Autohome Inc. (NYSE:ATHM) Q4 2022 Earnings Conference Call February 16, 2023 7:00 AM ET
Company Participants
Sterling Song - Investor Relations, Director
Quan Long - Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Craig Yan Zeng - Chief Financial Officer
Conference Call Participants
Thomas Chong - Jefferies
Ritchie Sun - HSBC
Brian Gong - Citi
Operator
Ladies and gentlemen, convey you for opinionated by for Autohome's Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, each participants are successful a listen-only mode. A question-and-answer convention will travel nan general presentation. As a reminder this convention telephone is being recorded. If you person immoderate objections, you whitethorn disconnect astatine this time.
It is now my pleasance to present your big Sterling Song, Autohome's IR Director. Mr. Song please spell ahead.
Sterling Song
Thank you, operator. Hello everyone. Good evening. Welcome to Autohome's 4th fourth and afloat twelvemonth 2022 net convention call. Earlier today, Autohome distributed its net property merchandise and you whitethorn find a transcript connected nan company's website astatine www.autohome.com.cn.
On today's call, we'll person Chairman and nan Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Quan Long and nan Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Craig Yan Zeng pinch us.
After our prepared remarks, our guidance squad will beryllium disposable to reply your questions. Before we continue, please cognize that nan chat coming will incorporate forward-looking statements made nether nan Safe Harbor provisions of nan US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements are taxable to risks and uncertainties that whitethorn origin existent results to disagree materially from our existent expectations. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not constricted to those outlined successful our nationalist filings pinch nan US Securities and Exchange Commission and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.
Autohome doesn't undertake immoderate responsibility to update immoderate forward-looking statements except arsenic required nether applicable law. Please besides cognize that Autohome's net property merchandise and this convention telephone includes discussions of definite unaudited non-GAAP financial measures.
Please mention to our property merchandise which contains a reconciliation of nan non-GAAP measures to nan astir straight comparable GAAP measures and is disposable on Autohome's IR website.
Again, arsenic a reminder, this convention telephone is being recorded. In summation a unrecorded and archived webcast of this net convention telephone will besides beryllium disposable connected Autohome's IR website.
I will now move nan telephone complete to Autohome's Chairman and CEO, Mr. Long for opening remarks. Please spell up Mr. Long.
Quan Long
[Foreign Language]
Thank you, Song. Hello everyone. This is Quan Long, Chairman and CEO of Autohome. Thank you for joining america coming successful our net call.
In nan 4th quarter, Autohome's business witnessed accelerated gait of betterment pinch full revenues up by 12% year-over-year. Notably media services delivers robust gross maturation astatine 64% year-over-year, while boosting our topline growth. We besides maintained bully profit profitability and a precocious profit separator level.
Our adjusted nett income for nan first 4th slashed by 43% year-over-year pinch adjusted nett separator reaching 35.3%, closing retired 2022 connected a precocious note. Against nan backdrop of nan pandemic and different uncertainties passim nan year, Autohome successfully overcame adversity and nan bounce backmost stopped, erstwhile again demonstrating nan resilience and vitality of our business.
Building our ample and nan engaged personification base, coagulated business fundamentals, and industry-leading invention capabilities, Autohome is well-positioned to navigate marketplace cycles and execute patient semipermanent improvement arsenic we proceed to blaze trails and go nan manufacture frontrunner.
[Foreign Language]
Looking backmost astatine 2022, we achieved important advancement successful 2 cardinal areas contented ecosystem building and exploration of caller initiatives. On nan contented front, we successfully leveraged our large IP brands to beforehand our video-based strategy and formed partnerships, and organized cross-promotional activities pinch aggregate Internet platforms to research caller automotive manner experiences.
In position of caller inaugural exploration, we made immense strides exploring nan business worth concatenation and promoted in-depth improvement crossed our business supported by our continuous caller achievements successful NEVs, utilized cars, information products and different fields.
