BEST Inc. Announces Unaudited Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Results

BEST Inc. (NYSE: BEST) (“BEST” or the “Company”), a leading integrated smart supply chain solutions and logistics services provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

Johnny Chou, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BEST, commented, “Successfully completing the sale of China express business in the fourth quarter, we exited the year with a leaner and more focused organization. We now have a much stronger capital base and a clear path to support our sustainable growth and profitability.

“Following a smooth Express handover, BEST Freight rebounded strongly in December, narrowing its net loss by 50% month-over-month. Supply Chain Management focused on higher margin accounts and expanded its franchised Cloud OFCs network in preparation for new customer acquisition. Global’s results remained encouraging with parcel volume growing 57% YoY for the quarter and 104% YoY for the full year despite the persistent impact of COVID-19.

“In 2022, our businesses are better aligned for near and long-term success, with a stronger ability to return value to our stakeholders and partners,” Mr. Chou continued. “By focusing on our core competencies in freight, integrated supply chain management and global logistics solutions while maximizing revenue and cost synergies, we expect to grow the top line of our core segments by 15% to 20%YoY in 2022, and aim to reach profitability in Freight and Supply Chain Management by second half of the year.”

Gloria Fan, BEST’s Chief Financial Officer, added, “Our fourth quarter capped a critical year of decisive business adjustments. Built on the strength of our main business pillars, we have paved the way for BEST’s future growth. With a challenging macro environment and the short-term effects of our strategic recalibration, our fourth quarter revenue was RMB2.7 billion. We also continued to streamline our costs and strengthen our operating efficiency during the quarter. Most importantly, we significantly improved our balance sheet. We now have a lower debt level and sufficient cash. We hope to transition to a year of growth in 2022, with an efficient organization guided by a clear roadmap.”

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS^([1])

For the Fourth Quarter Ended December 31, 2021^([2]):

• Revenue was RMB2,724.9 million (US$427.6 million), a decrease of 20.3% year-over-year (“YoY”). The revenue decrease was primarily due to the winding-down of UCargo business and a decrease in Freight revenue partially offset by the growth of Global’s revenue.

• Gross Loss was RMB228.4 million (US$35.8 million), compared to gross profit of RMB115.3 million in 2020. Gross Loss Margin was 8.4%, which decreased by 11.8 percentage points (“ppts”) YoY.

• Net Loss from continuing operations was RMB734.1 million (US$115.2 million), compared to RMB252.2 million in 2020. Non-GAAP Net Loss from continuing operations ^([3])([4]) was RMB710.4 million (US$111.5 million), compared to RMB236.7 million in 2020.

• Net Income was RMB1,945.3 million (US$305.3 million), compared to Net Loss of RMB630.1 million in 2020. The increase was primarily due to the gain related to the sale of our China express business.

• Diluted EPS^([5]) from continuing operations was negative RMB1.81 (US$0.28), compared to negative RMB0.64 in 2020. Non-GAAP Diluted EPS(3)(4) from continuing operations was negative RMB1.75 (US$0.28), compared to negative RMB0.60 in 2020.

• EBITDA^([6]) from continuing operations was negative RMB658.9 million (US$103.4 million), compared to negative RMB182.6 million in 2020. Adjusted EBITDA(3)⁽⁵⁾ from continuing operations was negative RMB635.2 million (US$99.7 million), compared to negative RMB167.1million in 2020.

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021:

• Revenue was RMB11,425.8 million (US$1,793.0 million), an increase of 8.5% YoY. The revenue increase was primarily due to increased volume in Freight and Global, partially offset by a decrease in Freight average selling price (“ASP”).

• Gross Loss was RMB199.4 million (US$31.3 million), compared to gross profit of RMB242.3 million in 2020. The decrease was primarily due to a steeper ASP decrease than unit cost reduction in the Freight business. Gross Margin was negative 1.7%, a decrease of 4.0 ppts YoY.

