XI'AN, CHINA--(Marketwire - Apr 12, 2011) - Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company (NASDAQ: SKBI) ("Skystar" or the "Company"), a China-based manufacturer and distributor of veterinary medicines, vaccines, micro-organisms and feed additives, today announced fourth quarter and full financial results for fiscal year 2010, for the period ended December 31, 2010.
Fourth Quarter 2010 Highlights -- Revenue increases 45% YoY to $15.8 million -- Veterinary vaccines totaled $0.6 million, up 52% YoY -- Veterinary medicines totaled $11.0 million, up 39% YoY -- Feed additives totaled $0.6 million, up 50% YoY -- Micro-organism products totaled $3.6 million, up 66% YoY -- Gross margin increased from 50% for the three months ending December 31, 2009 to 54% for the three months ended December 31, 2010 -- Net income increased 26% to $3.9 million or $0.55 per fully diluted share, compared with $3.1 million or $0.44 per basic share in the fourth quarter of 2009 Fiscal Year 2010 Highlights -- Revenues totaled $47.5 million, up 40.8% YoY -- Veterinary vaccines totaled $1.9 million, up 39.1% YoY -- Veterinary medicines totaled $32.0 million, up 39.9% YoY -- Feed additives totaled $1.9 million, up 38.4% YoY -- Micro-organism products totaled $11.5 million, up 43.9% YoY -- Gross profit margin was 53.7% in line with historical gross margin -- Net income increased 21.9% year over year to $14.0 million or $1.98 per fully diluted share, as compared to $8.8 million or $1.62 per basic share during the year ended December 31, 2009. Increased net cash provided by operating activities position to $7.7 million up from $1.3 million in the year ago period -- Improved cash balance to $5.9 million at the end of fiscal 2010
Management Year in Review
Mr. Weibing Lu, Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical's chairman and chief executive officer, commented, "We are pleased to announce strong financial results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal 2010 year. The Company was able to grow top line revenue by over 40% year-over-year to $47.5 million and net income by over 20% year-over-year to $14.0 million. Additionally, Skystar improved net cash from operating activities significantly to $7.7 million as compared $1.3 million in the year ago period.
"In fiscal 2010, Skystar continued to build both brand and presence across all 29 farming regions in China and was able to increase its number of customers by 36% to 2,703 customers consisting of independent distributors, franchise distributors and direct customers.
"Accordingly, a report by the World Resource institute indicated that meat intake per person has grown from 55 pounds per annum in 1990 to roughly 116 pounds in 2008. This statistical trend highlights Skystar's opportunity to service a growing industry and we expect to successfully expand sales with profitability in mind.
"In 2010, Skystar continued to utilize working capital to prepay for raw materials. This buy-forward strategy helped Skystar manage fluctuations in raw material costs. Skystar as of current has adequate working capital to fund its operations and prepayment of raw materials but will continue to seek ways to improve its working capital position. Additionally the Company will continue to utilize a buy-forward strategy in order to mitigate and better forecast raw material costs for 2011.
"In 2010, the Company increased its product line to 256 products as compared to 173 products at the end of fiscal 2009. The newly acquired Jingzhou facility contributed $1.3 million in sales revenue for fiscal 2010, nearly all of which occurred in the fourth quarter which on an annualized run rate would generate $3.0 million to $5.0 million in revenue per year.
"Skystar owns three production facilities in total: two are in Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province and one facility in Jingzhou City in Hubei Province. Both the Huxian plant and the Jingzhou plant are 'GMP' certified to produce veterinary animal medicines.
"The vaccine facility in the Huxian plant finished construction in June of 2010; equipments installations, tooling and testing of the plant's manufacturing processes was finished later in the third quarter of 2010. The Company has applied to the MOA for GMP certification and is currently waiting for the appointment date from the Ministry. The GMP approval process is taking much longer than we initially expected due to sweeping regulatory changes in the GMP certification and approval process for veterinary vaccine manufacturers. Skystar believes that its facilities will pass new GMP standards.
