax liabilities		4,824			4,660			679
Other non-current liabilities		4,058			1,990			290
Total non-current liabilities		19,426			14,618			2,129
Total liabilities		274,865			252,569			36,777
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		30,552			30,552			4,449
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares		50			50			7
Treasury shares		(1,689	)		(848	)		(123	)
Additional paid-in capital		1,037,007			1,038,208			151,175
Accumulated deficit		(925,982	)		(941,637	)		(137,113	)
Accumulated other comprehensive income		18,304			17,500			2,548
Total shareholders’ equity		127,690			113,273			16,494
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and shareholders’ equity		433,107			396,394			57,720
(2) The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) and the respective updates for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. Results for three months ended March 31, 2023 are presented under the new accounting standard, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the Company's historical accounting practices under ASC 840.

AURORA MOBILE LIMITED
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS
(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”))
		Three months ended
		March 31, 2022			December 31, 2022			March 31, 2023
		RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted Net Loss:
Net loss		(30,897	)		(31,785	)		(15,241	)		(2,218	)
Add:
Share-based compensation		3,392			861			3,038			442
Reduction in force charges		4,191			1,584			688			100
Impairment of long-term investment		7,016			415			-			-
Impairment of long-lived assets		-			22,400			-			-
Change in fair value of foreign currency swap contract		(1,441	)		(74	)		-			-
Adjusted net loss		(17,739	)		(6,599	)		(11,515	)		(1,676	)
Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA:
Net loss		(30,897	)		(31,785	)		(15,241	)		(2,218	)
Add:
Income tax benefits		(4	)		(480	)		(150	)		(22	)
Interest expenses		1,846			321			223			32
Depreciation of property and equipment		6,636			5,517			2,186			318
Amortization of intangible assets		1,076			1,631			1,606			234
Amortization of land use right		-			183			183			27
EBITDA		(21,343	)		(24,613	)		(11,193	)		(1,629	)
Add:
Share-based compensation		3,392			861			3,038			442
Reduction in force charges		4,191			1,584			688			100
Impairment of long-term investment		7,016			415			-			-
Impairment of long-lived assets		-			22,400			-			-
Change in fair value of foreign currency swap contract		(1,441	)		(74	)		-			-
Adjusted EBITDA		(8,185	)		573			(7,467	)		(1,087	)

AURORA MOBILE LIMITED
UNAUDITED SAAS BUSINESSES REVENUE
(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”))
		Three months ended
		March 31, 2022			December 31, 2022			March 31, 2023
		RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
Developer Services		59,757			63,222			45,465			6,620
Subscription		34,356			46,331			37,508			5,461
Value-Added Services		25,401			16,891			7,957			1,159
Vertical Applications		25,573			23,692			19,968			2,908
Total Revenue		85,330			86,914			65,433			9,528
Gross Profits		58,502			59,796			45,992			6,697
Gross Margin		68.6	%		68.8	%		70.3	%		70.3	%