Driven by our relentless efforts successful Phase 2 areas, we proceed to grow caller business boundaries, found caller standards and foster caller types of business. With our aggregate dimensional business roadmap and extended improvement concepts we've built a marque caller ecosystem successful nan automotive manufacture propelling Autohome to caller heights.
[Foreign Language]
Heading into 2003 pinch betterment successful nan macro situation restoration of manufacture bid and nan section authorities policies truthful stabilized maturation and nan boost depletion car manufacture expected to support a dependable upward trend. Benefiting from nan industry's recovery, Autohome will proceed to empower business partners and beforehand industry-wide integer transformation, while besides expanding shareholder returns and achieving a win-win business for each parties.
[Foreign Language]
With that, I will now move nan telephone complete to our Chief Financial Officer, Craig Yan Zeng for a person look astatine our 4th fourth and afloat twelvemonth operating and financial results.
Craig Yan Zeng
[Foreign Language] Thank you, Mr. Long. Hello, everyone. I'm Craig Zeng Yan, nan Chief Financial Officer of Autohome.
[Foreign Language] As Mr. Long conscionable mentioned, we person made ongoing efforts to beforehand contented creation and build halfway IT to found Autohome IT matrix constructing a useful and nosy video-based contented ecosystem.
[Foreign Language] For example, regulatory inspection, our flagship conveyance testing IT task has consistently produced useful contented since its motorboat successful 2019. With testing results that greatly assistance users successful choosing and buying cars.
In 2022, conveyance inspection covered 58 recently launched celebrated electrical vehicles and has accumulated astir 300 cardinal views crossed nan full web to-date. Autohome's 4 original IPs including Super Test and a recreation diary person accumulated astir 800 cardinal views nett worldwide, starring nan marketplace successful position of nan wide size of our original IP matrix.
In addition, we held much than 550 online car shows passim this year, providing users a seamless acquisition for searching and choosing cars anytime and anywhere. We besides introduced absorbing elements specified arsenic metaverse, metahuman and virtual assets to our contented creation portfolio to promote greater information and a deeper engagement from younger users. In fact, it will beryllium enhancing our personification stickiness.
[Foreign Language] Furthermore, we person reached strategical practice pinch aggregate partners specified arsenic AMAP, Huawei Cloud and nan Beijing Institute of Technology and Information, et cetera aliases BIT to research greater business synergies. We've besides jointly organized a wide array of activities pinch online platforms specified arsenic [indiscernible], JC Auto [ph] and NetEase Cloud Music to research caller automotive manner experiences.
These imaginative strategies person substantially accrued nan personification postulation successful our ecosystem and expanded our personification base. According to QuestMobile, Autohome's mobile DAU successful December 2022 accrued by 16.1% year-over-year and reached a grounds precocious of 54.39 cardinal further reinforcing our activity position successful nan industry.
[Foreign Language] Regarding our dealership business contempt nan immense challenges nan car markets faced successful 2022, Autohome continues to support dependable upward maturation momentum successful nan 4th quarter, notably pinch nan continuous upgrading of various lead procreation devices and nan services of our dealers rank products, which is [indiscernible].
We proceed to trim our customer's determination making costs and transaction costs done precocious technology, helping our trader customers to trim wide costs and summation efficiently. As a result, successful nan 4th fourth complete 13,000 dealers purchased our premium type and astir 8000 dealers purchased our feline type for a mixed full of complete 21,000 dealers purchasing high-end versions of our lease subscription packages.
[Foreign Language] In position of exploration of caller initiatives, we accelerated nan improvement of our 2nd maturation curve, achieving awesome breakthroughs successful caller types of business, caller models and caller products by expanding resources allocation and investments successful cardinal areas. Let maine locomotion you done successful awesome detail.
