Ctrip today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.
Key Highlights for the First Quarter of 2019
Ctrip reported strong financial results for the first quarter of 2019.
* Net revenue increased by 21% year-over-year to RMB8.2 billion (US$1.2 billion) in the first quarter of 2019.
* Income from operations increased by 50% year-over-year to RMB885 million (US$132 million). Excluding share-based compensation charges, non-GAAP income from operations increased by 42% year-over-year to RMB1.4 billion (US$204 million) in the first quarter of 2019.
Ctrip's international businesses sustained robust growth momentum.
* Skyscanner's direct booking program continued its strong momentum, having achieved approximately 250% growth in bookings year-over-year in the first quarter of 2019.
* The growth rate of the international hotel business and international air business (excluding the Skyscanner business) in the first quarter of 2019 more than doubled that of the China outbound traffic growth in the same period.
* In the first quarter of 2019, revenue generated from international business accounted for approximately 35% of total revenue.
Ctrip increased its presence in lower-tier cities in China.
* Ctrip branded low-star hotel room-nights increased approximately 60% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2019.
* Gross merchandise value, or GMV, of the offline stores experienced triple-digit year-over-year growth in the first quarter of 2019.
"Ctrip delivered solid results in the first quarter of 2019. We are seeing both healthy revenue growth and non-GAAP operating margin expansion," said Jane Sun, Chief Executive Officer. "Not only do we listen to our customers, we also lead the market as new opportunities emerge. We align our strategy in a prudent manner to suit the market. The great results reflect our determination to create the best travel experience through Ctrip's one-stop travel platform in the world."
"We are pleased that our first quarter results reflected our faith in the outlook of the travel industry in China as well as our own ability to execute and embrace the changes in this industry," said James Liang, Executive Chairman. "We primarily empower our growth organically and create long-term value to stakeholders, focusing on expanding customer base and deepening user engagement. We also have achieved an excellent record of global strategic investments and collaborations. We are excited about our recent MakeMyTrip investment and look forward to achieving greater success and creating more value to our shareholders in the future."
First Quarter of 2019 Financial Results and Business Updates
For the first quarter of 2019, Ctrip reported net revenue of RMB8.2 billion (US$1.2 billion), representing a 21% increase from the same period in 2018. Net revenue for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 8% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Accommodation reservation revenue for the first quarter of 2019 was RMB3.0 billion (US$450 million), representing a 21% increase from the same period in 2018, primarily driven by an increase in accommodation reservation volume. Accommodation reservation revenue for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 14% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Transportation ticketing revenue for the first quarter of 2019 was RMB3.4 billion (US$500 million), representing a 16% increase from the same period in 2018, primarily driven by an increase in ticketing volume. Transportation ticketing revenue for the first quarter of 2019 decreased by 2% from the previous quarter.
Packaged-tour revenue for the first quarter of 2019 was RMB1.0 billion (US$156 million), representing a 25% increase from the same period in 2018, primarily driven by an increase in volume of organized tours and customized tours. Packaged-tour revenue for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 45% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Corporate travel revenue for the first quarter of 2019 was RMB238 million (US$35 million), representing a 32% increase from the same period in 2018, primarily driven by expansion in travel product coverage. Corporate travel revenue for the first quarter of 2019 decreased by 15% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Gross margin was 79% for the first quarter of 2019, compared to 82% in the same period in 2018, and remained consistent with that for the previous quarter.
Product development expenses for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 18% to RMB2.5 billion (US$379 million) from the same period in 2018, primarily due to an increase in product development personnel related expenses. Product development expenses decreased by 6% from the previous quarter, primarily due to a decrease in product development personnel related expenses. Product development expenses for the first quarter of 2019 accounted for 31% of the net revenue for the same period. Excluding share-based compensation charges, non-GAAP product development expenses for the first quarter of 2019 accounted for 28% of the net revenue for the same period, which decreased from 29% for the same period of 2018 and 33% for the previous quarter.
Sales and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 6% to RMB2.2 billion (US$331 million) from the same period in 2018, primarily due to an increase in sales and marketing personnel related expenses. Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 15% from the previous quarter, primarily due to a decrease in sales and marketing related activities. Sales and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2019 accounted for 27% of the net revenue for the same period. Excluding share-based compensation charges, non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2019 accounted for 27% of the net revenue for the same period, which decreased from 31% in the same period in 2018 and 34% in the previous quarter.
General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 28% to RMB824 million (US$123 million) from the same period in 2018, primarily due to an increase in general and administrative personnel related expenses, including share-based compensation charges. General and administrative expenses increased by 3% from the previous quarter. General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2019 accounted for 10% of the net revenue for the same period. Excluding share-based compensation charges, non-GAAP general and administrative expenses accounted for 8% of the net revenue for the same period, which remained consistent with those for the same period in 2018 and the previous quarter.
Income from operations for the first quarter of 2019 was RMB885 million (US$132 million), compared to income from operations of RMB590 million in the same period in 2018 and loss from operations of RMB189 million in the previous quarter. Income from operations increased by 50% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2019. Excluding share-based compensation charges, non-GAAP income from operations was RMB1.4 billion (US$204 million), compared to RMB966 million in the same period in 2018 and RMB261 million in the previous quarter. Non-GAAP income from operations increased by 42% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2019.
Operating margin was 11% for the first quarter of 2019, compared to 9% in the same period in 2018, and -3% in the previous quarter. Excluding share-based compensation charges, non-GAAP operating margin was 17%, compared to 14% in the same period in 2018 and 3% in the previous quarter.
Income tax expense for the first quarter of 2019 was RMB677 million (US$101 million), compared to RMB179 million in the same period of 2018 and RMB35 million in the previous quarter. The change in our effective tax rate primarily reflected certain non-taxable income of the fair value changes in equity securities investments.
As of March 31, 2019, the balance of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investment was RMB61.6 billion (US$9.2 billion).
Business Outlook
For the second quarter of 2019, the Company expects the net revenue growth to continue at a year-over-year rate of approximately 16~21%. This forecast reflects Ctrip's current and preliminary view, which is subject to change.
Read Original Report
