KE Holdings Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2021 Unaudited Financial Results

BEIJING–(BUSINESS WIRE)–KE Holdings Inc. (�Beike” or the “Company”) (NYSE: BEKE), a leading integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Business Highlights for the Third Quarter of 2021

• Gross transaction value (GTV)¹ was RMB830.7 billion (US$128.9 billion), a decrease of 20.9% year-over-year. GTV of existing home transactions was RMB378.2 billion (US$58.7 billion), a decrease of 34.3% year-over-year. GTV of new home transactions was RMB410.1 billion (US$63.7 billion), a decrease of 2.5% year-over-year. GTV of emerging and other services was RMB42.3 billion (US$6.6 billion), a decrease of 20.4% year-over-year.
• Net revenues were RMB18.1 billion (US$2.8 billion), a decrease of 11.9% year-over-year.
• Net loss was RMB1,766 million (US$274 million). Adjusted net loss² was RMB888 million (US$138 million).
• Number of stores was 53,946 as of September 30, 2021, a 20.2% increase from one year ago. Number of active stores³ was 49,468 as of September 30, 2021, a 20.2% increase from one year ago.
• Number of agents was 515,486 as of September 30, 2021, a 7.9% increase from one year ago. Number of active agents⁴ was 468,014 as of September 30, 2021, a 13.1% increase from one year ago.
• Mobile monthly active users (MAU)⁵ averaged 46.1 million, compared to 47.9 million in the same period of 2020.

Mr. Stanley Yongdong Peng, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Beike, commented, “The third quarter was challenging and difficult for the industry with corrective and sweeping adjustments to safeguard and bring about a long-term healthy development of the real-estate market in China. Under the guidance of national policies on stabilizing housing price, curbing speculation and promoting common prosperity, Beike remained committed to our mission of ‘admirable service, joyful living’. Our third quarter results reflected both the broad macroenvironment challenges the industry is facing and the resiliency of our business, with a total GTV of RMB830.7 billion for the quarter, decreasing 20.9% year over year while still outperforming the market.”

“In the third quarter, we continued to execute our Agent Specialization Strategy and make further strides in digital empowerment by launching the ‘Xiaobei existing home sales training camp’, which helps agents to develop new skills to provide premium and focused services through highly efficient collaboration. For new home transaction services, we carried out stringent new home risk control measures, deepened digitalization, enriched online content, and persisted in pursuing top-quality service with a continued emphasis on new home business conduct. For home renovation business, in Beijing, we opened Craftsman (Jinggong) Academy as the industry’s first full-service vocational training base and Beiwoo, our home renovation brand, launched ten ‘heart-to-heart’ service commitments to address the renovation industry’s key pain points. Shengdu, the home renovation business we proposed to acquire, also maintained rapid growth in the East China market. Its future potential integration with the Company will further enhance our competitiveness in the renovation business.”

“We believe that China’s recently announced pilot program of a five-year property tax will contribute to a healthier, more stable development of China’s real estate market and the formulation of a long-term mechanism for growth, which is also a favorable environment for the Company’s future growth. Followed by the acceleration of the era of quality service for housing industry, we will continue to take more social responsibilities and focus on the overall service quality improvement and technological empowerment to our connected service providers, and strive for our vision of providing quality housing services to 300 million families in China,” concluded Mr. Peng.

Mr. Tao Xu, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Beike, added, “During the third quarter, we generated RMB18.1 billion of net revenues, down 11.9% year over year, as we saw the GTV for both existing home and new home transaction services experiencing downward trends amidst necessary market corrections. While we strongly believe the new regulatory measures will benefit the industry, the broader economy and the society in the long term, we adopted multiple initiatives to enhance service quality and ensure good business conduct, with a view to contributing to the establishment of a sustainable housing market. We will stick to our path with full commitment to serve our customers better, and we are confident that we would stay resilient and have our values recognized.”

