Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. Announces First Quarter 2010 Financial Results

BEIJING, May 10 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. ("Xinyuan" or "the Company") (NYSE: XIN), a residential real estate developer with a focus on high growth, strategic Tier II cities in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2010.

    Highlights for the First Quarter 2010
    -- Total first quarter revenues were US$110.7 million, a 177% increase
       over US$39.9 million reported in the same period of 2009, and exceeded
       the high end of guidance by $5.7 million or 5%.
    -- Contract sales totaled US$143.4 million, a 284% increase over US$37.3
       million recorded in the first quarter of 2009, and exceeded the high
       end of guidance by $13.4 million or 10%.
    -- Total gross floor area ("GFA") sales were 126,900 square meters, a 169%
       increase over 47,100 square meters sold in the same period of 2009 and
       exceeded the high end of guidance by 6%.
    -- Selling, General, and Administrative ("SG&A") expenses as a percent of
       total revenue decreased to 7.1% compared to 11.6% in the first quarter
       of 2009.
    -- Net income was US$11.9 million, a $10.8 million increase over US$1.1
       million reported in the first quarter of 2009 and exceeded the high end
       of guidance by US$1.9 million or 19%.
    -- Diluted net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders was
       US$0.07, equivalent to US$0.14 per American Depositary Share ("ADS"),
       compared to diluted net income per share of US$0.01, equivalent to
       US$0.02 per ADS in the first quarter of 2009.
    -- Cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash, increased by
       US$93.7 million to US$291.7 million as of March 31, 2010 from US$198.0
       million as of December 31, 2009.

"We are pleased to report a solid first quarter of 2010. While this is a seasonal slower quarter, contract sales, GFA sales, average selling prices ("ASP's"), and net income all exceeded our expectations. These strong results allowed us to continue to generate substantial cash flow which we in turn partially used to repay $75 million of floating rate notes on schedule and convertible bond obligations of $30 million early. We simultaneously raised $40 million in new notes concurrent with the repayment of the debt.

"On Apr 17th 2010, the central government issued new policies on the real estate sector in China. The measures of the policies were to raise down payments for second home buyers and suspend mortgage lending to third home buyers. We believe the intent of these policies is to curb speculative buying in order to cool off price increases in those Tier I cities where housing has become difficult to afford.

"We remain excited about our prospects for the future with a strong team, a solid cash position, and sufficient land bank to help us meet our sales targets through 2011. We continue to believe that our business model of focusing on affordable developments targeting homeowners in Tier II and Tier III cities aligns well with the new government policies as well as urbanization and migration patterns in China. Xinyuan is well-positioned for growth over the long term." said Mr. Yong Zhang, Xinyuan's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Financial Results for the First Quarter

For the quarter ended March 31, 2010, the Company's total revenue using the percentage of completion method was US$110.7 million compared to US$39.9 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2009. As expected, revenue declined sequentially from US$189.1 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2009 due to seasonal factors including Chinese New Year.

The Company's GFA sales were 126,900 square meters in the first quarter of 2010 compared to 47,100 square meters in the first quarter of 2009 and 239,900 in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Contract sales totaled US$143.4 million in the first quarter of 2010 compared to $37.3 million in the first quarter of 2009 and US$239.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. The average selling price per square meter was RMB7,713 (US$1,130) in the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 42.7% compared to RMB5,405(US$791) in the first quarter of 2009 and 13.0% compared to RMB6,826 (US$999) in the fourth quarter of 2009.

    Breakdown of GFA Sales and ASP's by Project

                    Q1 2009           Q4 2009           Q1 2010       Unsold
                 GFA        ASP      GFA    ASP      GFA       ASP      GFA
      Project  (m2 000)    (Rmb)  (m2 000) (Rmb)   (m2 000)   (Rmb)  (m2 000)
    Chengdu
     Splendid I    6.8     4,100     54.3  5,482      30.4    5,743     66.4
    Henan
     Colorful
     Garden       14.9     5,452     17.0  6,571      10.0    7,996     37.0
    Kunshan
     Intl City
     Garden        8.9     4,749    111.3  7,024      76.9    8,011    193.6
    Shandong
     Intl City
     Garden       10.8     5,402     23.0  5,673       0.2    1,803      2.2
    Suzhou
     Colorful
     Garden        1.3     7,344     10.1  9,445       0.7   10,342      0.8
    Suzhou Intl
     City Garden   3.1     6,863     23.5  9,397       8.2   11,153    127.2
    Others         1.3    10,558      0.7   -941       0.5   17,312      1.3
      Total       47.1     5,405    239.9  6,826     126.9    7,713    428.5

