Recon Technology, Ltd Reports Financial Results for the First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2023

BEIJING, March 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Recon Technology, Ltd (NASDAQ: RCON) (“Recon” or the “Company”), a China-based independent solutions integrator in the oilfield service and environmental protection, electric power and coal chemical industries, today announced its financial results for the first six months of fiscal year 2023.

First Six Months of Fiscal 2023 Financial Metrics:

Total revenue decreased by approximately RMB8.8 million ($1.3 million) or 16.3% to RMB45.6 million ($6.6 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2022 from RMB54.4 million for the same period in 2021. Gross profit decreased by approximately RMB1.4 million ($0.20 million) or 9.5% to RMB13.1 million ($1.9 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2022, from RMB14.5 million for the same period in 2021. Gross margin increased to 28.8% for the six months ended December 31, 2022 from 26.7% for the same period in 2021. Research and development expenses decreased from RMB5.5 million ($0.9 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2021 to RMB5.1 million ($0.7 million) for the same period in 2022. Net income decreased by RMB141.3 million ($20.5 million) to net loss of RMB29.9 million ($4.3 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2022 from net income of RMB111.4 million ($17.5 million) for the same period in 2021.

For the Six Months Ended

December 31,

2022

2021

Increase /(Decrease)

Percentage
Change

(in RMB millions, except

earnings per share; differences

due to rounding)

Revenue

RMB

45.6

RMB

54.4

RMB

(8.8)

(16.3)

%

Gross profit

13.1

14.5

(1.4)

(9.5)

%

Gross margin

28.8

%

26.7

%

2.1 %

/

Net income

(29.9)

111.4

(141.3)

(126.8)

%

Net earnings per share-

diluted

(0.88)

3.87

(4.75)

(122.7)

%

Management Commentary

Mr. Shenping Yin, Founder and CEO of Recon said: “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in China in the second half of 2022, both our business activities and those of our customers were restricted by varying degrees. As a result, our revenue for the first six months ended December 31, 2022 decreased by 16.3% compared to the same period of year 2021. Although we maintained a stable gross profit margin, we experienced operating losses and net losses. As China achieved major and decisive strides in the COVID 19 prevention and control efforts in early 2023, we believe our business is back to a favorable direction as we actively pursue business opportunities.”

“Currently, as more markets in China’s energy industry are opening up to non-state-owned companies, we are exploring opportunities in such other markets. We believe that our experience and deep understanding of the energy industry, especially in the fields of oil and gas, will always be the foundation for the company’s long-term growth. In addition, to diversify our sources of revenue and reduce concentration risk, we will continue to leverage recent technological advancements, our knowledge of intelligent equipment and the “Internet of Things” (IoT), and opportunities arising from rising oil prices and climate deterioration caused in part by plastic pollution, to fully utilize our industry and technological knowledge and advantages and seek new opportunities in other industries. We expect to expand on more profitable business lines.”

First Six Months Fiscal 2023 Financial Results:

Revenue

Total revenues for the six months ended December 31, 2022 were approximately RMB45.6 million ($6.6 million), a decrease of approximately RMB8.8 million ($1.3 million) or 16.3% from RMB54.4 million for the same period in 2021. The overall decrease in revenue was mainly due to decrease revenue from automation product and software, oilfield environmental protection and platform outsourcing services segments, which was partially offset by the increased revenue from equipment and accessories segment during the six months ended December 31, 2022.

Revenue from automation product and software decreased by RMB4.8 million ($0.7 million) or 20.1%. The decrease was mainly caused by decreased orders from Ji Dong oilfield as this client reduced their investment budget and oil and gas extraction activities. Revenue from equipment and accessories increased by RMB3.5 million ($0.5 million) or 57.3% due to increased demand for equipment from Qing Hai oilfield companies as oil price increased and their production activities increased. Revenue from oilfield environmental protection decreased by RMB6.9 million ($1.0 million) or 35.2%. This was mainly caused by less raw materials we could collect. As a result, our revenue decreased due to lower processing volume compared to the same period last year. Revenue from platform outsourcing services decreased by RMB0.6 million ($0.1 million) or 13.9%. The decrease was mainly due to less overall economic activities and lower refueling volumes at gas stations.

Cost of revenue

Total cost of revenues decreased from RMB39.9 million for the six months ended December 31, 2021 to RMB32.4 million ($4.7 million) for the same period in 2022. This decrease was mainly caused by the decreased cost of revenue from automation product and software, oilfield environmental protection and platform outsourcing services segments, which was partially offset by the decreased cost of revenue from equipment and accessories segment during the six months ended December 31. 2022.

Gross profit

Total gross profit decreased to RMB13.1 million ($1.9 million) for the year ended December 31, 2022 from RMB14.5 million for the same period in 2021. Gross profit margin increased slightly to 28.8% for the six months ended December 31, 2022 from 26.7% for the same period in 2021.