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Net Revenues

Net revenues decreased by 11.9% to RMB18.1 billion (US$2.8 billion) in the third quarter of 2021 from RMB20.5 billion in the same period of 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to the decline in total GTV of 20.9% to RMB830.7 billion (US$128.9 billion) in the third quarter of 2021 from RMB1,050.0 billion in the same period of 2020.

• Net revenues from existing home transaction services were RMB6.1 billion (US$0.9 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB8.8 billion in the same period of 2020, primarily due to a 34.3% decrease in GTV of existing home transactions to RMB378.2 billion (US$58.7 billion) in the third quarter of 2021 from RMB576.1 billion in the same period of 2020, led by a slow-down of the existing home market which was affected by a series of market-cooling measures in the third quarter of 2021.

  Among that, (i) the revenues derived from platform service, franchise service and other value-added services, which are mostly charged to connected stores and agents on the Company’s platform, were RMB0.8 billion (US$0.1 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB0.9 billion in the same period of 2020, primarily because the GTV of existing home transactions served by connected agents on the Company’s platform decreased by 33.6% to RMB192.9 billion (US$29.9 billion) in the third quarter of 2021 from RMB290.4 billion in the same period of 2020. The downtrend was partially offset by a moderate increase in existing home transaction commission rate charged by connected stores due to the increased percentage of rental transactions with a relatively higher commission rate;

  (ii) commission revenue was RMB5.3 billion (US$0.8 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB7.9 billion in the same period of 2020, primarily due to a decrease in GTV of existing home transactions served by Lianjia stores to RMB185.3 billion (US$28.8 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB285.7 billion in the same period of 2020.

• Net revenues from new home transaction services increased by 2.5% to RMB11.3 billion (US$1.8 billion) in the third quarter of 2021 from RMB11.1 billion in the same period of 2020, primarily attributable to a moderate increase of new home transactions commission rate, while the GTV of new home transactions was RMB410.1 billion (US$63.7 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB420.7 billion in the same period of 2020. The GTV of new home transaction services completed on Beike platform through connected agents and other sales channels was RMB337.6 billion (US$52.4 billion), compared to RMB337.9 billion in the same period of 2020, while the GTV of new home transactions served by Lianjia brand was RMB72.6 billion (US$11.3 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB82.8 billion in the same period of 2020.

• Net revenues from emerging and other services was RMB610 million (US$94.6 million) in the third quarter of 2021 from RMB625 million in the same period of 2020, primarily due to a decrease of net revenues for financial services around the existing housing transaction services, while it was partially offset by a 29.4% increase of net revenues from renovation service.

Cost of Revenues

Total cost of revenues was RMB15.3 billion (US$2.4 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB16.2 billion in the same period of 2020.

• Commission – split. The Company’s cost of revenues for commissions to connected agents and other sales channels was RMB7,689 million (US$1,193 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB7,737 million in the same period of 2020, along with the relatively stable number of new home transactions completed through connected agents and other sales channels in the third quarter of 2021 compared with the same period of 2020.

• Commission and compensation – internal. The Company’s cost of revenues for internal commission and compensation was RMB6.0 billion (US$0.9 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB6.6 billion in the same period of 2020, primarily due to the decrease in the number of exiting home and new home transactions completed through Lianjia agents.

• Cost related to stores. The Company’s cost related to stores increased by 19.7% to RMB1.0 billion (US$0.2 billion) in the third quarter of 2021 compared to RMB0.8 billion in the same period of 2020, mainly due to an increase in the number of stores for Lianjia brand and the incremental rise in rental fees of contract service centers opened in 2021.

• Other costs. The Company’s other costs decreased by 28.1% to RMB0.7 billion (US$0.1 billion) in the third quarter of 2021 from RMB1.0 billion in the same period of 2020, mainly due to the decrease in share-based compensation expenses.

Gross Profit

Gross profit was RMB2.8 billion (US$0.4 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB4.4 billion in the same period of 2020. Gross margin was 15.2% in the third quarter of 2021, compared to 21.3% in the same period of 2020. The decrease in gross margin was mainly due to a lower contribution margin of existing home transactions led by the decreased net revenues from existing home transactions and the relatively flat fixed compensation costs for Lianjia agents.