"The Company is still in the process of closing the Kunshan based probiotics micro-organism manufacturing plant in Jiangsu province. The Company as of current has invested roughly $8 million in connection with the acquisition. As of October 2010 the Company has received the title of land use right for the facility. Skystar expects the final stages related to clearing all necessary government approvals to close this acquisition to be completed within the first half of fiscal 2011. Skystar forecasts this production facility will contribute approximately $35 million to $39 million in 5 years."
Key Fiscal 2010 Business Highlights -- Started production in the newly acquired Jingzhou facility and seeing positive contributions to earnings -- Increased customer count and started production of new products -- Inducted in Forbes, "Asia's 200 Best Companies Under a Billion" list -- Secured low interest $3.0 million dollar line of credit and loan facility of $0.7 million in China -- Appointed Crowe Horwath as new independent auditor -- Completed the build-out of the new vaccine facility
Fourth Quarter 2010 Results
Skystar's revenue for the fourth quarter 2010 was $15.8 million, up 45% from fourth quarter 2009.
Gross profit for fourth quarter 2010 was $8.5 million, up 57% from fourth quarter 2009. Gross margin for the period was 54%, slightly higher than historical comparables.
Operating expenses for fourth quarter 2010 were $2.8 million, or 18% of total revenue, compared with $1.6 million, or 15% of total revenue for fourth quarter 2009.
Research and development (R&D) costs increased to $0.2 million, or 2.0% of revenue in fourth quarter 2010, up from $0.3 million, or 3% of revenue during fourth quarter 2009. Skystar continues to anticipate that its research and development costs will increase in future periods as it invests in improvement of existing products and development of new products and product lines.
Selling expenses totaled $0.8 million, or 5.0% of revenue, for fourth quarter 2010, compared with $0.7 million, or 7% of revenue, in fourth quarter 2008. General and administrative expenses were $1.7 million, or 11% of revenue, in fourth quarter 2009, compared with $0.6 million, or 7% of revenue, in fourth quarter 2010.
Operating income increased by 53% year over year to $5.8 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010, compared with $3.8 million in the same quarter a year ago, and operating margin increased to 36% from 34% in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Net income for the fourth quarter of 2010 was $3.9 million. This compares to net income of $2.6 million in the same quarter of 2009.
Full Year 2010 Results
Skystar reported revenues of $47.5 million for the full fiscal 2010 year, a 40.8% increase compared to the $33.8 million in revenues reported for the full fiscal 2009 year. Gross profit for the full fiscal 2010 year was $25.5 million, or 53.7% of revenues.
Net income for the 2010 full fiscal year was $14.0 million, or $1.97 per diluted share, compared to net income of $8.9 million, or $1.62 per diluted share, for the full 2009 fiscal year.
Total operating expenses increased 33.7% as a result of Skystar's increased footprint; however, as a percentage of revenue decreased to 15.6% from 16.5% in the year prior. Research and Development costs for fiscal 2010 were $0.7 million as compared to $1.1 million in fiscal 2009. Selling expense as a percentage of revenue decreased due to localization of Skystar's sales force and expanded distributorships. General and administrative expenses for our Chinese operating entities increased due to expanded operations and asset acquisitions related to our Kunshan and with the Jingzhou-related acquisition. Approximately $0.4 million was charged to general and administrative expenses for expenses related to the Kunshan acquisition. Approximately $0.6 million was charged to the general and administrative expenses for expenses related to the Jingzhou acquisition.
As of December 31, 2010, Skystar had approximately $5.9 million in cash and restricted cash, current assets of $44.7 million and total liabilities of $9.8 million, which resulted in a net working capital of $37.3 million.
Selection of New Auditor in Fiscal 2010
In fiscal 2010, Skystar interviewed several top tier audit firms in its selection of a new independent auditor. Our new auditor for the 2010 10-K audit is Crowe Horwath LLP in the US. It is the ninth largest accounting firm in the US and also one of the ten accounting firms in the US that is subject to the PCAOB inspection every year. Crowe Horwath, LLP is a leading member of Crowe Horwath International which is the ninth largest accounting network in the world.
Business Outlook
Presently, Skystar anticipates delivering top line revenue in the range of $60.0 to $63.0 million with a gross margin of 50% to 55% for 2011.