For the six months ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, gross profit from automation product and software was approximately RMB3.3 million and RMB4.1 million ($0.6 million), respectively, representing an increase in gross profit of approximately RMB0.8 million ($0.1 million) or 25.0%. In year 2021, we mainly carried out contracts that were signed during the Covid-19 and low oil price period, during which we used a low-margin strategy to maintain our cooperation business with clients. As oil price increase in 2022, customers recovered and contract terms were improved and margin increased and the margin percentage will also be higher. For the six months ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, gross profit from equipment and accessories was approximately RMB3.3 million and RMB3.5 million ($0.5 million), respectively, representing an increase of approximately RMB0.2 million ($30,017 ) or 6.3%. This was mainly driven by high oil price and more demands for heating furnaces with higher margin rather than accessories with lower margin. For the six months ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, gross profit from oilfield environmental protection was approximately RMB5.6 million and RMB2.8 million ($0.4 million), respectively, representing a decrease of approximately RMB2.8 million ($0.4 million) or 50.3%. The decrease in gross profit from oilfield environmental protection was primarily attributable to the decreased production of oily sludge. For the six months ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, gross profit from platform outsourcing services was approximately RMB2.3 million and RMB2.7 million ($0.4 million), respectively, representing an increase of approximately RMB0.4 million ($0.1 million) or 18.4 %, this was mainly because personnel expenses, which constitutes major part of our costs, reduced during the six months ended December 31, 2022.

Operating expenses

Selling and distribution expenses decreased by 14.9% or RMB0.7 million ($0.1 million), from RMB4.7 million in the six months ended December 31, 2021 to RMB4.0 million ($0.6 million) in the same period of 2022.

General and administrative expenses decreased by 44.6% or RMB21.1 million ($3.1 million), from RMB47.3 million in the six months ended December 31, 2021 to RMB26.2 million ($3.8 million) in the same period of 2022.

The Company also recorded an allowance for credit losses of RMB5.7 million for the six months ended December 31, 2021 as compared to a net recovery of credit losses of RMB7.1 million ($1.0 million) for the same period in 2022.

Research and development expenses remained relatively stable with a slight decrease from RMB5.5 million for the six months ended December 31, 2021 to RMB5.1 million ($0.7 million) for the same period of 2022.

Loss from operations

Loss from operations was RMB15.1 million ($2.2 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2022, compared to a loss of RMB37.3 million for the same period of 2021. This RMB22.2 million ($3.2 million) decrease in loss from operations was primarily due to the decrease in operating expense as discussed above.

Change in fair value of warrant liability

Gain in fair value of warrants issued on June 14, 2021 through six months ended December 31, 2021 was RMB147.2 million, and the loss in fair value of warrants was RMB20.1 million ($2.9 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2022.

Interest income

Interest income was RMB5.0 million ($0.7 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2022, compared to interest income of RMB1.8 million for the same period of 2021.

Net income (loss)

As a result of the factors described above, net loss was RMB29.9 million ($4.3 million) for the six months ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of RMB141.3 million ($20.5 million) from net income of RMB111.4 million for the same period of 2021.

Cash

As of December 31, 2022, we had cash in the amount of approximately RMB269.1 million ($39.0 million). As of June 30, 2022, we had cash in the amount of approximately RMB317.0 million ($47.3 million).

Recent Development

On March 17, 2023, the Company announced that it closed its previously announced registered direct offering with certain accredited investors to purchase approximately $8 million worth of its Class A ordinary shares, and Class A ordinary shares warrants in a concurrent private placement, for proceeds of approximately $8 million. In addition, ordinary share purchase warrants to purchase an aggregate of 7,950,769 ordinary shares previously issued by the Company to certain institutional investors on June 16, 2021 had the exercise price reduce to $0.80 in connection with this offering. Company management and its board of directors believe that the capital raise was in company’s best interests to obtain additional funding for its new business segment in the plastics recycling business while confronting near-term market volatility and the recently announced tighter rules and regulations in terms of follow-on offerings from oversea-listed Chinese companies promulgated from the China Securities Regulatory Commission. The Company intends to use the net proceeds for its midterm and long-term operations, including for the Company’s research and development needs for current and future products, expansion of its marketing efforts, and possible acquisition of complementary assets or businesses.

On March 2, 2023, the Company announced that it has formulated preliminary plans to expand into the plastics chemical recycling business. Recon also attended the 27th China Plastics Recycling Conference and Exhibition held on February 28 at Dongguan City of Guangdong Province to explore cutting-edge technologies that work to achieve circular economy goals in eliminating waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in continuous use, and regenerating natural systems..