Income (Loss) from Operations

Total operating expenses were RMB5.1 billion (US$0.8 billion) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB4.5 billion in the same period of 2020.

• General and administrative expenses were RMB2,412 million (US$374 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB2,649 million in the same period of 2020, mainly due to the decrease in share-based compensation expenses, partially offset by the increase of personnel costs and bad debt provision.

• Sales and marketing expenses were RMB1,202 million (US$187 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB1,026 million in the same period of 2020, mainly due to the increase of headcount in business development personnel.

• Research and development expenses were RMB1,043 million (US$162 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB789 million in the same period of 2020, mainly due to the increase of headcount in experienced research and development personnel, partially offset by the decrease of share-based compensation expenses.

• Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets was RMB397 million (US$62 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to nil in the same period of 2020, mainly due to recent market downtrend and the Company’s long term view of the outlook of the businesses in the qualitative goodwill impairment assessments, as it is more likely than not that the carrying amount of certain acquired businesses exceeded their fair value. The Company will continue to monitor and evaluate the fair value of goodwill, and should facts and circumstances change, additional non-cash impairment charge could be recorded in the future.

Loss from operations was RMB2,300 million (US$357 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB81 million in the same period of 2020. Operating margin was negative 12.7% in the third quarter of 2021, compared to negative 0.4% in the same period of 2020, primarily due to 1) a relatively lower gross profit margin in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020; and 2) an increase of the percentage of total operating expenses as of net revenues in the third quarter of 2021, primarily due to decreased net revenues along with the relatively flat recurring operating expenses, and additional impairment of goodwill as well as severance provision of RMB250 million incurred in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020.

Adjusted loss from operations⁶ was RMB1,435 million (US$223 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to adjusted income from operations RMB1,740 million in the same period of 2020. Adjusted operating margin⁷ was negative 7.9% in the third quarter of 2021, compared to 8.5% in the same period of 2020. Adjusted EBITDA⁸ was negative RMB550 million (US$85 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB2,248 million in the same period of 2020.

Net Income (Loss)

Net loss was RMB1,766 million (US$274 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to net income RMB75 million in the same period of 2020.

Adjusted net loss was RMB888 million (US$138 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to adjusted net income RMB1,858 million in the same period of 2020.

Net Income (Loss) attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders

Net loss attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders was RMB1,765 million (US$274 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB271 million in the same period of 2020.

Adjusted net loss attributable to KE Holdings Inc.⁹ was RMB887 million (US$138 million) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to adjusted net income attributable to KE Holdings Inc. RMB1,857 million in the same period of 2020.

Net Income (Loss) per ADS

Diluted net loss per ADS attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders¹⁰ was RMB1.50 (US$0.23) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to RMB0.33 in the same period of 2020.

Adjusted diluted net loss per ADS attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders¹¹ was RMB0.75 (US$0.12) in the third quarter of 2021, compared to adjusted diluted net income per ADS attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders RMB1.38 in the same period of 2020.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Short-Term Investments

As of September 30, 2021, the combined balance of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments amounted to RMB52.7 billion (US$8.2 billion).

Business Outlook

For the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company expects total net revenues to be between RMB14.5 billion (US$2.3 billion) and RMB15.5 billion (US$2.4 billion), representing a decrease of approximately 31.6% to 36.0% from the same quarter of 2020. This forecast considers the potential impact of the recent real estate related policies and measures, and the Company’s current and preliminary view on the business situation and market condition, which is subject to change.

Conference Call Information

The Company will hold a conference call on 8:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, November 8, 2021 (9:00 AM Beijing/Hong Kong Time on Tuesday, November 9, 2021) to discuss the financial results. Details for the conference call are as follows:

Event Title: Beike’s Third Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call

Conference ID: 2491775

All participants must use the link provided below to complete the online registration process in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of participant dial-in numbers, the Direct Event pass code, and a unique registrant ID by email.

