EX-99.1 2 v157299_ex99-1.htm Unassociated Document
China Education Alliance Announces Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results

    HARBIN, China, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- China Education Alliance, Inc. (NYSE Amex: CEU) today announced strong financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009. The Company will host a conference call Wednesday, August 12, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EDT to discuss these results. Details on accessing the call and live webcast follow, below.
 
    "China Education had a very strong quarter as demand for our high-quality educational services and our English language and vocational training programs in China remains strong," said Xiqun Yu, Chief Executive Officer of China Education Alliance. "Our results validate the effectiveness of our business model and support our plans for expansion. We remain focused on marketing our online test-preparation materials, developing our language-training programs, and expanding our vocational and IT training efforts to drive growth for our businesses."

    Financial Highlights for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2009

    -- Total revenue increased $3.66 million or 82.1% year-over-year to $8.12 million.
 
    -- Net income increased $1.58 million or 95.4% year-over-year to $3.24 million, compared to net income of $1.66 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
 
    -- EPS was $0.13 per fully diluted share, compared to EPS of $0.07 per fully diluted share in the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
 
    -- Operating income totalled $3.72 million, compared to an operating income of $1.77 million in the second quarter of 2008.
 
    -- Gross profit rose 75.0% to $6.51 million or 80.2% of sales, compared to 83.5% of sales or $3.72 million in the second quarter of 2008.
 
    Financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2009
 
    China Education Alliance reported revenue of $8.12 million for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009, an increase of 82.1% compared to the second quarter of 2008. The Company's online education business generated 67.4% of its total revenue in the second quarter of 2009 compared to 73.4% for the same prior-year period. Its training center business generated 24.7% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2009 compared to 13.6% for the same
prior-year period; its advertising business segment generated the remaining 7.9% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2009, compared to 13.0% for the same prior-year period.
 
    Online Education revenue was $5.47 million for the second quarter of 2009, an increase of 67.2% compared to $3.27 million for the second quarter of 2008. During 2008 and 2009, the Company added several new programs for vocational studies and certification programs, which provided new revenue sources for its online education business.
 
    Training Center revenue in the second quarter of 2009 was $2.01 million, up 232.0% from $0.60 million in the second quarter last year.
 
    Advertising revenue was approximately $0.64 million for the second quarter of 2009, an increase of 10.0% from $0.58 million for the second quarter in the prior year.
 
    Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 was $3.24 million, representing an increase of 95.4% over second quarter 2008 net income of $1.66 million.  The increase was largely the result of strong development in the Company's three business segments. Diluted earnings per share was $0.13, compared with $0.07 in the same period last year.
 
    Operating income in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 increased to $3.72 million, from $1.77 million in the same period a year ago. Operating margin was 45.8% in the second quarter of fiscal 2009.
 
    Overall cost of sales increased 117.7% to $1.61 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2009, compared to $0.74 million for the same period in fiscal 2008. Gross profit increased to $6.51 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2009, an increase of 75.0% from approximately $3.72 million for the same quarter in fiscal 2008. Gross margin for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 was 80.2%, as compared to a record 83.5% for the same quarter a year ago. The online education gross margin decreased to 81.1% in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 from 86.7% for the same period in fiscal 2008. The training center gross margin increased to 75.0% for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 from 57.9% for the same period last year.  Advertising gross margin decreased to 89.1% in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 from 91.8% for the same period in 2008.
 
 
 

 
 
    Selling expenses increased 34.7% to approximately $1.91 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2009, compared to approximately $1.42 million in the second quarter of 2008, due to increased expenses in building our marketing team and higher debit card agency expenses. General and administrative ("G&A") expenses were approximately $0.64 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2009, an increase from approximately $0.32 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2008, primarily due to an increase in salaries and decrease in travel and telephone expenses in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to the prior year. As a percentage of revenue, G&A expenses increased to 7.9% in the second quarter of fiscal 2009, down from 7.1% in the same period of last year.

    Financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2009
 
    Revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $16.32 million, representing an increase of 91.4% compared to the same six-month period in 2008. Online education revenue was $10.30 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009, representing an increase of 74.0% from $5.92 million for the same six-month period in 2008. Training center revenue in the six months ended June 30, 2009, was $4.56 million, representing an increase of 186.8% from $1.59 million in the same six-month period last year. The increase was largely the result of strong development in the Company's three business segments.
 