[Foreign Language] First, let's look astatine our New Energy Vehicle business. Facing nan continuous summation successful EV penetration complaint Autohome adapted proactively and fto nan marketplace transformation. In September 2022, we officially unveiled our first offline acquisition store, pioneering a unsocial multi-brand unit exemplary called Energy Space.
This Foodchain Retail Model connects online activities pinch offline transactions providing users pinch a one-stop selecting and purchasing experience, while besides gaining nickname from OEMs. As of now, we person cooperated pinch 26 brands, becoming OEM's caller partners successful nan caller unit field.
In 2022, gross generated from EV brands continues to turn vigorously and accrued by 153% year-over-year, erstwhile again, outperforming nan industry's income growth. Looking forward, Autohome will proceed to research nan integration of aggregate types of businesses, amended nan penetration complaint of off-line stores successful various cities and lead nan translator of nan car purchasing experience.
[Foreign Language] On our information merchandise front, Autohome achieved zero to 1 breakthrough successful 2022, providing OEMs pinch 5 bid of information devices to meet their divers needs, spanning from user's backstage domain operations to nan digitalization of back-end services. At present, we person established practice pinch much than half of nan automakers successful China's car market.
Building connected Autohome's integer capabilities, our information products provided our trader customers pinch two-chain integer trading products and services helping dealers to summation profit and efficiency. For afloat twelvemonth 2022, some nan mean gross of information products per trader shop and nan mean number of information products adopted by each trader shop accrued by much than 20% year-over-year.
[Foreign Language] Moving to our utilized car business. We accelerated our integration of resources from Autohome Ping An Group and Tiantian Paiche, aliases TTP and drastically promoting our one-stop full-chain transaction work level for utilized cars and achieving coagulated advancement connected some nan purchaser and nan trader end. For buyers, we provided them pinch conveyance information and value inquiries done our car history [indiscernible] efficaciously solving their purchasing concerns.
On nan trader end, we helped them amended operating ratio by building a utilized car integer cloud-based platform. In addition, we person further enhanced TTP's ratio done refined operations and upgraded its operating conditions. In 2022, done Autohome's matching and auction services, our level accounted for astir 21.5% of each utilized car transactions successful China pinch 5% constituent year-over-year growth.
Moving forward, we will proceed to grow our footprint crossed nan full business concatenation and create information products for utilized NEVs via in-depth strategical practice pinch BIT differentiating ourselves and building our competitory separator successful nan utilized car field.
[Foreign Language] To summarize, contempt nan analyzable microenvironment and various uncertainties successful 2022 we are pleased to person made awesome advancement successful each business segments. We person maintained upward maturation momentum successful our business betterment for 2 consecutive quarters and illustrated a cleanable V-shape rebound outperforming nan wide marketplace and achieving stellar results.
As nan leader successful China's car vertical media manufacture Autohome will proceed to fortify its competitory advantages by solidifying its various accepted business faces and maintaining its existing marketplace stock and customer base. Meanwhile, we will besides proceed to cultivate our innovative business segments to build a one-stop full-chain car ecosystem level providing our users pinch services crossed nan afloat life rhythm of automobile ownership.
We are assured we tin rigorously beforehand nan integer upgrades and translator of nan automotive industry, while creating lasting worth for each our users, customers and shareholders pinch outstanding capacity successful that percent marketplace cycles.
[Foreign Language] And adjacent fto maine locomotion you done nan cardinal financials for nan 4th fourth and nan afloat twelvemonth 2022. Please statement that arsenic pinch anterior calls I will reference RMB only successful my chat coming unless different stated.
[Foreign Language] Net revenues for nan 4th fourth were RMB 1.89 billion, up 11.8% year-over-year. For a elaborate breakdown media services gross came successful astatine RMB 610 cardinal an summation of 63.7% year-over-year. Leads procreation services gross accrued 1.1% year-over-year to RMB787 cardinal and nan online marketplace and others revenues were RMB496 million.
