ZH Zhihu Inc

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 6-K

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of November 2023

 

Commission File Number: 001-40253

 

 

Zhihu Inc.

(Registrant’s Name)

 

 

A5 Xueyuan Road

Haidian District, Beijing 100083

People’s Republic of China

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F x      Form 40-F ¨

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press Release—Zhihu Inc. Reports Unaudited Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Zhihu Inc.

 

	By	:	/s/ Henry Dachuan Sha
	Name	:	Henry Dachuan Sha
	Title	:	Director and Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: November 29, 2023

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Zhihu Inc. Reports Unaudited Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results

 

BEIJING, China, November 29, 2023 — Zhihu Inc. (“Zhihu” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390), a leading online content community in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

 

Third Quarter 2023 Highlights

 

●

Total revenues were RMB1,022.2 million (US$140.1 million) in the third quarter of 2023, representing a 12.1% increase from the same period of 2022.

 

●

Net loss was RMB278.4 million (US$38.2 million) in the third quarter of 2023, narrowed by 6.5% from the same period of 2022.

 

●

Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP)[1] was RMB225.3 million (US$30.9 million) in the third quarter of 2023, narrowed by 10.1% from the same period of 2022.

 

●

Average monthly active users (MAUs)[2] reached 110.5 million in the third quarter of 2023.

 

●

Average monthly subscribing members[3] reached 14.8 million in the third quarter of 2023, representing a 35.9% increase from the same period of 2022.

 

“Our significant strides in commercialization and the vibrant dynamism across the Zhihu community once again drove sustainable business growth during the third quarter of 2023. Our total revenues for the quarter continued their year-over-year growth momentum, fueled by accelerated development in paid memberships and our vocational training business,” said Mr. Yuan Zhou, chairman and CEO of Zhihu. “We will devote more resources to our multi-engine monetization strategy on a mid- to long-term basis. This strategy enabled us to deliver resilient revenue growth this year despite the macro uncertainties. I am committed to narrowing losses by improving strategy execution. Zhihu will continue to integrate cutting-edge AI technology into its products and business operations to enhance content quality and user experience.”

 

Mr. Henry Sha, CFO of Zhihu, added, “We achieved another strong quarter with total revenues increasing by 12.1% year over year. Among our various revenue streams, our paid membership revenue grew by 39.2% while our vocational training business soared 85.6%, both year over year. We further enhanced our gross margin through ongoing cost efficiency refinements. Despite the challenging economic climate, we are well-positioned to execute our growth strategy and achieve our financial targets.”

 

Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results

 

Total revenues were RMB1,022.2 million (US$140.1 million) in the third quarter of 2023, representing a 12.1% increase from RMB911.7 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Marketing services revenue^[4] was RMB383.0 million (US$52.5 million), compared with RMB461.9 million in the same period of 2022.

 

 

Paid membership revenue was RMB466.8 million (US$64.0 million), representing a 39.2% increase from RMB335.4 million in the same period of 2022. The increase was primarily driven by the continued growth of our subscribing members.

 

Vocational training revenue was RMB144.8 million (US$19.8 million), representing an 85.6% increase from RMB78.0 million in the same period of 2022. The significant increase was primarily attributable to our further enriched online course offerings and the revenue contributions from our recently acquired businesses in the period.

 

Other revenues were RMB27.6 million (US$3.8 million), compared with RMB36.3 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Cost of revenues increased by 1.4% to RMB473.7 million (US$64.9 million) from RMB467.3 million in the same period of 2022. The increase was primarily due to the growth of content and operating costs as we continued to enhance our content attractiveness, and an increase in staff costs, partially offset by the decrease in cloud services and bandwidth costs.

 

Gross profit increased by 23.4% to RMB548.5 million (US$75.2 million) from RMB444.4 million in the same period of 2022. Gross margin expanded to 53.7% from 48.7% in the same period of 2022, primarily attributable to our enhanced monetization efforts and the improvement of cloud services and bandwidth utilization efficiency.