Gross Profit

Gross profit for the first quarter of 2010 was $24.7 million, or 22.3% of revenue, compared to gross profit of $6.5 million, or 16.2% of revenue, in the first quarter of 2009 and gross profit of $41.2 million, or 21.8% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Company revised total project cost and sales estimates for certain projects such that US$3.4 million of cumulative gross profit was recognized in the first quarter of 2010 under the percentage of completion method due to changes in estimates. In the fourth quarter of 2009 a similar revision had an $8.0 million favorable impact on gross profit. The first quarter impact was primarily driven by two projects: Suzhou International City Garden and Kunshan International City Garden. Suzhou International City Garden recognized higher than expected ASPs in the fourth quarter of 2009 and first quarter of 2010. This project was 79% complete as of March 31, 2010. Estimates for Kunshan International City Garden improved due to lower expected capitalized interest costs as project cash flows exceeded expectations on higher ASP's and a higher GFA sales rate. This project was 61% complete as of March 31, 2010.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses were US$7.9 million for the first quarter of 2010 compared to US$4.7 million for the first quarter of 2009 and US$12.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2009. As a percentage of total revenue, SG&A expenses were 7.1% compared to 11.6% in the first quarter of 2009 and 6.7% in the fourth of 2009.

Share of Income of Equity Investee

In the first quarter of 2010, the Company recognized income of US$0.6 million from its 45% stake in Zhengzhou Jiantou Xinyuan Real Estate Co. Ltd ("Jiantou Xinyuan") compared to a income of US$1.0 million in the first quarter of 2009 and a income of $2.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Net Income

Net income for the first quarter of 2010 was US$11.9 million compared to US$1.1 million for the same period in 2009 and US$25.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2010 was US$0.07, equivalent to US$0.14 per ADS compared to a profit of US$0.01 per share, equivalent to US$0.02 per ADS for the same period in 2009, and US$0.16, equivalent to US$0.32 per ADS in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Balance Sheet

As of March 31, 2010, the Company reported US$291.7 million in cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) compared to US$198.0 million as of December 31, 2009. Total debt outstanding was US$296.8 million, an increase of US$44.9 million compared to US$251.9 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2009. Real estate property under development was US$655.4 million at first quarter end compared to US$560.6 million at the end of the fourth quarter.

Update on Share Transfer of Jiantou Xinyuan Joint Venture

On September 30, 2009, the Company announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Henan Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. ("Xinyuan China"), signed an agreement to acquire the remaining 55% equity interest in Jiantou Xinyuan it does not already own, making Xinyuan China the sole owner of Jiantou Xinyuan. The government-mandated auction process is currently underway. Barring unforeseen circumstances, if Xinyuan prevails in the auction we expect to finalize the transaction by the end of the second quarter of 2010. As of March 31, 2010, Jiantou Xinyuan had two projects with approximately 39,200 square meters unsold GFA and one project under planning with a GFA of approximately 198,600 square meters.

Project Status

    Below is a summary table of projects that were active in the first quarter
of 2010.

                        GFA              Contract Sales          Project
                     (m2 000's)          (US$ millions)           Cost %
                                                                 Complete
                  Total     Sold to  Total    Sales     %
     Project     Project      date  Project  to date   Sold
    Chengdu
     Splendid I   230.9      164.5   186.8    120.7    64.6%        73.1%
    Henan
     Colorful
     Garden       191.8      154.8   181.4    140.0    77.2%        97.2%
    Kunshan
     Intl City
     Garden       497.1      303.4   525.7    295.7    56.2%        61.1%
    Shandong
     Intl City
     Garden       264.3      262.1   208.5    207.4    99.5%        98.9%
    Suzhou
     Intl City
     Garden       205.2       78.0   290.7     97.3    33.5%        79.3%
    Others
     remaining
     GFA            2.1         --      --       --       --           --

    Total of
     projects
     active in
     2010       1,391.4      962.8 1,393.1    861.1    61.8%        77.3%

As of March 31, 2010, the Company's total sellable GFA was approximately 1,924,400 square meters including active projects, new acquisitions, and pre-revenue stage projects in Chengdu (219,500 m2) and Zhengzhou (251,400 m2) but excluding Jiantou Xinyuan's land projects GFA of 237,800 m2. Below is a summary of all projects at Xinyuan that are in the planning stage:

