Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: OSN) operates within the manufacture and sale of a wide range of plain pre-stressed steel materials, rare earth-coated, and zinc-coated pre-stressed steel materials. The Shanghai-based company’s products are designed primarily for bridge construction, highways, and other infrastructure. Shares of the Chinese steel manufacturer are soaring 59.45%, through early trading on Tuesday, August 27, 2019. Over the past three months, Ossen Innovations has seen average daily volume of 34,790 shares. However, volume of 11.05 million shares or dollar volume of $58.12 million, has already exchanged hands through early trading on Tuesday.
Shares of Ossen Innovation are surging today, after the company reported unaudited six-month financial results for the period ending June 30, 2019. The Chinese company reported revenues of $65.1 million, gross profits of $10.1 million, net income of $5.6 million or earnings per share of $0.29. This compares to the six-month period in 2018, which produced financial results of $70 million in revenues, $10 million in gross profits, net income of $4.8 million or earnings per share of $0.24. Overall, revenues dropped 7.10% due to a slowing Chinese economy, yet Ossen Innovation reported net income growth of 18.70%, thanks to focusing on higher margin products.
Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd. Press Release:
SHANGHAI, Aug. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd. (“Ossen Innovation” or the “Company”) (OSN), a China-based manufacturer of an array of plain surface, rare earth and zinc coated pre-stressed steel materials, today announced its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2019.
“Because of the lowest Chinese GDP growth rate in recent years during the first half of 2019, our top line decreased slightly. Nonetheless, net income increased by 18.7% as we focused on higher margin products,” stated Dr. Liang Tang, Chairman of Ossen Innovation. “Looking ahead, we expect to see an increase in investment in infrastructure construction across China. The successful IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange of Pujiang International Group (‘Pujiang’), a Cayman Islands company that indirectly owns 65.9% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares, has provided an additional resource of capital for us and is expected to enable us to capture additional opportunities to win new infrastructure projects.”
Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 Financial Results
For the Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||
($ millions, except per share data) | 2019 | 2018 | % Change | |||
Revenues | $65.1 | $70.0 | -7.1% | |||
Gross profit | $10.1 | $10.0 | 2.0% | |||
Gross margin | 15.6% | 14.3% | +1.2% | |||
Operating income | $7.3 | $6.7 | 8.9% | |||
Operating margin | 11.2% | 9.6% | +1.6% | |||
Net income attributable to Ossen Innovation | $5.6 | $4.8 | 18.7% | |||
EPS | $0.29 | $0.24 | 20.8% | |||
For the six months ended June 30, 2019, revenues decreased by $4.9 million, or 7.1%, to $65.1 million from $70.0 million for the same period of last year. This decrease was mainly attributable to decrease in rare earth coated products, partially offset by increase in zinc coated products and plain surface and other products. The sales of rare earth coated PC steel materials were $23.1 million and accounted for 35.6% of total sales for the six months ended June 30, 2019. Sales of plain surface and other products were $28.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. There were no sales of zinc coated products in the period ended June 30, 2018 and Sales of zinc coated products were $13.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019.
Gross profit increased by $0.1 million, or 2.0%, to $10.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 from $10.0 million for the same period of last year. Gross margin increased by 1.3 percentage points to 15.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 from 14.3% for the same period of last year. Gross margins for rare earth products were 13.4% for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to 12.6% for the same period of last year. Gross margin for plain surface and other products was 15.5% for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to 22.9% for the same period of last year. Gross margin for zinc coated PC wires and PC strands was 19.3% for the six months ended June 30, 2019.
Selling expenses decreased by $44,862, or 25.5%, to $130,926 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 from $175,788 for the same period of last year. The decrease was due to less freight expenses, partial offset by higher sales commission. General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.4 million, or 13.8%, to $2.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 from $3.1 million for the same period of last year.
As a result, total operating expenses decreased by $0.5 million, or 14.5%, to $2.8 millionfor the six months ended June 30, 2019 from $3.3 million for the same period of last year.
Operating income increased by $0.6 million, or 8.9%, to $7.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 from $6.7 million for the same period of last year. The increase in operating income was primarily attributable to increase in gross profit and decrease in SG&A expenses. Operating margin was 11.2% for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to 9.6% for the same period of last year.
Net income increased by $1.0 million, or 19.4%, to $6.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 from $5.2 million for the same period of last year.
After deducting net income attributable to non-controlling interest, net income attributable to Ossen Innovation increased by $0.9 million, or 18.7%, to $5.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 from $4.8 million for the same period of last year. Earnings per share, both basic and diluted, were $0.29 for the six months ended June 30, 2018, compared to $0.24 for the same period of last year. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were $0.87 for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared with $0.72 for the same period of 2018.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flows
As of June 30, 2019, the Company had cash and restricted cash of $12.8 million, compared to $7.5 million at December 31, 2018. Accounts receivable were $55.7 million as of June 30, 2019, compared to $60.6 million at December 31, 2018. The average days of sales of outstanding (DSO) were 161 days for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to 150 days for the year of 2018. The increase in average DSO was primarily due to the longer cycle of some of our customers’ construction projects. The balance of prepayment to suppliers for raw materials totaled $101.1 million as of June 30, 2019, compared to $70.0 million at December 31, 2018, due to the expectation of increasing demand of raw materials in the second half of 2019. The Company had inventories of $9.6 million as of June 30, 2019, compared to $17.2 million at the end of 2018. Total working capital was $119.6 million as of June 30, 2019, compared to $113.1 million at December 31, 2018.
Net cash used in operating activities was $13.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to net cash used in operating activities of $2.7 million for the same period of last year. This was primarily due to the increase in the balance of prepayment to suppliers for raw materials. Net cash used in
Recent Developments
On May 28, 2019, the Company announced a loan of HK$20 million (approximately US$2.6 million) from Pujiang. This loan is a portion of the proceeds received by Pujiang from its initial public offering in Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The annual interest rate of the loan is 8% and it has a one-year term. The Company used the proceeds of approximately $1.7 million to pay off the balance due to Dr. Liang Tang, the chairman of Ossen Innovation and approximately $0.9 million for general corporate purposes.
On June 26, 2019, the Company announced that its subsidiary, Ossen (Jiujiang) Innovation Materials Co., Ltd. (“Ossen Jiujiang”), borrowed funds pursuant to two loans in the aggregate principal amount of RMB 129.5 million (approximately US$18.9 million) from the Bank of Shanghai. Pujiang has provided the guarantees and cash collateral for such loans. The loans carry an annual interest rate of 3.915%. One loan has a term of six months and the other loan a term of one year. The Company anticipates that Ossen Jiujiang will be able to roll over these loans when they become due. Ossen Jiujiang expects to use the proceeds of such loans primarily for planned capital expenditures in the expansion of zinc coated production capacity.
About Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd.
Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells a wide variety of plain surface pre-stressed steel materials and rare earth coated and zinc coated pre-stressed steel materials. The Company’s products are mainly used in the construction of bridges, as well as in highways and other infrastructure projects. Ossen has two manufacturing facilities located in Ma’anshan, Anhui Province, and Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks outlined in the Company’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F. All information provided in this press release is as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes 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.