On February 27, 2023, the Company announced that the mainland China variable interest entity’s subsidiary, Nanjing Recon Technology Co., had achieved preliminary progress on the research and development of a new energy-efficient electric pump that is being conducted at some oilfield sites in China.

About Recon Technology, Ltd (“RCON”)

Recon Technology, Ltd (NASDAQ: RCON) is the People’s Republic of China’s first NASDAQ-listed non-state owned oil and gas field service company. Recon supplies China’s largest oil exploration companies, Sinopec (NYSE: SNP) and The China National Petroleum Corporation (“CNPC”), with advanced automated technologies, efficient gathering and transportation equipment and reservoir stimulation measure for increasing petroleum extraction levels, reducing impurities and lowering production costs. Through the years, RCON has taken leading positions within several segmented markets of the oil and gas filed service industry. RCON also has developed stable long-term cooperation relationship with its major clients. For additional information please visit: http://www.recon.cn/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Recon includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws throughout this press release. A reader can identify forward-looking statements because they are not limited to historical fact or they use words such as “scheduled,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “goal,” “objective,” “committed,” “intend,” “continue,” or “will likely result,” and similar expressions that concern Recon’s strategy, plans, intentions or beliefs about future occurrences or results. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may change at any time and may cause actual results to differ materially from those that Recon expected. Many of these statements are derived from Recon’s operating budgets and forecasts, which are based on many detailed assumptions that Recon believes are reasonable, or are based on various assumptions about certain plans, activities or events which we expect will or may occur in the future. However, it is very difficult to predict the effect of known factors, and Recon cannot anticipate all factors that could affect actual results that may be important to an investor. All forward-looking information should be evaluated in the context of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those factors disclosed under “Risk Factors” in Recon’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and any subsequent half-year financial filings on Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements that Recon makes from time to time in its SEC filings and public communications. Recon cannot assure the reader that it will realize the results or developments Recon anticipates, or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect Recon or its operations in the way Recon expects. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. Recon undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which they were made, except as otherwise required by law. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included herein or that may be made elsewhere from time to time by, or on behalf of, Recon.

For more information, please contact:

Company
Ms. Liu Jia
Chief Financial Officer
Recon Technology, Ltd
Phone: +86 (10) 8494-5799
Email: [email protected]

Investor Relations
Janice Wang
Managing Partner
Phone: +86 13811768559 (China)
             +1 628 283 9214
Email: [email protected] 

 

 

RECON TECHNOLOGY, LTD

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

As of June 30

As of December 31

As of December 31

2022

2022

2022

ASSETS

RMB

RMB

U.S. Dollars

Current assets

Cash

¥

316,974,857

¥

269,111,420

$

39,011,267

Restricted cash

723,560

730,060

105,832

Notes receivable

10,828,308

8,471,941

1,228,120

Trade accounts

   receivable, net

22,577,980

38,972,445

5,649,572

Inventories, net

3,894,369

4,941,662

716,359

Other receivables, net

5,501,833

2,767,204

401,143

Loans to third parties

50,383,822

95,089,205

13,784,440

Purchase advances, net

178,208

554,700

80,411

Contract costs, net

33,858,820

27,747,782

4,022,409

Prepaid expenses

420,284

409,939

59,426

Prepaid expenses –

   related parties

275,000

Total current assets

445,617,041

448,796,358

65,058,979

Property and

   equipment, net

25,474,162

26,104,639

3,784,213

Construction in

   progress

239,739

267,571

38,788

Intangible assets, net

5,950,000

5,600,000

811,794

Long-term other

   receivables, net

1,564,381

620,000

89,877

Long-term loan to a

   third party

3,067,000

444,602

Goodwill

4,730,002

4,730,002

685,676

Operating lease right-

   of-use assets

   (including ¥765,241

   and ¥553,226

   ($80,197) from a

   related party as of

   June 30, 2022 and

   December 31, 2022,

   respectively)

6,666,759

5,038,871

730,451

Total Assets

¥

490,242,084

¥

494,224,441

$

71,644,380

LIABILITIES AND

   EQUITY

Current liabilities

Short-term bank loans

¥

10,000,000

¥

10,000,000

$

1,449,633

Trade accounts payable

16,739,989

16,987,376

2,462,542

Other payables

3,533,918

2,125,082

308,059

Other payable- related

   parties

2,240,135

2,471,268

358,243

Contract liabilities

2,001,277

55,400

8,031

Accrued payroll and

   employees’ welfare

2,250,547

2,278,254

330,263

Taxes payable

2,210,958

2,884,924

418,208

Short-term borrowings

   – related parties

9,009,156

10,005,069

1,450,367

Long-term borrowings

   – related party –

   current portion

999,530

1,041,981

151,049

Operating lease

   liabilities – current

   (including ¥429,265

   and ¥439,865

   ($63,764) from a

   related party as of

   June 30, 2022 and

   December 31, 2022,

   respectively)