• Net Loss from continuing operations was RMB1,263.9 million (US$198.3 million), compared to RMB1,028.4 million in 2020. Non-GAAP Net Loss from continuing operations was RMB1,220.4 million (US$191.5 million), compared to RMB928.9 million in 2020.

• Net Income was RMB209.6 million (US$32.9 million), compared to net loss of RMB2,051.2 million in 2020. The increase was primarily due to the gain related to the sale of our China express business.

• Diluted EPS from continuing operations was negative RMB3.12 (US$0.49), compared to negative RMB2.59 in 2020. Non-GAAP Diluted EPS from continuing operations was negative RMB3.01 (US$0.47), compared to negative RMB2.29 in 2020.

• EBITDA from continuing operations was negative RMB976.2 million (US$153.2 million), compared to negative RMB789.7 million in 2020. Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was negative RMB932.7 million (US$146.4 million), compared to negative RMB693.0 million in 2020.

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS^([7])  

BEST Express – On December 17, 2021, the Company announced the closing and completion of the sale of China express business (the “Business”) to J&T Express Co., Ltd. (“J&T Express China”). The agreement has been approved by relevant regulatory agencies and the final transaction has been completed pursuant to the terms of the agreement. The Business has been transferred to J&T Express China.

BEST Freight – In the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company remained focused on developing its e-commerce related business, which contributed 21.8% of total volume during the quarter, up 4.8 ppts YoY. In addition to the challenging macro environment such as the resurgence of the pandemic, the increasing oil price and power shortage, Freight’s performance was affected by the difficulty in Express operations, as Express and Freight shared certain franchisees and suppliers. Freight volume decreased by 8.2% YoY in the fourth quarter, but the volume for the full year increased by 9.8% YoY.

After the Express handover was largely completed, Freight volume significantly recovered and the loss was narrowed month-over-month in December.

BEST Supply Chain Management – During the quarter, the Company continued to enlarge its franchised Cloud OFCs network for future growth and prioritize higher margin accounts.  As the result of discontinuing certain low margin legacy customers, the total number of orders fulfilled by Cloud OFCs decreased 9.4% YoY to 123.3 million in the fourth quarter, of which the total number of orders fulfilled by franchised Cloud OFCs increased by 10.9% YoY to 74.4 million. Its fourth quarter gross margin decreased by 0.6 ppts YoY, primarily due to one-off costs incurred by discontinuing lower-margin accounts. Full-year gross margin increased by 0.6 ppts YoY. In fiscal year 2021, the total number of orders fulfilled by Cloud OFCs increased by 3.5% YoY to 448.2 million and the total number of orders fulfilled by franchised Cloud OFCs increased by 25.0% YoY to 268.3 million.

BEST Global – Global made solid progress in its cross-border and local business in Southeast Asia and North America with expanded margin for the quarter. Despite the continuous impact from COVID-19, parcel volume in Southeast Asia increased by 56.7% to 43.7 million in the fourth quarter. Global’s gross margin expanded by 3.0 ppts YoY, due to much improved economies of scale from increased market share and continued improvements in service quality and cost control. In fiscal year of 2021, total parcel volume in Southeast Asia increased by 104.4% compared to the prior year, with YoY growth rates of 87.7%, 87.1%, 609.2%, 336.8% and 522.6% from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Singapore, respectively.

Others:

As part of the strategic refocusing plan, the Company started the process of winding down UCargo and Capital business lines in the fourth quarter of 2021 to realign BEST’s business around our core competencies.

Key Operational Metrics

 

FINANCIAL RESULTS^([8])

For the Fourth Quarter Ended December 31, 2021:

Revenue

The following table sets forth a breakdown of revenue by business segment for the periods indicated.