Skystar in 2010 saw significant inflation pressures building in China. However, the Company had been able to secure favorable pricing by prepaying for raw materials to major suppliers. The Company anticipates that inflationary pressures will continue in 2011. As a result, the Company is continuing with its buy-forward strategy to suppliers in order to have better control of costs for raw materials.
Mr. Lu concluded, "We are excited with the momentum that Skystar has built as a leader in China's animal healthcare space and as the only U.S. listed pureplay animal healthcare stock. We fully anticipate our current acquisitions and expanded manufacturing facilities to ramp up, bear fruit and further improve Skystar's profitability."
CONFERENCE CALL & WEBCAST INFORMATION
Skystar will host a conference call on Tuesday, April 12th at 8:00 a.m. ET to review the Company's fourth quarter and full fiscal year financial and operational performance. Mr. Weibing Lu, Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical chairman and chief executive officer, will host the call, which will be webcast live.
The webcast will be made available on the investor relations section of the Skystar corporate website at http://www.skystarbio-pharmaceutical.com or http://www.investorcalendar.com. Telephone access to the conference call will be available in North America by dialing +1 (877) 407-9210 or internationally by dialing +1 (201) 689-8049.
An audio replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the call and for the following 30 day period. To access the replay in North America, dial +1 (877) 660-6853, or when calling internationally, dial +1 (201) 612-7415, using replay account code # 286 and conference ID # 369346. An archived replay of the conference webcast will also be available on the investor relations section of the Skystar Corporate website at http://www.skystarbio-pharmaceutical.com. To be added to the Company's email distribution for future news releases, please send your request to skystar@grayling.com.
About Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company
Skystar is a China-based developer and distributor of veterinary healthcare and medical care products. Skystar has five product lines (veterinary medicines, pro-biotic micro-organisms, vaccines, feed additives and aquaculture) and over 256 products with more in development. Skystar has formed strategic sales distribution networks covering all 29 provinces throughout China. For additional information, please visit http://www.skystarbio-pharmaceutical.com.
Financial tables follow
SKYSTAR BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME Years ended December 31, --------------------------- 2010 2009 ------------ ------------ REVENUE, NET $ 47,556,383 $ 33,778,305 COST OF REVENUE 22,011,588 16,520,989 ------------ ------------ GROSS PROFIT 25,544,795 17,257,316 ------------ ------------ OPERATING EXPENSES: Research and development 684,778 1,167,937 Selling expenses 2,124,952 1,928,441 General and administrative 4,625,092 2,466,470 ------------ ------------ Total operating expenses 7,434,822 5,562,848 ------------ ------------ INCOME FROM OPERATIONS 18,109,973 11,694,468 ------------ ------------ OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE): Other income (expense), net (49,202) 117,873 Interest income (expense), net (58,846) (62,590) Change in fair value of warrants (612,883) (868,445) ------------ ------------ Total other expense, net (720,931) (813,162) ------------ ------------ INCOME BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES 17,389,042 10,881,306 PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES 3,297,758 2,029,374 ------------ ------------ NET INCOME 14,091,284 8,851,932 OTHER COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME : Foreign currency translation adjustment 2,281,504 13,914 ------------ ------------ COMPREHENSIVE INCOME $ 16,372,788 $ 8,865,846 ============ ============ EARNINGS PER SHARE: Basic $ 1.98 $ 1.65 ============ ============ Diluted $ 1.97 $ 1.62 ============ ============ WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES: Basic 7,105,789 5,374,452 ============ ============ Diluted 7,138,279 5,459,528 ============ ============ SKYSTAR BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS ASSETS December 31, December 31, 2010 2009 ------------ ------------ CURRENT ASSETS: Cash $ 5,887,831 $ 11,699,398 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $339,031 and $327,857 respectively 4,977,850 4,383,187 Inventories 7,202,223 4,074,645 Deposits and