PRE-REGISTER LINK:

http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/2491775

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company’s investor relations website at http://investors.ke.com/.

The replay will be accessible through November 16, 2021, by dialing the following numbers:

United States Toll Free:		+1-855-452-5696
Mainland, China:		400-602-2065
Hong Kong, China:		+852-3051-2780
International:		+61-2-8199-0299
Conference ID:		2491775

Exchange Rate

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars (“US$”) at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB6.4434 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on September 30, 2021, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this earnings release.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses adjusted income (loss) from operations, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) attributable to KE Holdings Inc., adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss) per ADS attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. Beike believes that these non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in the Company’s business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that the Company includes in its net income (loss). Beike also believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about its results of operations, enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by its management in its financial and operational decision-making. A limitation of using these non-GAAP financial measures is that these non-GAAP financial measures exclude share-based compensation expenses that have been, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense in the Company’s business.

The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to gross profit, net income (loss) or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of its operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review these non-GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. The non-GAAP financial measures presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to the Company’s data. Beike encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is defined as income (loss) from operations, excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from acquisitions and business cooperation agreement, and (iii) impairment of goodwill and intangible assets. Adjusted operating margin is defined as adjusted income (loss) from operations as a percentage of net revenues. Adjusted net income (loss) is defined as net income (loss), excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from acquisitions and business cooperation agreement, (iii) changes in fair value from long term investments, loan receivables measured at fair value and contingent consideration, (iv) impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, and (v) tax effects of the above non-GAAP adjustments. Adjusted net income (loss) attributable to KE Holdings Inc. is defined as net income (loss) attributable to KE Holdings Inc., excluding (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from acquisitions and business cooperation agreement, (iii) changes in fair value from long term investments, loan receivables measured at fair value and contingent consideration, (iv) impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, (v) tax effects of the above non-GAAP adjustments, and (vi) effects of non-GAAP adjustments on net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests shareholders. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), excluding (i) interest income, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit), (iii) depreciation of property and equipment, (iv) amortization of intangible assets, (v) share-based compensation expenses, (vi) impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, and (vii) changes in fair value from long term investments, loan receivables measured at fair value and contingent consideration. Adjusted net income (loss) per ADS attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders is defined as adjusted net income (loss) attributable to KE Holdings Inc.’s ordinary shareholders divided by weighted average number of ADS outstanding during the periods used in calculating adjusted net income (loss) per ADS, basic and diluted.

Please see the “Unaudited reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP results” included in this press release for a full reconciliation of each non-GAAP measure to its respective comparable GAAP measure.

About KE Holdings Inc.

KE Holdings Inc. is a leading integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services. The Company is a pioneer in building the industry infrastructure and standards in China to reinvent how service providers and housing customers efficiently navigate and consummate housing transactions, ranging from existing and new home sales, home rentals, to home renovation, real estate financial solutions, and other services. The Company owns and operates Lianjia, China’s leading real estate brokerage brand and an integral part of its Beike platform. With 20 years of operating experience through Lianjia since its inception in 2001, the Company believes the success and proven track record of Lianjia pave the way for it to build the industry infrastructure and standards and drive the rapid and sustainable growth of Beike.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to,” and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this press release, as well as Beike’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Beike may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about KE Holdings Inc.’s beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Beike’s goals and strategies; Beike’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; expected changes in the Company’s revenues, costs or expenditures; Beike’s ability to empower services and facilitate transactions on Beike’s platform; competition in our industry; relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry; Beike’s ability to protect the Company’s systems and infrastructures from cyber-attacks; Beike’s dependence on the integrity of brokerage brands, stores and agents on the Company’s platform; general economic and business conditions in China and globally; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing.

Contacts

For investor and media inquiries:

In China:

KE Holdings Inc.

Investor Relations

Matthew Zhao

Siting Li

E-mail: ir@ke.com

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Ross Warner

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

E-mail: ke@tpg-ir.com

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: ke@tpg-ir.com

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