Moving connected to our cost. Cost of gross successful nan 4th fourth was RMB371 cardinal compared to RMB262 cardinal successful Q4, 2021. The summation was chiefly attributable to our continuous finance successful content. Gross separator successful nan 4th fourth was 80.4% compared to 84.5% successful Q4, 2021.
Turning to operating expenses. Sales and trading expenses successful nan 4th fourth were RMB673 cardinal compared to RMB803 cardinal successful Q4 2021. The alteration was chiefly attributable to nan diminution successful trading and promotional spending. Product and improvement expenses were RMB330 cardinal compared to RMB395 cardinal successful Q4, 2021. Finally, wide and administrative expenses were RMB103 cardinal compared to RMB128 cardinal successful Q4, 2021.
Overall, we delivered operating profit of RMB530 cardinal successful nan 4th fourth compared to RMB177 cardinal successful nan corresponding play of 2021. Adjusted nett income attributable to Autohome was RMB669 cardinal successful nan 4th fourth compared to RMB469 cardinal successful nan corresponding play of 2021.
Non-GAAP basal and diluted net per stock successful nan 4th fourth were RMB1.36 and RMB1.35 respectively, compared to some RMB0.93 successful nan compounding play of 2021. Non-GAAP basal and diluted net per ADS successful nan 4th fourth were RMB5.42 and RMB4.41 respectively, compared to RMB3.71 and RMB3.7 respectively successful corresponding play of 2021.
Let maine now move to a short summary of our 2022 full-year results. The full revenues were RMB6.94 billion. Of that media services revenues were RMB1.96 billion. Leads procreation services revenues were RMB3.06 billion, and online marketplaces and different revenues were RMB1.92 billion. In addition, we delivered an adjusted nett income attributable to Autohome of RMB2.17 billion.
As of December 31, 2022, our equilibrium expanse remains very beardown pinch cash, rate equivalents and short-term investments of RMB 22.08 billion. We generated nett operating rate travel of RMB 2.57 cardinal successful 2022.
On November 18, 2021 our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase programme nether which we were committed to repurchase up to US$200 cardinal of Autohome's ADS for a play not to transcend 12 months. Thereafter connected November 3, 2022, our Board of Directors authorized an hold of nan stock repurchase programme for different 12 period expiring connected November 17, 2023. As of February 10, 2023, we person repurchased astir 3.69 cardinal ADS for a full costs of astir $111 million.
I'm besides pleased to denote that our Board approved an amendment to alteration nan yearly rate dividend to a fixed magnitude of astatine slightest RMB 500 cardinal betwixt 2022 and 2026 augmenting our ongoing increases successful shareholder returns moreover further to repay our investors for their semipermanent support. Our Board has besides approved a dividend of astir $0.58 per ADS aliases $0.45 per mean stock for fiscal twelvemonth 2022.
Autohome's semipermanent unchangeable operations capable rate reserves and patient rate travel arsenic good arsenic our progressive banal repurchase programme and ongoing dividend payout demonstrates our determination to amended our superior allocation ratio and reflects our long-standing dedication to our investor's interest. As we measurement into 2023, we will proceed to create caller initiatives targeting semipermanent patient maturation while remaining committed to delivering shareholder value.
With that we are fresh to return your questions. Operator, please unfastened nan statement for nan Q&A session.
Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
Thank you. We will now statesman nan question-and-answer convention [Operator Instructions] Our first mobility comes from nan statement of Thomas Chong from Jefferies. Please inquire your question.
Thomas Chong
Thanks, guidance for taking my questions and congratulations connected a coagulated group of result. I person 2 questions. My first mobility is astir nan outlook for nan car manufacture for this year. And number 2 is astir our rate usage and superior allocation. Thank you.
Quan Long
Well, convey you for nan question. My sanction is Long Quan. I'm trying to reply your mobility by quoting, why you asked this question. As you know, successful position of January, you person noticed that immoderate of nan information of nan accumulation and nan income person already been released. If we comparison nan accumulation and nan income pinch nan aforesaid play of past year, nan number has been dropping significantly. That's besides existent of comparing pinch nan erstwhile month.
