Highpower International Reports Unaudited Second Quarter First Half 2017 Financial Results

SAN DIEGO and SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Highpower International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HPJ) ("Highpower" or the "Company"), a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of lithium ion and nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeable batteries, battery management systems, and a provider of battery recycling, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017.

Second Quarter 2017 Highlights

• Net sales for the second quarter of 2017 increased by 40.7% to $51.7 million from $36.7 million in the prior year period.
• Gross profit for the second quarter of 2017 increased by 57.9% to $12.1 million from $7.6 million in the prior year period  
• EBITDA for the second quarter of 2017 increased by 67.1% to $6.5 million from $3.9 million in the prior year period.
• Net income attributable to the Company for the second quarter of 2017 was $4.4 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, as compared to $2.1 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, in the prior year period.

Mr. George Pan, Chairman and CEO of Highpower International, commented, "We are extremely pleased to deliver yet another quarter of strong top- and bottom-line results in the second quarter of 2017. Our lithium ion battery and battery solution business continued to enjoy healthy growth, driven by continued high demand for energy storage systems, smart wearable devices, and other digital products. Our gross margins performed well as we continued to benefit from efficiencies of scale, and we continued to invest in areas that are critical to our business.

As we enter the second half of 2017, we expect a stronger cash position and reasonable growth given our much higher baseline. We believe that the cash received from the previously announced equity transfer of our Yipeng ownership will help us expand our production capacity and research and development efforts. We also look forward to seeing the financial benefits of the previously announced partnerships for supplying batteries to industry-leading smart vacuum brands as well as supplying PHEV and EV to Yipeng. We will continue to drive our business forward by focusing on strategic partnerships. We are well-positioned to take advantage of strong growth opportunities and expand current partnerships with leading brands."

Second Quarter and First Half 2017 Financial Results

Net Sales

Net sales for the second quarter of 2017 increased by 40.7% to $51.7 million from $36.7 million in the prior year period, primarily attributable to the substantial growth in revenue from the Lithium and New Materials segments, driven by increased demand in consumer products including portable power stations, digital products, smart wearable devices, and notebooks.

Net sales increased 42.1% to $93.6 million in the first half of 2017 as compared to $65.8 million for the first half in 2016. The increase was driven by higher sales volume and revenue from the Lithium and New Materials segments.

Gross Profit

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2017 increased by 57.9% to $12.1 million from $7.6 million in the prior year period, primarily attributable to a higher margin product mix and efficiencies gained from economies of scale. Gross margin for the second quarter of 2017 increased to 23.3% from 20.8% in the prior year period.

Gross profit for the first half of 2017 increased 62.8% to $22.0 million from $13.5 million in prior year period. Gross margin was 23.5% and 20.5% for first half 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Operating Expenses

• Research and development (R&D) expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were $2.1 million as compared to $2.0 million in the prior year period. 
  Research and development expenses were $4.0 million, or 4.2% of net sales, for the first half of 2017 as compared to $3.7 million, or 5.6% of net sales, for the first half of 2016.
• Selling and distribution expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were $1.7 million as compared to $1.5 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of net sales, selling and distribution expenses decreased to 3.3% from 4.2% in the prior year period, primarily attributable to the Company's customer base optimization efforts.
  Selling and distribution expenses were $3.4 million, or 3.6% of net sales, for the first half of 2017 as compared with $3.1 million, or 4.7% of net sales, for the first half of 2016.
• General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were $3.0 million as compared to $3.2 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses decreased to 5.8% from 8.8% in the prior year period.
  General and administrative expenses were $6.1 million, or 6.5% of net sales, for the first half of 2017 as compared with $6.3 million, or 9.6% of net sales, for the six months ended June 30, 2016.

Net Income

Net income attributable to the Company for the second quarter of 2017 increased to $4.4 million from $2.1 million in the prior year period. Net income attributable to the Company per diluted share for the second quarter of 2017 increased to $0.28 from $0.14 in the prior year period.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company's weighted average diluted shares outstanding used in computing diluted share was 15,479,357 and 15,102,877, respectively.

Net income attributable to the Company for the first half of 2017 increased to $6.9 million from $1.7 million in the prior year period. Net income attributable to the Company per diluted share for the first half of 2017 increased to $0.45 from $0.11 in the prior year period.

For the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company's weighted average diluted shares outstanding used in computing diluted share was 15,304,773 and 15,103,886, respectively.

EBITDA

EBITDA for the second quarter of 2017 increased by 67.1% to $6.5 million from $3.9 million in the prior year period. EBITDA for the first half of 2017 increased by 124.9% to $11.5 million from $5.1 million in the prior year period.