    Advertising revenue was approximately $1.47 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009, representing an increase of 43.8% from $1.02 million for the same prior-year, six-month period.
 
    Net income for the six-months ended June 30, 2009 was $6.47 million, representing an increase of 81.1% over the same six-month period in 2008 net income of $3.57 million.  Diluted earnings per share for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $0.26, compared with $0.14 in the same period of 2008.

    Financial Condition
 
    As of June 30, 2009, China Education Alliance had approximately $31.51 million in cash and cash equivalents, $32.62 million in working capital, and no long-term debt. Shareholders' equity was approximately $40.32 million, an increase from approximately $36.91 million on March 31, 2009. The Company generated $8.40 million in cash flow from operating activities in the second quarter of 2009.

    Business Outlook
 
    China Education believes the education industry in China will remain a fast-growth sector.  The Company has experienced rapid growth by providing online and onsite, supplemental educational training services to students aged 6 to 18 and vocational and language training services to adults aged 18 and over.
 
    For student's ages 6 to 18, CEU provides downloadable course material and test papers online and classroom instructions onsite.  All the online course material and test papers and onsite classroom instructions are provided by the famed instructors in P. R. China, with the purpose of helping the students pass the two most important exams during their academic life:  the high school and college entrance exams.
 
    For those age 18 and over CEU provides various vocational training including IT and other professional training programs. In addition, the English training program aims to help college graduates and other professionals improve their written and spoken English as needed to pursue an overseas education or an international business environment.

    China Education Alliance has three primary businesses:
 
    1. Exam-Oriented Primary and Secondary School Supplemental Education:  China Education Alliance provides famed instructors educational resources online for primary and secondary students to download through the Internet, and also offers onsite training by the same famed instructors as well.  Currently, the Company has expanded its business network from Heilongjiang province to Jilin, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia.  While the Company plans to penetrate into news areas it will continue to explore and increase online market shares in these four provinces.  The Company's online educational resources are provided through its website, http://www.edu-chn.com . This website is a comprehensive education network platform that utilizes video-on-demand technology and houses a large database that includes more than 350,000 exams and test papers and courseware for college, secondary and elementary schools.

 
2

 
 
    2. Vocational Training:  China Education operates various vocational training programs both through online services and onsite training at its main center in Beijing, as well as through its strategic partnerships with professional organizations, including the National Association of Vocation Education Society of China (NAVEC), whose focus is on vocation and certification training. The Company will focus on its Heilongjiang-based, self-run vocational education market, which includes IT training and other profession training programs, such as secretarial training and other professions with standard exam trainings. The vocational training area is expected to have further improvement in 2009.

    3. English Training:  The Company actively carries out high-end foreign language services, primarily focused on teaching English. At present, the Company has entered foreign language training contracts with a number of large enterprises and enterprise groups, including a recently announced strategic alliance with Peking University to develop their "Practical Oral English Training Project."  Since the embarking in the field of teaching foreign languages, China Education Alliance, as a leading provider of educational resources, has insisted on practical English education by hiring North American teachers, using original English materials, providing an English-only teaching environment and setting "practicalness" as its goal.

    In addition to these primary businesses, the Company's is also invested in the publishing and circulation of an educational newspaper, Scientific Discovery, which is enjoying a growing distribution, currently estimated at 60,000.
    "We continue to enjoy comprehensive growth in each of our business segments, primarily due to our strategic decision-making and partnerships that enhance our outreach efforts. We will continue to adhere to our goals for development. We are confident in the future growth and development of the Company," said Mr. Xiqun Yu.

    Conference Call and Webcast Details
 
    The Company will host a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2009 results at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 12, 2009. To participate in the call please dial (877) 407-0789, or (201) 689-8562 for international calls, approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Interested parties may also listen via a live Internet webcast, which can be found at the Company's website at http://www.chinaeducationalliance.com or alternately at http://viavid.net .
 
     A replay of the call will be available for two weeks from 1:00 p.m. August 12, 2009, EDT until 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 26, 2009. The number for the replay is (877) 660-6853, or (201) 612-7415 for international calls. The passcode for the replay is 330198, and the account number is 3055. You will need both the passcode and the account number to listen to the replay. In addition, a recording of the call will be available via the company's website at http://www.chinaeducationalliance.com for one year.