 

• Freight Service Revenue decreased by 7.4% YoY to RMB1,504.0 million (US$236.0 million) from RMB1,624.8 million, primarily due to an 8.2% decrease in freight volume, partially offset by a 1.0% increase in ASP per tonne.
• Supply Chain Management Service Revenue decreased by 10.1% YoY to RMB487.3 million (US$76.5 million) from RMB542.3million, primarily due to a 9.4% decrease in the total number of orders fulfilled by Cloud OFCs.
• Global Service Revenue increased by 30.5% YoY to RMB330.6 million (US$51.9 million) from RMB253.4 million, primarily due to strong growth in parcel volumes in Southeast Asia.

Cost of Revenue

The following table sets forth a breakdown of cost of revenue by business segment for the periods indicated.

Cost of Revenue was RMB2,953.3 million (US$463.4 million) or 108.4% of revenue, compared to RMB3,305.3 million or 96.6% of revenue in 2020. The increase of 11.8 ppts in cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue was primarily attributable to the decreased Freight volume and the winding-down of the U-Cargo business.

Freight Service Average Cost per Tonne increased by 12.8% YoY, primarily due to lower freight volume and higher costs resulting from increasing oil price and labor costs.

Gross Loss was RMB228.4 million (US$35.8 million) , compared to gross profit of RMB115.3 million in 2020; Gross Margin was negative 8.4%, compared to 3.4% in 2020.

Operating Expenses

The following table sets forth a breakdown of operating expenses and adjusted operating expenses by category for the periods indicated.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses were RMB354.8 million (US$55.7 million) or 13.0% of revenue in 2021, compared to RMB323.0 million or 9.4% of revenue in 2020; primarily due to the expenses associated with winding down the Capital business unit and additional expenses incurred in transitioning our China express business.

Research and Development Expenses were RMB50.3million (US$7.9 million) or 1.8% of revenue in 2021, compared to RMB39.8 million, or 1.2% of revenue in 2020; primarily due to additional expenses incurred in transitioning our China express business.

Share-based Compensation (“SBC”) Expenses included in the cost and expense items above were RMB23.7 million (US$3.7 million), compared to RMB24.4 million in 2020. In the fourth quarter of 2021, RMB0.09 million (US$0.01 million) was allocated to cost of revenue, RMB4.6 million (US$0.7 million) was allocated to selling expenses, RMB15.8 million (US$2.5 million) was allocated to general and administrative expenses, and RMB3.2 million (US$0.5 million) was allocated to research and development expenses.

Net Loss and Non-GAAP Net Loss from continuing operations

Net Loss from continuing operations was RMB734.1 million (US$115.2 million), compared to RMB252.2 million in 2020. Excluding SBC expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and gain from appreciation of investment, Non-GAAP Net Loss from continuing operations was RMB710.4 million (US$111.5 million), compared to RMB236.7 million in 2020.

The following table sets forth a breakdown of non-GAAP net loss for the three months ended December 31, 2021 by segment.

 

Diluted EPS and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS from continuing operations

Diluted EPS from continuing operations was negative RMB1.81 (US$0.28), based on 388.8 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding during the quarter. This compares to negative RMB0.64 on 385.6 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding in the same period of 2020. Excluding SBC expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and gain from appreciation of investment, Non-GAAP Diluted EPS from continuing operations was negative RMB1.75 (US$0.28), compared to negative RMB0.60 in 2020. A reconciliation of non-GAAP diluted EPS to diluted EPS is included at the end of this results announcement.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin from continuing operations

Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was negative RMB635.2 million (US$99.7 million), compared to negative RMB167.1million in 2020. Adjusted EBITDA Margin from continuing operations was negative 23.3%, compared to negative 4.9% in 2020.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment

The following table sets forth a breakdown of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin for the three months ended December 31, 2021 by segment.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Short-term Investments

As of December 31, 2021, cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments were RMB5,457 million (US$856.4 million), compared to RMB3,740.8 million as of December 31, 2020.

Net Cash Used In Continuing Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was RMB555.7 million (US$87.2 million), compared to RMB95.8 million of net cash generated from operating activities in 2020. The decrease in net cash generated from operating activities was mainly due to catch-up payments to vendors that were made in December.