I deliberation location were 2 reasons, tied to this. The first logic is, because nan agelong holiday, nan Chinese Spring Festival was connected January. The 2nd logic is, because nan favorable argumentation and nan subsidy for nan combustion car and for nan NEV nan argumentation has been faded away, astatine nan extremity of past year.
Well, having said that, I still want to say, I'm optimistic astir 2023. Why I opportunity so, was owed to nan pursuing reasons. Actually, if you look astatine nan car industry, it has been a pillar manufacture successful China and besides nan authorities attached awesome value to this industry. According to nan 2023, January authorities assembly opinionated committee meeting, it said that we request to reside nan conflict astir proviso satisfying nan request of nan consumers, and effort to push guardant nan depletion and put each nan depletion arsenic 1 of nan pillars to boost nan economy.
And we besides request to implement, a batch of depletion policies to beryllium implemented to boost nan car consumption. And we besides request to boost nan trading and expenditure for nan -- each kinds of depletion and unit business, and besides effort to boost nan unit business to recover. So nan noteworthy [ph], policies has been released owed to nan January opinionated committee of nan authorities council.
[Foreign Language] And also, I want to opportunity though nan nationalist level subsidy has been faded distant temporarily. But astatine nan prudential level, nan authorities – nan section authorities launched a batch of caller initiatives to boost nan NEV consumption. For example, successful Shanghai and Hunan state has continued nan trade-in subsidy for nan NEV cars. In Shaanxi province, they promote immoderate of nan cities to boost much efficaciously connected nan subsidy and besides to excavation into nan trade-in imaginable to boost nan consumption.
And deliberation besides pinch nan wantonness of nan zero COVID argumentation and opening up, we judge that nan car show will besides recover. And a batch of caller car models gradually being launched to nan market. So successful this way, we judge nan car depletion market, would beryllium pushed forward.
And also, if you look astatine nan car marketplace nan income building we do spot that, nan NEV income has been expanding successful a continuous way. For example, moreover if nan nationalist subsidy has faded away, but location are a batch of caller polices to boost their NEV consumption. We judge nan NEV marketplace would beryllium policy-driven transforming into a market-driven market.
In this way, we judge that, possibly successful nan near-term aliases short term, location whitethorn beryllium immoderate slowdown of nan sales. But for nan agelong run, we judge nan year-round maturation would proceed to beryllium astir 40%. We do judge location are much divergence successful nan NEV market. The apical players would use retired of specified divergence and that would thief nan NEV apical players to walk much connected nan branding.
Also, I want to return this opportunity to remark connected nan utilized car market. We judge 2023 would beryllium nan first twelvemonth to afloat implementation of nan utilized car caller policies. We judge that nan utilized car marketplace will beryllium individual transaction driven, transforming into firm letting business. And nan utilized car marketplace would besides acquisition nan translator from nan agent-based exemplary to nan dealership-based model. We judge nan 2023 marketplace of nan utilized car, nan wide maturation tin beryllium 8%.
We besides judge nan authorities is trying to promote nan scalability of nan utilized car business and effort to make nan cognition successful a much standardized and compliance way. All this would further boost nan patient improvement of nan utilized car market. Overall, speaking we judge pinch nan implementation of each nan supporting policies, we judge this would boost nan depletion needs and vitalize nan depletion demand. So that's why I'm rather assured astir nan 2023 home car market.
Now talking astir nan allocation of nan cash, I would for illustration to induce Mr. Zeng Yan to return this question.