prepaid expenses 17,074,000 11,900,314 Loans receivable 8,040,100 - Other receivables 1,558,775 490,712 ------------ ------------ Total current assets 44,740,779 32,548,256 ------------ ------------ PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET 22,613,113 8,829,058 CONSTRUCTION-IN-PROGRESS 1,590,720 9,389,120 OTHER ASSETS: Long-term prepayments 1,454,226 1,173,427 Long-term prepayments for asset acquisitions 4,806,352 6,806,880 Intangible assets, net 6,043,941 1,860,172 ------------ ------------ Total other assets 12,304,519 9,840,479 ------------ ------------ Total assets $ 81,249,131 $ 60,606,913 ============ ============ LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES: Accounts payable $ 201,850 $ 297,567 Other payable and accrued expenses 1,845,051 917,284 Short-term loans 3,025,884 220,050 Short-term loans from shareholders - 110,025 Deposits from customers 1,260,030 1,275,958 Taxes payable 749,836 722,106 Shares to be issued to related parties 53,050 327,374 Due to related parties 217,912 185,024 ------------ ------------ Total current liabilities 7,353,613 4,055,388 ------------ ------------ OTHER LIABILITIES: Deferred government grant 986,050 1,100,250 Warrant liability 1,419,639 1,538,686 ------------ ------------ Total other liabilities 2,405,689 2,638,936 ------------ ------------ Total liabilities 9,759,302 6,694,324 ------------ ------------ COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, No Series "A" shares authorized, 48,000,000 Series "B" shares authorized, No Series "B" shares issued and outstanding Common stock, $0.001 par value, 40,000,000 shares authorized, 7,161,919 and 6,989,640 shares issued and outstanding respectively 7,162 6,989 Paid-in capital 35,784,376 34,580,096 Statutory reserves 5,695,236 3,879,077 Retained earnings 24,847,289 12,574,906 Accumulated other comprehensive income 5,155,766 2,871,521 ------------ ------------ Total shareholders' equity 71,489,829 53,912,589 ------------ ------------ Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 81,249,131 $ 60,606,913 ============ ============ SKYSTAR BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Preferred stock Common stock ------------------ ----------------- Paid-in Shares Amount Shares Amount capital ---------- ------ --------- ------- ------------ BALANCE, January 1, 2009, as adjusted 2,000,000 2,000 3,733,038 3,733 15,237,267 Shares issued for services 12,438 12 63,002 Cancellation of preferred stock (2,000,000) (2,000) 2,000 Fractional shares due to the ten-for-one reverse split 1,772 2 (2) Shares issued for cash 3,220,000 3,220 19,070,461 Cashless exercise of warrants 22,392 22 207,368 Foreign currency translation Net income Appropriation to statutory reserves ---------- ------ --------- ------- ------------ BALANCE, December 31, 2009 - $ - 6,989,640 $ 6,989 $ 34,580,096 ========== ====== ========= ======= ============ Cumulative effect of reclassification of warrants Shares issued for services 64,380 66 472,459 Cashless exercise of warrants 107,899 107 1,511,496 Reclassification of purchase option to derivative liability (779,674) Foreign currency translation Net income Appropriation to statutory reserves ---------- ------ --------- ------- ------------ BALANCE, December 31, 2010 - $ - 7,161,919 $ 7,162 $ 35,784,377 ========== ====== ========= ======= ============ Retained earnings Accumulated ------------------------ other Statutory comprehensive reserves Unrestricted income Total ----------- ------------ ----------- ------------ BALANCE, January 1, 2009, as adjusted 2,952,710 4,649,341 2,857,607 25,702,658 Shares issued for services 63,014 Cancellation of preferred stock - Fractional shares due to the ten-for-one reverse split - Shares issued for cash 19,073,681 Cashless exercise of warrants 207,390 Foreign currency translation 13,914 13,914 Net income 8,851,932 8,851,932 Appropriation to statutory reserves 926,367 (926,367) - ----------- ------------ ----------- ------------ BALANCE, December 31, 2009 $ 3,879,077 $ 12,574,906 $ 2,871,521 $ 53,912,589 =========== ============ =========== ============ Cumulative effect of reclassification of warrants Shares issued for services 472,525 Cashless exercise of warrants 1,511,603 Reclassification of purchase option to derivative liability (779,674) Foreign currency translation 2,281,504 2,281,504 Net income 14,091,284 14,091,284 Appropriation to statutory reserves 1,816,159 (1,818,900) 2,741 - ----------- ------------ ----------- ------------ BALANCE, December 31, 2010 $ 5,695,236 $ 24,847,290 $ 5,155,766 $ 71,489,831 =========== ============ =========== ============ SKYSTAR BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Years ended December 31, --------------------------- 2010 2009 ------------ ------------ CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Net income available to shareholders $ 14,091,284 $ 8,851,932 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation 847,662 566,230 Amortization 423,195 212,826 Common stock issued for services 472,525 63,014 Common stock to be issued to related parties for compensation - 232,170 Change in fair value of warrant liability and equity accounts 612,883 868,445 Change in operating assets and liabilities Accounts receivable (434,233) (1,957,883) Inventories (2,914,627) (987,977) Deposits and prepaid expenses (4,654,016) (7,310,495) Other receivables (725,280) (705,365) Accounts payable (103,235) (249,709) Accrued expenses 83,014 55,140 Deposits from customers (57,945) 851,170 Taxes payable 3,041 509,132 Other payables 75,408 267,097 ------------ ------------ Net cash provided by operating activities 7,719,676 1,265,727 ------------ ------------ CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Proceeds from short-term investment - 351,864 Refund of long-term prepayments - 2,713,950 Prepayment for assets acquisition (4,451,544) (6,802,704) Loans to third parties (7,840,820) (2,580,336) Proceeds from loans receivable - 2,875,242 Purchases of intangible assets - (1,172,880) Purchases of plant and equipment (4,126,954) (529,470) Payments on construction-in-progress - (2,709,105) ------------ ------------ Net cash used in investing activities (16,419,318) (7,853,439) ------------ ------------ CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Decrease in restricted cash 153 80,684 Proceeds from short-term loans 2,728,975 219,915 Repayment for short-term loans (110,955) (747,711) Proceeds from equity offering - 18,411,496 Repayment to shareholders and directors - (307,881) Proceeds from shareholders and directors - 109,958 Due (from) to related parties 31,374 (57,223) ------------ ------------ Net cash provided by financing activities 2,649,547 17,709,238 ------------ ------------ EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH 238,528 1,463 ------------ ------------ (DECREASE) INCREASE IN CASH (5,811,567) 11,122,989 CASH, beginning of year 11,699,398 576,409 ------------ ------------ CASH, end of year $ 5,887,831 $ 11,699,398 ============ ============ SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION: Cash paid for interest $ 55,439 $ 73,085 ============ ============ Cash paid for income taxes $ 3,130,855 $ 2,095,704 ============ ============ Non-cash investing and financing activities Long-term prepayment transferred to construction-in-progress $ 915,130 $ 190,458 ============ ============ Construction-in-progress transferred to property, plant and equipment $ 10,838,131 $ 1,818,403 ============ ============ Cashless exercise of warrants $ 1,511,604 $ 207,390 ============ ============ Expense paid thorugh contribution receivable $ - $ 662,185 ============ ============ Reclassification from equity to warrant liability $ 779,674 $ - ============ ============ Long term prepayment transferred to Land Use Rights $ 4,441,437 $ - ============ ============ Long term prepayment transferred to property, plant and equipment $ 1,952,463 $ - ============ ============
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Certain of the statements made in the press release constitute forward- looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "project," "plan," "seek," "intend," or "anticipate" or the negative thereof or comparable terminology. Such statements typically involve risks and uncertainties and may include financial projections or information regarding the progress of new product development. Actual results could differ materially from the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions in The People's Republic of China, variations in cash flow, reliance on collaborative retail partners and on new product development, variations in new product development, risks associated with rapid technological change, and the potential of introduced or undetected flaws and defects in products, and other risk factors detailed in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.
Contact Information: Contacts: Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company Scott Cramer Director - Corporate Development & U.S. Representative (407) 645-4433 Grayling Investor Relations Christopher Chu (646) 284-9426 christopher.chu@grayling.com