3,892,774

3,705,420

537,150

Total Current

   Liabilities

52,878,284

51,554,774

7,473,545

Operating lease

   liabilities – non-

   current (including

   ¥335,976 and

   ¥113,361 ($16,433)

   from a related party as

   of June 30, 2022 and

   December 31, 2022,

   respectively)

2,184,635

752,821

109,131

Long-term bank loan

1,000,000

144,963

Long-term borrowings

   – related party

5,511,076

4,989,930

723,356

Contract liabilities –

   non-current

106,000

106,000

15,366

Warrant liability

16,677,328

37,043,871

5,370,000

Total Liabilities

77,357,323

95,447,396

13,836,361

Commitments and

   Contingencies

Equity

Class A ordinary shares,

   $0.0925 U.S. dollar

   par value,

   150,000,000 shares

   authorized;

   29,700,718 shares and

   29,700,718 shares

   issued and

   outstanding as of June

   30, 2022 and

   December 31, 2022,

   respectively

18,001,670

18,001,670

2,609,581

Class B ordinary

   shares, $0.0925 U.S.

   dollar par value,

   20,000,000 shares

   authorized; 4,100,000

   shares and 4,100,000

   shares issued and

   outstanding as of June

   30, 2022 and

   December 31, 2022,

   respectively

2,408,498

2,408,498

349,144

Additional paid-in

   capital

496,038,696

502,139,970

72,791,843

Statutory reserve

4,148,929

4,148,929

601,442

Accumulated deficit

(111,273,525)

(141,149,943)

(20,461,555)

Accumulated other

   comprehensive

   income

11,307,461

20,971,162

3,040,048

Total shareholders’

   equity

420,631,729

406,520,286

58,930,503

Non-controlling

   interests

(7,746,968)

(7,743,241)

(1,122,484)

Total equity

412,884,761

398,777,045

57,808,019

Total Liabilities and

   Equity

¥

490,242,084

¥

494,224,441

$

71,644,380

 

 

RECON TECHNOLOGY, LTD

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(UNAUDITED)

For the six months ended

December 31,

2021

2022

2022

RMB

RMB

USD

Revenues

Revenues – third parties

¥

54,411,724

¥

45,559,591

$

6,604,466

Revenues

54,411,724

45,559,591

6,604,466

Cost of revenues

Cost of revenues – third parties

39,904,645

32,427,772

4,700,835

Cost of revenues

39,904,645

32,427,772

4,700,835

Gross profit

14,507,079

13,131,819

1,903,631

Selling and distribution expenses

4,727,496

4,021,899

583,028

General and administrative expenses

47,314,621

26,212,540

3,799,855

Net recovery of credit losses

(5,671,285)

(7,141,708)

(1,035,285)

Research and development expenses

5,477,213

5,109,302

740,661

Operating expenses

51,848,045

28,202,033

4,088,259

Loss from operations

(37,340,966)

(15,070,214)

(2,184,628)

Other income (expenses)

Subsidy income

2,278

85,602

12,409

Interest income

2,590,649

5,187,649

752,018

Interest expense

(784,077)

(169,091)

(24,512)

Income from investment in unconsolidated

entity

15,411

Gain (loss) in fair value changes of warrants

liability

147,168,952

(20,097,665)

(2,913,423)

Foreign exchange transaction gain (loss)

(151,986)

42,455

6,154

Other income (expenses)

(13,630)

157,753

22,868

Other income (expenses), net

148,827,597

(14,793,297)

(2,144,486)

Income (loss) before income tax

111,486,631

(29,863,511)

(4,329,114)

Income tax expenses

107,204

9,180

1,331

Net income (loss)

111,379,427

(29,872,691)

(4,330,445)

Less: Net income attributable to non-

controlling interests

21,917

3,727

540

Net income (loss) attributable to Recon

Technology, Ltd

¥

111,357,510

¥

(29,876,418)

$

(4,330,985)

Comprehensive income (loss)

Net income (loss)

111,379,427

(29,872,691)

(4,330,445)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

(4,636,991)

9,663,701

1,400,882

Comprehensive income (loss)

106,742,436

(20,208,990)

(2,929,563)

Less: Comprehensive income attributable to

non-controlling interests

21,917

3,727

540

Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to

Recon Technology, Ltd

¥

106,720,519

¥

(20,212,717)

$

(2,930,103)

Earning (loss) per ordinary share

-Basic

¥

4.08

¥

(0.88)

$

(0.13)

-Diluted

¥

3.87

¥

(0.88)

$

(0.13)

Weighted average shares

-Basic

27,312,581

33,800,718

33,800,718

-Diluted

28,776,992

33,800,718

33,800,718