A table reconciling EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, to the appropriate GAAP measure is included with the Company's financial information below.

Ganzhou Highpower

Shenzhen Highpower Technology Co., Ltd ("Shenzhen Highpower"), Xiamen Tungsten Co. Ltd. (SHA: 600549) ("Tungsten"), and other minority shareholders of Ganzhou Highpower Technology Co., Ltd. ("Ganzhou Highpower") have been in discussions regarding, and Tungsten recently announced that its board of directors has approved, a proposed investment of RMB 78.8 million (or approximately $11.8 million) in exchange for the acquisition of 47% ownership of Ganzhou Highpower, the Company's majority-owned subsidiary. Shenzhen Highpower would not be transferring any of its equity ownership of Ganzhou Highpower and it would not receive any of the consideration, which would be given directly to Ganzhou Highpower.  The proposed transaction is subject to approval by Highpower's board of directors and execution of a definitive binding agreement and related documentation, satisfaction of conditions included therein, and other customary approvals and conditions. As a result of this transaction, if consummated, Shenzhen Highpower's ownership of Ganzhou Highpower would decrease from 70% to 31.3%. There can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be entered into or that the proposed transaction will be consummated. Further, readers are cautioned that the terms of the proposed transaction described herein, including the consideration to be issued therein, are non-binding.

Conference Call Details

The Company will hold a conference call on Thursday, Aug 10, 2017 at 10:00 am Eastern Time or 10:00 pm Beijing Time to discuss the financial results. Participants may access the call by dialing the following numbers:

To listen to the live webcast, please go to www.highpowertech.com and click on the conference call link, or go tohttp://highpowertech.equisolvewebcast.com/q2-2017. This webcast will be archived and accessible through the Company's website for approximately 30 days following the call.

About Highpower International, Inc.

Highpower International was founded in 2002 and produces high-quality Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) and lithium-based rechargeable batteries used in a wide range of applications such as electric buses, bikes, energy storage systems, power tools, medical equipment, digital and electronic devices, personal care products, and lighting, etc. Highpower's target customers are Fortune 500 companies and top 20 companies in each vertical segment. With advanced manufacturing facilities located in Shenzhen, Huizhou, and Ganzhou of China, Highpower is committed to clean technology, not only in the products it makes, but also in the processes of production. The majority of Highpower International's products are distributed to worldwide markets mainly in the United States, Europe, China and Southeast Asia.

Use of Non-GAAP Measures

The Company has supplemented its reported GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) financial information with non-GAAP measures. EBITDA was derived by taking earnings before interest expense (net), taxes, depreciation and amortization. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company believes this non-GAAP measure is useful to investors as it provides a basis for evaluating the Company's operating results in the ordinary course of its operations. This non-GAAP measure is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. The Company believes that non-GAAP measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with its results of operations as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP and that these measures should only be used to evaluate the Company's results of operations in conjunction with, and not in lieu of, the corresponding GAAP measures. EBITDA is reconciled in the table below to the most directly comparable measure as reported in accordance with GAAP.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are not historical facts.  Such forward-looking statements include the proposed transaction regarding Ganzhou Highpower, approval by Highpower's board and Highpower's resulting equity ownership, Highpower's cash position and growth, production capacity, research and development efforts, strategic partnerships and business and financial expectations. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "project," "plan," "seek," "intend," or "anticipate" or the negative thereof or comparable terminology. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such statements, including, without limitation, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the terms of the proposed Ganzhou Highpower not hereafter being approved by Highpower's board or memorialized in a definitive agreement; inability to successfully expand our production capacity; fluctuations in the cost of raw materials; our dependence on, or inability to attract additional, major customers for a significant portion of our net sales; our ability to increase manufacturing capabilities to satisfy orders from new customers; our ability to maintain increased margins; our dependence on the growth in demand for smart wearable devices and energy storage systems, and other digital products and the success of manufacturers of the end applications that use our battery products; lower than expected sales of batteries to producers of smart vacuum products; our responsiveness to competitive market conditions; our ability to successfully manufacture our products in the time frame and amounts expected; the market acceptance of our battery solutions, including our lithium ion batteries; and our ability to continue R&D development to keep up with technological changes. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties see "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's public filings with the SEC. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company has no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

CONTACT:

Highpower International, Inc.

Sunny Pan 
Chief Financial Officer 
Tel: +86-755-8968-6521 
Email: ir@highpowertech.com

Yuanmei Ma
Investor Relations Manager 
Tel: +1-909-214-2482 
Email: ir@highpowertech.com

ICR, Inc.  
Rose Zu 
Tel: +1-646-931-0303 
Email: ir@highpowertech.com