 

Total operating expenses were RMB898.6 million (US$123.2 million), compared with RMB723.0 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Selling and marketing expenses increased to RMB534.3 million (US$73.2 million) from RMB478.3 million in the same period of 2022. The increase reflects our continued efforts in promoting our product and service offerings.

 

Research and development expenses increased to RMB249.7 million (US$34.2 million) from RMB160.8 million in the same period of 2022. The increase was primarily attributable to our increased spending on technology innovation.

 

General and administrative expenses increased to RMB114.6 million (US$15.7 million) from RMB83.9 million in the same period of 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher rental expenses and the increased share-based compensation expenses from our business acquisition.

 

Loss from operations increased to RMB350.1 million (US$48.0 million) from RMB278.6 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Adjusted loss from operations (non-GAAP)^[1] increased to RMB295.9 million (US$40.6 million) from RMB231.0 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Net loss was narrowed by 6.5% to RMB278.4 million (US$38.2 million) from RMB297.6 million in the same period of 2022.

 

 

Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP)^[1] was narrowed by 10.1% to RMB225.3 million (US$30.9 million) from RMB250.6 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Diluted net loss per American Depositary Share (“ADS”) was RMB0.47 (US$0.06), compared with RMB0.49 in the same period of 2022.

 

Cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments

 

As of September 30, 2023, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments of RMB5,654.2 million (US$775.0 million), compared with RMB6,261.5 million as of December 31, 2022.

 

Share Repurchase Program

 

As of September 30, 2023, 18.3 million Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs) had been repurchased for a total price of US$42.6 million on both the New York Stock Exchange and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the Company’s existing US$100 million share repurchase program established in May 2022 and extended in May 2023 (the “Repurchase Program”), which is effective until June 10, 2024. The repurchases made under the Repurchase Program were covered by the general unconditional mandate to purchase the Company’s own shares approved by shareholders at the Company’s annual general meetings held on June 10, 2022 and June 30, 2023, respectively.

 

^[1] Adjusted loss from operations and adjusted net loss are non-GAAP financial measures. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section of “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and the table captioned “Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this press release.

 

^[2] MAUs refers to the sum of the number of mobile devices that launch our mobile apps at least once in a given month, or mobile MAUs, and the number of logged-in users who visit our PC or mobile website at least once in a given month, after eliminating duplicates.

 

^[3] Monthly subscribing members refers to the number of our Yan Selection members in a specified month. Average monthly subscribing members for a period is calculated by dividing the sum of monthly subscribing members for each month during the specified period by the number of months in such period.

 

^[4] Starting with the first quarter of 2023, we report revenues generated from advertising and content-commerce solutions collectively as “marketing services revenue” to better present our business and results of operation in line with our overall strategies. Revenues for the applicable comparison periods of 2022 have been retrospectively re-classified.

 

Conference Call

 

The Company’s management will host an earnings conference call at 6:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on November 29, 2023 (7:00 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time on November 29, 2023).

 

 

All participants wishing to join the conference call must pre-register online using the link provided below. Once the pre-registration has been completed, each participant will receive a set of dial-in numbers, a passcode, and a unique registrant ID which can be used to join the conference call. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

 

Participant Online Registration: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10184549/fb0dd38135

 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.zhihu.com.

 

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call, until December 6, 2023, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

 

United States (toll free):	+1-877-344-7529
International:	+1-412-317-0088
Replay Access Code:	4452699

 

About Zhihu Inc.

 

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390) is a leading online content community in China where people come to find solutions, make decisions, seek inspiration, and have fun. Since the initial launch in 2010, we have grown from a Q&A community into one of the top comprehensive online content communities and the largest Q&A-inspired online content community in China. For more information, please visit https://ir.zhihu.com.

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted loss from operations and adjusted net loss, to supplement the review and assessment of its operating performance. The Company defines non-GAAP financial measures by excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and the tax effects of the non-GAAP adjustments, which are non-cash expenses. The Company believes that the non-GAAP measures facilitate comparisons of operating performance from period to period and company to company by adjusting for potential impacts of items, which the Company’s management considers to be indicative of its operating performance. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating the Company’s consolidated results of operations in the same manner as it helps the Company’s management.