Capital Expenditures (“CAPEX”)

CAPEX was RMB20.6 million (US$3.2 million), or 0.8% of total revenue in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021, compared to CAPEX of RMB99.5 million, or 2.9% of total revenue, in the same period of 2020.

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021:

Revenue

The following table sets forth a breakdown of revenue by business segment for the periods indicated.

• Freight Service Revenue increased by 5.0% YoY to RMB5,435.4 million (US$852.9 million) from RMB5,175.8 million, primarily due to a 9.8% YoY increase in freight volume, partially offset by a 4.2% YoY decrease in ASP per tonne.
• Supply Chain Management Service Revenue decreased by 5.1% YoY to RMB1,815.1 million (US$284.8 million) from RMB1,912.3 million, primarily due to discontinuation of certain legacy key account customers, partially offset by a 3.5% YoY increase in the total number of orders fulfilled by Cloud OFCs.
• Global Service Revenue increased by 53.5% YoY to RMB1,193.9 million (US$187.3 million) from RMB777.7 million, primarily due to strong growth in parcel volumes in Southeast Asia.

Cost of Revenue

The following table sets forth a breakdown of cost of revenue by business segment for the periods indicated.

Cost of Revenue was RMB11,625.2 million (US$1,824.3 million) or 101.7% of revenue, compared to RMB10,286.0 million or 97.7% of revenue in fiscal year 2020. The increase of 4.0 ppts in cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue was primarily attributable to additional costs resulting from higher oil price and labor costs.

Freight Service Average Cost per Tonne remained relatively flat, decreasing by 0.1% YoY.

Gross Loss was RMB199.4 million (US$31.3 million), compared to gross profit of RMB242.3 million in fiscal year 2020; Gross Margin was negative1.7%, compared to 2.3% in fiscal year 2020.

Operating Expenses

The following table sets forth a breakdown of operating expenses and adjusted operating expenses by category for the periods indicated.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses were RMB1,141.7 million (US$179.2million) or 10.0% of revenue, compared to RMB1,102.9 million or 10.5% of revenue in fiscal year 2020.

Research and Development Expenses were RMB180.2 million (US$28.3 million) or 1.6% of revenue, compared to RMB136.1 million, or 1.3% of revenue in fiscal year 2020; primarily due to the increasing expenses to support BEST Global’ s business expansion in Southeast Asia.

Share-based Compensation (“SBC”) Expenses included in the cost and expense items above were RMB107.7 million (US$16.9 million), compared to RMB115.5 million in fiscal year 2020. In fiscal year 2021, RMB0.3 million (US$0.05 million) was allocated to cost of revenue, RMB9.7 million (US$1.5 million) was allocated to selling expenses, RMB88.4 million (US$13.9 million) was allocated to general and administrative expenses, and RMB9.3 million (US$1.5 million) was allocated to research and development expenses.

Net Loss and Non-GAAP Net Loss from continuing operations   

Net Loss from continuing operations was RMB1,263.9 million (US$198.3 million), compared to RMB1,028.4 million in fiscal year 2020. Excluding SBC expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and gain from appreciation of investment (if any for a given period). Non-GAAP Net Loss from continuing operations was RMB1,220.4 million (US$191.5 million), compared to RMB928.9 million in fiscal year 2020.

The following table sets forth a breakdown of non-GAAP net loss for fiscal year 2021 by segment.

 

Diluted EPS and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS from continuing operations

Diluted EPS from continuing operations was negative RMB3.12 (US$0.49), based on a 388.1 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding during fiscal year 2021. This compares to negative RMB2.59 on 387.5 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding in fiscal year 2020. Excluding SBC expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and gain from appreciation of investment (if any for a given period), Non-GAAP Diluted EPS from continuing operations was negative RMB3.01 (US$0.47), compared to negative RMB2.29 in fiscal year 2020. A reconciliation of non-GAAP Diluted EPS to Diluted EPS is included at the end of this announcement.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin from continuing operations

Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was negative RMB932.7 million (US$146.4 million), compared to negative RMB693.0 million in fiscal year 2020. Adjusted EBITDA Margin from continuing operations was negative 8.2%, compared to negative 6.6% in fiscal year 2020.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment

The following table sets forth a breakdown of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin for the in fiscal year 2021 by segment.