                                                    Unsold GFA
                                                     (m2 000)
    Total active projects                               428.5
    Zhengzhou Longhai Road                              251.4
    Chengdu Splendid II                                 219.5
    Zhengzhou 9/23/09 purchase                           78.4
    Zhengzhou 10/23/09 purchase                         179.7
    Xuzhou 10/27/09 purchase                             93.6
    Jinan 10/29/09 purchase                             536.2
    Zhengzhou 12/17/09 purchase                         137.1
    Total Xinyuan projects in planning                1,495.9
    Total all Xinyuan projects                        1,924.4

2010 Outlook

As mentioned above, the government circular on housing policy was issued in mid April, 2010. The immediate effect of these new administrative policies was that mortgage lending activities were suspended in regional markets as local banks sought guidance from their respective headquarters. While we do not operate in Tier I cities where speculation has been most rampant and the policies are most targeted, the new policies have nonetheless had an impact on our projects, most notably in our Kunshan project. We believe the national, regional, and local government agencies and banks will take some time to interpret and implement these policies in such a way as to dampen price increases and speculation while maintaining a healthy real estate industry.

Kunshan appears to be the Xinyuan project most affected where virtually no mortgage lending is taking place. 182 apartment units were sold in the first 18 days of April while just 8 units were sold in the subsequent 10 days. Potential apartment buyers are also seeking clarification of the new housing policy. While we continue to believe the attractiveness of the project due to its nice location, easy transportation to Shanghai and more affordable price, we do not know when buyer traffic will return and with what force under the new housing policies since the new policies have only been implemented by a couple of weeks. As the Kunshan project accounted for 63% of our contract sales in the first quarter of 2010, it is difficult for us to predict the sales trend for May and June. We will update our guidance after we have more time to digest the new policies and have a clearer picture of the overall sales movement.

Percentage of Completion Accounting

Most of Xinyuan's projects recognize revenue under the percentage of completion method. This requires the Company to re-evaluate its estimates of future revenues and costs on a quarterly basis project by project.

    Cumulative         Cumulative contract     Cumulative incurred
     revenue        =    sales proceeds     x          cost
                       -------------------------------------------
                               Total estimated project cost



    Cumulative cost    Cumulative contract     Cumulative incurred
     of sales       =         sales         x          cost
                       -------------------------------------------
                          Total estimated project contract sales

Whenever Xinyuan makes changes to expected total project life profit margins, a "catch-up" adjustment must be made in the quarter of change to account for the difference between profits previously recognized using the previous profit margin estimate and the comparable profit using the new profit margin estimates. Further, if the updated profit margin indicates that the Company will have to sell units at a price less than its costs to develop them, it must recognize the full expected gross loss over the life of the project at that time regardless of whether the units have been sold. Additionally for such unprofitable projects the Company must also determine whether an impairment exists, and, if so, write down the cost to the fair value of the project which, in turn, may be less than the basis after recognizing the effect of future losses. In the fourth quarter of 2008, Suzhou International City Garden was the only such unprofitable project subject to recognition of total project gross loss and impairment reviews. In the fourth quarter of 2009, we changed estimates for the Henan Colorful Garden and Kunshan International City Garden projects. In the year ended 2009, there were no unprofitable projects that were subject to recognition of total project gross loss and impairment reviews. Except as discussed above related to Suzhou International City Garden and Kunshan International City Garden projects, there were no material changes in estimates in the first quarter of 2010.

Conference Call Information

Xinyuan's management will host an earnings conference call on May 10, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Listeners may access the call by dialing 1-719-325-2408. A webcast will also be available through the Company's investor relations website at http://www.xyre.com . Listeners may access the replay by dialing 1-719-457-0820, access code: 7430534.

About Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd.

Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. ("Xinyuan") (NYSE: XIN) is a developer of large scale, high quality residential real estate projects aimed at providing middle-income consumers with a comfortable and convenient community lifestyle. Xinyuan focuses on China's Tier II cities, characterized as larger, more developed urban areas with above average GDP and population growth rates. Xinyuan has expanded its network to cover a total population of over 44.7 million people in seven strategically selected Tier II cities, comprising Hefei, Jinan, Kunshan, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Xuzhou and Chengdu. Xinyuan is the first real estate developer from China to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit http://www.xyre.com .

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release 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. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements concerning our beliefs, forecasts, estimates and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including, but not limited to, the risk that: we may be unable to acquire desired development sales at commercially reasonable costs; PRC economic, political and social conditions as well as government policies can affect our business; our financing costs are subject to changes in interest rates; our results of operations may fluctuate from period to period; the recognition of our real estate revenue and costs relies on our estimation of total project sales value and costs; increases in the price of raw materials may increase our cost of sales and reduce our earnings; we are heavily dependent on the performance of the residential property market in China, which is at a relatively early development stage; the market price of our ADSs may be volatile, and other risks outlined in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2009. All information provided in this press release is as of May 10, 2010. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Notes to Unaudited Financial Information

This release contains unaudited financial information which is subject to year end audit adjustments. Adjustments to the financial statements may be identified when the audit work is completed, which could result in significant differences between our audited financial statements and this unaudited financial information.