 

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. The use of the non-GAAP measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and investors should not consider it in isolation from, or as a substitute for analysis of, our results of operations or financial condition as reported under U.S. GAAP. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the tables captioned “Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this press release.

 

 

Exchange Rate Information

 

This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars were made at a rate of RMB7.2960 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of September 29, 2023 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to,” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

 

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

 

In China:

 

Zhihu Inc.

Email: ir@zhihu.com

 

Piacente Financial Communications

Helen Wu

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com

 

In the United States:

 

Piacente Financial Communications

Brandi Piacente

Phone: +1-212-481-2050

Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com

 

 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)

 

		For the Three Months Ended																For the Nine Months Ended
		September 30, 2022				June 30, 2023				September 30, 2023								September 30, 2022				September 30, 2023
		RMB				RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
Revenues:
Marketing services			461,938				412,740				382,962				52,489				1,384,093				1,187,839				162,807
Paid membership			335,435				449,098				466,784				63,978				828,273				1,370,651				187,863
Vocational training			78,004				144,520				144,795				19,846				163,675				396,313				54,319
Others			36,334				37,851				27,622				3,786				114,913				105,789				14,500
Total revenues			911,711				1,044,209				1,022,163				140,099				2,490,954				3,060,592				419,489
Cost of revenues			(467,327	)			(482,131	)			(473,712	)			(64,928	)			(1,311,425	)			(1,437,844	)			(197,073	)
Gross profit			444,384				562,078				548,451				75,171				1,179,529				1,622,748				222,416
Selling and marketing expenses			(478,279	)			(540,593	)			(534,328	)			(73,236	)			(1,517,239	)			(1,520,486	)			(208,400	)
Research and development expenses			(160,760	)			(236,245	)			(249,662	)			(34,219	)			(550,867	)			(668,867	)			(91,676	)
General and administrative expenses			(83,944	)			(112,460	)			(114,564	)			(15,702	)			(498,866	)			(327,462	)			(44,882	)
Total operating expenses			(722,983	)			(889,298	)			(898,554	)			(123,157	)			(2,566,972	)			(2,516,815	)			(344,958	)
Loss from operations			(278,599	)			(327,220	)			(350,103	)			(47,986	)			(1,387,443	)			(894,067	)			(122,542	)
Other income/(expenses):
Investment income			23,138				11,793				11,617				1,592				64,458				29,416				4,032
Interest income			14,598				39,987				40,363				5,532				34,433				119,843				16,426
Fair value change of financial instruments			(79,322	)			(9,016	)			(7,352	)			(1,008	)			(172,066	)			(19,950	)			(2,734	)
Exchange gains/(losses)			28,302				7,076				(393	)			(54	)			73,273				1,034				142
Others, net			(3,047	)			644				27,227				3,732				(116	)			34,204				4,688
Loss before income tax			(294,930	)			(276,736	)			(278,641	)			(38,192	)			(1,387,461	)			(729,520	)			(99,988	)
Income tax (expense)/benefit			(2,655	)			(2,330	)			256				35				(11,428	)			(6,903	)			(946	)
Net loss			(297,585	)			(279,066	)			(278,385	)			(38,157	)			(1,398,889	)			(736,423	)			(100,934	)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests			(2,590	)			(775	)			(289	)			(40	)			(2,590	)			(3,447	)			(472	)
Net loss attributable to Zhihu Inc.’s shareholders			(300,175	)			(279,841	)			(278,674	)			(38,197	)			(1,401,479	)			(739,870	)			(101,406	)
Net loss per share
Basic			(0.98	)			(0.92	)			(0.94	)			(0.13	)			(4.60	)			(2.45	)			(0.34	)
Diluted			(0.98	)			(0.92	)			(0.94	)			(0.13	)			(4.60	)			(2.45	)			(0.34	)
Net loss per ADS (Two ADSs represent one Class A ordinary share)
Basic			(0.49	)			(0.46	)			(0.47	)			(0.06	)			(2.30	)			(1.22	)			(0.17	)
Diluted			(0.49	)			(0.46	)			(0.47	)			(0.06	)			(2.30	)			(1.22	)			(0.17	)
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding
Basic			306,621,507				304,068,362				297,742,064				297,742,064				304,837,976				302,063,397				302,063,397
Diluted			306,621,507				304,068,362				297,742,064				297,742,064				304,837,976				302,063,397				302,063,397