    About China Education Alliance, Inc.
 
    China Education Alliance, Inc. is a fast growing, leading China-based company offering high-quality education resources and services to students ages 6 to 18 and adults ages 18+ (University students and professionals). For students ages 6 to 18, China Education Alliance, Inc. offers supplemental online exam-oriented training materials and on-site exam-oriented training and tutoring services. The company is providing on-line downloadable famous teachers resources and on-site face-to-face instructions.  All resources and tutoring services are provided by famous teachers within mainland China. The purpose of online exam orientated resources and on-site tutoring is to help Chinese students ages 6 to 18 to pass the two most important, and highly competitive exams in their educational career: senior high school entrance exam and college entrance exam. For graduates and professionals age 18+, China Education Alliance provides vocational training including IT and several professional training programs. In addition, the Company is providing comprehensive English programs that are taught by the North American instructors and to assist graduates and professionals in learning the English language, both written and conversational in order to better able them to work for a foreign corporation or work-study abroad.  For more information about China Education Alliance, please visit http://www.chinaeducationalliance.com .

 
3

 
 
    Safe Harbor Statement
 
    Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements in this press release, constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding our ability to prepare the company for growth, the Company's planned expansion in 2008 and predictions and guidance relating to the Company's future financial performance. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs and are not a guarantee of future performance but they involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, which may include, but are not limited to, such factors as unanticipated changes in product demand especially in the education industry, pricing and demand trends for the Company's products, changes to government regulations, risk associated with operation of the Company's new facilities, risk associated with large scale implementation of the company's business plan, the ability to attract new customers, ability to increase its product's applications, cost of raw materials, downturns in the Chinese economy, the adoption by consumers of its new game business, the unproven advertising model that is dependent on attracting a large game user base, and other information detailed from time to time in the Company's filings and future filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this press release, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of them and the Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the company's expectations.

                         -- Financial tables follow --
 
 
4

 
 
Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)
 
China Education Alliance, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets
 
   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
ASSETS
 
(Unaudited)
       
Current Assets
           
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 31,508,995     $ 23,418,098  
Advances to related parties
    --       142,006  
Accounts receivables
    1,099,072       469,607  
Prepaid expenses
    2,157,767       3,437,506  
Total current assets
    34,765,834       27,467,217  
Property and equipment, net
    6,104,710       6,136,252  
Intangibles and capitalized
               
software, net
    592,412       864,089  
Goodwill
    431,825       --  
Advance on acquisition
    233,000       932,000  
Long term investment
    338,268       342,357  
    $ 42,466,049     $ 35,741,915  
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
               
Current Liabilities
               
Accounts payable and accrued
               
expenses
  $ 1,048,033     $ 800,692  
Deferred revenues
    1,041,297       1,227,806  
Advances from related parties
    52,414       --  
Total current liabilities
    2,141,744       2,028,498  
Stockholders' Equity
               
Preferred stock ($0.001 par value,
               
20,000,000 shares authorized,
               
7,252,143 and 7,597,645 issued
               
and outstanding, respectively,
               
aggregate liquidation preference
               
of $2,683,293 and $2,811,129,
               
respectively)
    2,885,144       3,010,144  
Common stock ($0.001 par value,
               
150,000,000 shares authorized,
               
22,059,626 and 21,892,631,
               
issued and outstanding,
               
respectively)
    22,060       21,893  
Additional paid-in capital
    11,208,821       10,751,732  
Statutory reserve
    1,990,238       1,990,238  
Accumulated other comprehensive
               
income
    2,501,359       2,688,080  
Retained earnings
    21,716,683       15,251,330  
Total stockholders' equity
    40,324,305       33,713,417  
    $ 42,466,049     $ 35,741,915  
 
The accompanying notes in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
 
 
5

 
 
China Education Alliance, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
 
   
Three months ended June 30,
   
Six months ended June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
 Revenues
                       
 Online education
                       
 revenues
  $ 5,470,628     $ 3,272,441     $ 10,300,116     $ 5,920,555  
 Training center
                               
 revenues
    2,007,947       604,752       4,555,046       1,588,384  
 Advertising revenues
    639,798       581,501       1,467,290       1,020,172  
 Total revenue
    8,118,373       4,458,694       16,322,452       8,529,111  
 Cost of Goods Sold
                               