 

Net Cash Used In Continuing Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was RMB941.3 million (US$147.7 million), compared to RMB96.4 million of net cash generated from operating activities in fiscal year 2020. The decrease in net cash generated from operating activities was mainly due to extending the payment term due to the pandemic in 2020, which gradually became normalized in 2021.

Capital Expenditures (“CAPEX”)

CAPEX was RMB145.2 million (US$22.8 million), or 1.3% of total revenue, compared to CAPEX of RMB311.3 million, or 3.0% of total revenue in fiscal year 2020.

SHARES OUTSTANDING

As of February 28, 2022, the Company had approximately 389.6 million ordinary shares outstanding^([13]). Each American Depositary Share represents one Class A ordinary share.

FINANCIAL GUIDANCE

Based on current operations and market conditions, BEST expects 2022 revenue from its core business; Freight, Supply Chain Management and Global,  to be between RMB 10  billion to RMB 12 billion.  This represents BEST’s current and preliminary estimates, which are subject to change.

WEBCAST AND CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

The Company will hold a conference call at 8:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time on March 8, 2022 (9:00 am Beijing Time on March 9, 2022), to discuss its financial results and operating performance for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2021.

For the Company’s continuing operations, the table below sets forth a reconciliation of the Company’s net Income/(loss) to non-GAAP net Income/(loss), non-GAAP net Income/(loss) margin for the periods indicated:

For the Company’s continuing operations, the table below sets forth a reconciliation of the Company’s Diluted EPS to non-GAAP Diluted EPS for the periods indicated:

^([1]) All numbers presented have been rounded to the nearest integer, tenth, or hundredth, and year-over-year comparisons are based on figures before rounding.                     

^([2]) In December 2021, BEST sold its China express business, the principal terms of which were previously announced. As a result, China express business has been deconsolidated from the Company and its historical financial results are reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements as discontinued operations accordingly. The financial information and non-GAAP financial information disclosed in this press release is presented on a continuing operations basis, unless otherwise specifically stated.

^([3]) Non-GAAP net income/loss represents net income/loss excluding share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, and fair value change of equity investments (if any).

^([4]) See the sections entitled “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures” for more information about the non-GAAP measures referred to within this results announcement.

^([5]) Diluted earnings per share, or Diluted EPS, is calculated by dividing net income/loss attributable to ordinary shareholders as adjusted for the effect of dilutive ordinary equivalent shares, if any, by the weighted average number of ordinary and dilutive ordinary equivalent shares outstanding during the period.

^([6]) EBITDA represents net loss excluding depreciation, amortization, interest expense and income tax expense and minus interest income. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA excluding share-based compensation expenses and fair value change of equity investments (if any).

^([7]) All numbers presented have been rounded to the nearest integer, tenth, or hundredth, and year-over-year comparisons are based on figures before rounding.                     

^([8]) All numbers represented the financial results from continuing operations, unless otherwise stated.               

⁽⁹⁾ “Others” Segment primarily represents UCargo and Capital business units..  

^([9]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([10]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([11]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([12]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([13]) The total number of shares outstanding excludes shares reserved for future issuances upon exercise or vesting of awards granted under the Company’s share incentive plans.

^([14]) Including accumulated accretion to redemption value and deemed dividend in relation to redeemable convertible preferred shares of RMB9,493,807, and accumulated loss from operations of RMB7,977,909.

^([15]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([16]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([17]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([18]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([19]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([20]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([21]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

^([22]) Unallocated expenses are primarily related to corporate administrative expenses and other miscellaneous items that are not allocated to individual segments.

Source: BEST Inc.