 

 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)

 

		For the Three Months Ended																For the Nine Months Ended
		September 30, 2022				June 30, 2023				September 30, 2023								September 30, 2022				September 30, 2023
		RMB				RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
Share-based compensation expenses included in:
Cost of revenues			(411	)			2,146				1,630				223				8,198				8,176				1,121
Selling and marketing expenses			6,647				6,384				5,741				787				19,315				20,883				2,862
Research and development expenses			16,608				14,941				13,758				1,886				46,672				49,904				6,840
General and administrative expenses			22,002				28,976				27,662				3,791				257,165				78,193				10,717

 

 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(All amounts in thousands)

 

		As of December 31, 2022				As of September 30, 2023
		RMB				RMB				US$
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents			4,525,852				3,133,073				429,423
Term deposits			948,390				1,147,648				157,298
Short-term investments			787,259				1,373,502				188,254
Trade receivables			834,251				624,251				85,561
Amounts due from related parties			24,798				12,834				1,759
Prepayments and other current assets			199,249				330,762				45,335
Total current assets			7,319,799				6,622,070				907,630
Non-current assets:
Property and equipment, net			7,290				10,865				1,489
Intangible assets, net			80,237				126,399				17,324
Goodwill			126,344				191,077				26,189
Long-term investments			-				30,000				4,112
Right-of-use assets			100,119				44,772				6,137
Other non-current assets			22,450				23,072				3,162
Total non-current assets			336,440				426,185				58,413
Total assets			7,656,239				7,048,255				966,043
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities			916,112				954,069				130,766
Salary and welfare payables			283,546				287,626				39,422
Taxes payables			25,975				14,621				2,004
Contract liabilities			355,626				359,325				49,250
Amounts due to related parties			24,861				9,187				1,259
Short term lease liabilities			53,190				47,784				6,549
Other current liabilities			165,531				238,980				32,755
Total current liabilities			1,824,841				1,911,592				262,005
Non-current liabilities
Long term lease liabilities			43,367				3,657				501
Deferred tax liabilities			11,630				23,642				3,240
Other non-current liabilities			82,133				127,487				17,474
Total non-current liabilities			137,130				154,786				21,215
Total liabilities			1,961,971				2,066,378				283,220
Total Zhihu Inc.’s shareholders’ equity			5,653,696				4,894,135				670,797
Noncontrolling interests			40,572				87,742				12,026
Total shareholders’ equity			5,694,268				4,981,877				682,823
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity			7,656,239				7,048,255				966,043

 

 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS

(All amounts in thousands)

 

		For the Three Months Ended																For the Nine Months Ended
		September 30, 2022				June 30, 2023				September 30, 2023								September 30, 2022				September 30, 2023
		RMB				RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
Loss from operations			(278,599	)			(327,220	)			(350,103	)			(47,986	)			(1,387,443	)			(894,067	)			(122,542	)
Add:
Share-based compensation expenses			44,846				52,447				48,791				6,687				331,350				157,156				21,540
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisition			2,763				5,365				5,365				735				7,563				14,220				1,949
Adjusted loss from operations			(230,990	)			(269,408	)			(295,947	)			(40,564	)			(1,048,530	)			(722,691	)			(99,053	)
Net loss			(297,585	)			(279,066	)			(278,385	)			(38,157	)			(1,398,889	)			(736,423	)			(100,934	)
Add:
Share-based compensation expenses			44,846				52,447				48,791				6,687				331,350				157,156				21,540
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisition			2,763				5,365				5,365				735				7,563				14,220				1,949
Tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments			(600	)			(1,069	)			(1,069	)			(146	)			(1,800	)			(2,738	)			(375	)
Adjusted net loss			(250,576	)			(222,323	)			(225,298	)			(30,881	)			(1,061,776	)			(567,785	)			(77,820	)

 

 

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