For more information, please contact:

    In China:
     Mr. Tom Gurnee
     Chief Financial Officer
     Tel:   +86-10-8588-9390
     Email: tom.gurnee@xyre.com

     Ms. Helen Zhang
     Director of Investor Relations
     Tel:   +86-10-8588-9255
     Email: yuan.z@xyre.com

    In the United States:
     Mr. Bill Zima
     ICR, Inc.
     Tel:   +1-203-682-8200
     Email: Bill.zima@icrinc.com

     Ms. Kate Messmer
     ICR, Inc.
     Tel:   +1-203-682-8338
     Email: kate.messmer@icrinc.com


                          (Financial Tables Follow)



                XINYUAN REAL ESTATE CO., LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES
            UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
       (All US$ amounts and number of shares data in thousands, except per
                                   share data)

                                         Three months ended
                           March 31,        December 31,          March 31,
                              2010              2009                 2009
                          (unaudited)       (unaudited)          (unaudited)

    Revenue                 110,744           189,098               39,939

    Cost of revenue         (86,032)         (147,866)             (33,462)
    Gross profit             24,712            41,232                6,477

    Selling and
     distribution
     expenses                (2,390)           (5,291)                (731)
    General and
     administrative
     expenses                (5,520)           (7,286)              (3,926)

    Operating income         16,802            28,655                1,820


    Interest income             650               967                  299

    Share of income in
     an equity investee         562             1,979                1,031

    Exchange gains/
     (losses)                    20                22                  (14)
    Change in fair value
     of warrant liabilities      --               443                 (245)
    Income from operations
     before income taxes     18,034            32,066                2,891

    Income taxes             (6,134)           (6,660)              (1,765)


    Net income               11,900            25,406                1,126

    Earnings per share:
      Basic                    0.08              0.17                 0.01
      Diluted                  0.07              0.16                 0.01
    Shares used in
     computation:
      Basic                 151,512           151,444              149,364
      Diluted               161,207           161,074              158,961




               XINYUAN REAL ESTATE CO., LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES
                      CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
            (All US$ amounts and number of shares data in thousands)

                                              March 31,            December 31,
                                                 2010                 2009
                                             (unaudited)            (audited)
    ASSETS
    Current assets
    Cash and cash equivalents                   227,583              157,800
    Restricted cash                              64,161               40,240
    Accounts receivable                           2,184                9,216
    Other receivables                            32,491               32,036
    Other deposits and prepayments               34,826               25,322
    Advances to suppliers                         3,786               20,425
    Real estate property development
     completed                                    1,019                1,307
    Real estate property under
     development                                655,401              560,591
    Other current assets                          2,598                2,420

    Total current assets                      1,024,049              849,357

    Real estate properties held for
     lease, net                                  17,063               17,277
    Property and equipment, net                   4,728                4,703
    Other long-term investment                      242                  242
    Interests in an equity investee               1,458                  868
    Deferred tax asset                            3,533                4,593
    Other assets                                  4,356                4,743

    TOTAL ASSETS                              1,055,429              881,783




               XINYUAN REAL ESTATE CO., LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES
                      CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
            (All US$ amounts and number of shares data in thousands)

                                                 March 31,        December 31,
                                                   2010               2009
                                               (unaudited)         (audited)
    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
    Current liabilities
    Accounts payable                              207,123             97,115
    Short-term bank loans                          53,763             94,662
    Customer deposits                              13,231             10,852
    Income tax payable                             10,154             11,224
    Deferred tax liabilities                       17,693             13,185
    Other payables and accrued
     liabilities                                   36,241             33,507
    Payroll and welfare payable                     1,708              4,316
    Current portion of long-term debt             106,790            104,239

    Total current liabilities                     446,703            369,100

    Non-Current Liabilities
    Long-term bank loans                          136,287             53,015
    Warrant liabilities                                --                 --
    Unrecognized tax benefits                      12,760             12,757
    TOTAL LIABILITIES                             595,750            434,872

    Shareholders' equity
    Common Shares                                      15                 15
    Additional paid-in capital                    503,763            503,021
    Accumulated deficit                           (68,534)           (80,560)
    Statutory reserves                             24,435             24,435
    TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY                    459,679            446,911

    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS'
     EQUITY                                     1,055,429            881,783

 

SOURCE Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd.

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