 Online education
                               
 costs
    1,034,312       435,408       2,233,419       822,280  
 Training center costs
    501,789       254,867       1,366,439       654,457  
 Advertising costs
    69,775       47,417       124,914       85,587  
 Total cost of goods
                               
 sold
    1,605,876       737,692       3,724,772       1,562,324  
 Gross Profit
                               
 Online education
                               
 gross profit
    4,436,316       2,837,033       8,066,697       5,098,275  
 Training center
                               
 gross profit
    1,506,158       349,885       3,188,607       933,927  
 Advertising
                               
 gross profit
    570,023       534,084       1,342,376       934,585  
 Total gross profit
    6,512,497       3,721,002       12,597,680       6,966,787  
 Operating Expenses
                               
 Selling expenses
    1,906,494       1,415,683       4,117,182       2,613,018  
 Administrative
    639,361       318,543       894,112       625,905  
 Depreciation and
                               
 amortization
    244,898       218,173       490,351       415,831  
 Total operating
                               
 expenses
    2,790,753       1,952,399       5,501,645       3,654,754  
 Other Income
                               
 Other Income
    --       6,668       --       528,497  
 Interest income
    25,783       31,528       48,539       56,436  
 Investment loss
    (3,678 )     (21,842 )     (4,089 )     (21,842 )
 Total other income
    22,105       16,354       44,450       563,091  
 Net Income Before
                               
 Provision for
                               
 Income Tax
    3,743,849       1,784,957       7,140,485       3,875,124  
 Provision For
                               
 Income Taxes
    507,977       128,964       675,132       305,208  
 Net Income
  $ 3,235,872     $ 1,655,993     $ 6,465,353     $ 3,569,916  
 Basic Earnings
                               
 Per Share
  $ 0.15     $ 0.08     $ 0.29     $ 0.17  
 Basic Weighted Average
                               
 Shares Outstanding
    21,930,272       21,202,359       21,930,272       21,202,359  
 Diluted Earnings
                               
 Per Share
  $ 0.13     $ 0.07     $ 0.26     $ 0.14  
 Diluted Weighted
                               
 Average Shares
                               
 Outstanding
    25,085,474       24,818,668       24,459,405       24,818,668  
 The Components of Other
                               
 Comprehensive Income
                               
 Net Income
  $ 3,235,872     $ 1,655,993     $ 6,465,353     $ 3,569,916  
 Foreign currency
                               
 translation
                               
 adjustment
    (148,642 )     55,303       (186,726     1,331,841  
 Comprehensive
                               
 Income
  $ 3,087,230     $ 1,711,296     $ 6,278,627     $ 4,901,757  
 
 
6

 
 
China Education Alliance, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
 
   
Six Months Ended June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
 Cash flows from operating activities
           
 Net Income
  $ 6,465,353     $ 3,569,916  
 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net
               
 cash provided by operating activities
               
 Depreciation and amortization
    663,830       673,059  
 Stock based compensation
    332,256       --  
 Loss on equity investment
    4,089       --  
 Net change in assets and liabilities
               
 Account receivables
    (626,926 )     (477,094 )
 Prepaid expenses and other
    1,285,913       484,128  
 Advances to related parties
    162,894       108,536  
 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
    247,341       33,786  
 Deferred revenue
    (186,509 )     52,772  
 Advances from related parties
    52,414       --  
 Net cash provided by operating activities
    8,400,655       4,445,103  
 Cash flows from investing activities
               
 Purchases of fixed assets
    (348,837 )     (409,378 )
 Cash of WEI on date of acquisition
    227,964       --  
 Long-term investment
    --       (436,567 )
 Net Cash used in investing activities
    (120,873 )     (845,945 )
 Cash flows from financing activities
               
 Warrants exercised
    --       2,667,559  
 Net Cash Provided by Financing Activity
    --       2,667,559  
 Effect of exchange rate on cash
    (188,885 )     1,331,841  
 Net increase in cash
    8,090,897       7,598,558  
 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning
               
 of period
    23,418,098       11,778,954  
 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
    31,508,995       19,377,514  
 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow
               
 information:
               
 Value of equity granted and issued
    332,257       94,737  
 Non-cash investing and financing activities
               
 Conversion of preferred stock to common
    125,000       667,800  
 
This information is intended to be reviewed in conjunction with the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.