HIGHWAY HOLDINGS REPORTS FIRST QUARTER FISCAL 2024 RESULTS

HONG KONG, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Highway Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: HIHO) today reported financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024.

Net sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 were $1.35 million compared with $2.94 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023. Net loss for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 was $338,000, or $0.08 per diluted share, compared with net income of $390,000, or $0.09 per diluted share, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023.

Roland Kohl, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Highway Holdings, commented, “We are still dealing with the fallout of the previous COVID pandemic.  Most of our sales are to manufacturers of household related products.  Hidden behind the COVID supply chain problems was actually a big boom for our customers’ products, as demand for home and household related products increased as people utilized their time at home to improve their living spaces. Once the COVID restrictions were released worldwide, there was a surge in travel as people left their homes and resumed outdoor and recreational activities. As a result, demand fell significantly for home and household-related products, leaving a big buying hole where many of our customers had previously benefitted.”

“The negative impact of this demand boom-to-bust cycle was made worse by the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war, global inflation and continuing severe supply chain constraints, which affected industries worldwide and led to material and product shortages, significant delays, and much higher transportation costs. We tried to work closely with our customers to support their forecasts during this challenging period, including substantially increasing our inventories in an effort to solve or prevent customer shortages. This led to overordering and very high inventory levels at certain customers, as well as suppliers, including us.”

“All of these factors taken together caused a sudden breakdown of our business, which started in our last fiscal 4th quarter and became worse in the current fiscal year, which resulted in a 54% decline in our sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. Based on discussions with customers, we expect that this prolonged challenging environment will negatively impact our business for at least the next 6-12 months. Given the outlook for continued negative business headwinds, we have taken decisive action to reduce our operating costs, including salary reductions for senior management, reduction in rental space in Hong Kong and China, and the reduction of all non-essential expenses. We have previously operated in challenging environments, and we believe that by taking immediate and significant cost-saving actions, we will be better able to operate and ultimately emerge from this severe business downturn. Importantly, because we have been conservative with our spending in the past, we are well prepared with a healthy cash safety cushion, and we expect to emerge one of the winners when business conditions return to normal and to reap the benefits in the longer-term.”

Select Additional First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Financial Results:

Gross profit for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 was $377,000, or 28%, compared with $1,052,000 and 35.7%, respectively, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023. The Company noted that the periods are not comparable, as the fiscal 2023 quarter benefitted from reduced rental expenses provided by the Chinese government and some salary subsidies provided by the Hong Kong government to the Company. 

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 were higher by $90,000 than in the fiscal 2023 quarter despite the Company’s heavy cost cutting actions, because the year ago period’s expenses were decreased by the above mentioned benefits of reduced rental expenses provided by the Chinese government and some salary subsidies provided by the Hong Kong government, which in most cases were reversed in the current first quarter of fiscal year 2024.

The Company realized a currency exchange gain of $17,000 in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, compared to an exchange gain of $18,000 in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023, as higher interest rates offset weakness in the RMB.

Highlighting the Company’s solid financial position, it ended the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 with $6.8 million of cash and cash equivalents, which exceeded its combined short- and long-term liabilities by $1.7 million. At June 30, 2023, the Company had working capital of $6 million, with a  current ratio of 2.6:1, and total shareholders’ equity of $7.5 million, compared to $8.2 million as of March 31, 2023.

About Highway Holdings 

Highway Holdings is an international manufacturer of a wide variety of high-quality parts and products for blue chip equipment manufacturers based primarily in Germany. Highway Holdings’ administrative office is located in Hong Kong and its manufacturing facilities are located in Yangon, Myanmar and Shenzhen, China.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, political and technological factors affecting the company’s revenues, operations, markets, products and prices, the remaining impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and other factors discussed in the company’s various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation, the company’s annual reports on Form 20-F.

(Financial Tables Follow)

 

 

HIGHWAY HOLDINGS LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statement of Income

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except for shares and per share data)

(Unaudited)



Fiscal First Quarter Ended


June 30,


2023


2022

Net sales

$1,347


$2,942

Cost of sales

970


1,890

Gross profit

377


1,052

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

777


 

687

Operating income (loss)

(400)


365





Non-operating income (expense):








Exchange gain (loss), net

17


18

Interest income                        

40


4

Gain (loss) on disposal of assets    


Other income (expense)


5

Total non-operating income (expenses)

57


27





Net income (loss) before income taxes

(343)


392

Income taxes

3


4

Net income (loss)

(340)


396





Less: net gain/(loss) attributable to non-controlling interests

(2)


6





Net income/(loss)  attributable to Highway Holdings Limited‘s

($338)


$390

Shareholders








 

Net income (loss) per share – Basic

($0.08)


$0.10

Net income (loss) per share – Diluted

 

($0.08)


$0.09

Weighted average number of shares outstanding:




Basic

4,248


4,036

Diluted

 

4,248


 

4,279





 

                                                                                                               

HIGHWAY HOLDINGS LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Balance Sheet

(In thousands of U.S. dollars)



(Unaudited) 

(audited)


June 30,

March 31,


2023

2023

Current assets:



 

Cash and cash equivalents

$6,841

$6,952

Accounts receivable, net of doubtful accounts                              

1,148

1,886

Inventories

1,513

1,413

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

261

406

Income tax recoverable

7

3

Total current assets

9,770

10,660




Goodwill, net

Property, plant and equipment, net

344

401

Operating lease right-of-use assets

2,281

2,514

Long-term deposits

203

213

Long-term loan receivable

95

95

Total assets

12,693

13,883




Current liabilities:



Accounts payable

$397

$928

Operating lease liabilities, current

556

573

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

1,839

1,991

Income tax payable

543

568

Dividend payable

439

1

Total current liabilities

3,774

4,061




Operating lease liabilities, non-current

1,284

1,482

Deferred income taxes

104

107

Long-term accrued expenses

17

17

Total liabilities

5,179

5,667




Shareholders’ equity:



Preferred shares, $0.01 par value

Common shares, $0.01 par value

44

41

Additional paid-in capital

12,100

12,003

Accumulated deficit

(4,175)

(3,396)

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

(465)

(444)

Non-controlling interest

10

12

Total shareholders’ equity

7,514

8,216




Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$12,693

$13,883
















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SOURCE Highway Holdings Limited

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