Craig Yan Zeng
Well, convey you for nan question. Talking astir nan cash. We person abundant reserve rate and our rate travel has been very healthy. And we besides connect awesome value to nan shareholders' interest. We person nan nett inflow of RMB 2.1 cardinal of nan rate past year. According to our BOD gathering past quarter, we will widen nan stock buyback initiative. And successful this quarter, we already improved this -- really nan dividend payout ratio astir 16% compared pinch nan past year. So really nan dividend payout would beryllium RMB 500 cardinal and it will proceed to turn successful nan future. So that is nan measurement we are trying to really springiness backmost to our shareholders.
Now talking astir nan business side, we person a batch of caller initiatives. We person caller investments into nan content, nan video-based, nan unrecorded streaming based, nan metaverse-based and AR-based product. And according to our caller business, nan information merchandise has been thriving. And we are besides looking into immoderate different opportunities to research nan M&A deals and make our business much world presence. So convey you for nan question.
Operator
Thank you. Our adjacent mobility comes from nan statement of Ritchie Sun from HSBC. Please inquire your question, Ritchie.
Ritchie Sun
[Foreign Language] I will construe myself. Thank you guidance for taking my questions. I person 2 questions. First of all, successful 2023 for information products what would beryllium our KPI? And what types of caller launches tin we expect? Second of each is going to this twelvemonth for nan utilized car business what will beryllium our KPI and focus? And really should we deliberation astir nan semipermanent adjusted nett separator for this business? Thank you.
Quan Long
[Foreign Language] Now talking astir nan digitalized merchandise our awesome intent is trying to thief our clients to little nan costs and heighten nan efficiency. No matter it's OEMs aliases for nan dealers. So we are trying to thief them to amended nan ratio and we would continuously to motorboat a batch of caller models. And besides connected nan different hand, we are trying to heighten nan sum of much clients and we wanted to empower these customers pinch our caller modules.
[Foreign Language] Now talking astir nan early guidance of nan caller business, we are moving pinch nan [indiscernible] autos and immoderate of nan utilized car business. We each person a batch of innovative initiatives.
[Foreign Language] Now talking astir nan utilized car business, our awesome intent is trying to found a one-stop afloat concatenation transaction and work platform. Talking astir nan utilized car focus. Firstly, we are trying to create a closed loop for nan transaction. Actually for -- it will screen each nan afloat business concatenation of nan utilized car transactions. We judge this would beryllium nan symptom constituent successful nan utilized car market. And we are besides going to motorboat nan utilized car SaaS work and immoderate different information products.
[Foreign Language] In 2022, Autohome had finalized our operating. And successful this measurement we enhanced nan coordination of nan resources and besides person a amended guidance not only connected nan 2C side, but besides connected nan 2B broadside which achieved a bully breakthrough. For example, we launched nan innovative trading business and besides utilized car SaaS products and nan car history and nan car information information service. And we activity pinch BIT connected a batch of different information services. In nan future, Autohome is trying to build a one-stop solution for car purchasing and a one-stop solution for nan income positive SaaS product. That is our strategical target.
[Foreign Language] Now talking astir nan utilized car business exemplary arsenic you cognize it is nether exploration for nan full market. We achieved a profitable business for nan Autohome utilized car business. For nan TPP, it achieved a breakeven connected nan later half of past year. So successful this way, we are trying to build our utilized car business. The separator would beryllium akin to our dealership business.
Operator
Thank you. Our adjacent mobility comes from nan statement of Brian Gong from Citi. Please inquire your question, Brian.
Brian Gong
I will construe myself. Good evening management. Thanks for taking my question. Congratulations connected nan coagulated results. I person 2 questions. First is regarding GDP. We conscionable mentioned that we expect nan utilized car manufacture to person an 8% year-on-year maturation for 2023. With this number, really should we expect [indiscernible] maturation this year? And secondly guidance conscionable mentioned that you expect immoderate favorable argumentation towards car manufacture to beryllium rolled retired this year. So, tin guidance springiness much circumstantial what benignant of policies we are expecting ahead? Thank you.
Craig Yan Zeng
Well, convey you for nan question. Talking astir nan COVID pandemic, it affected nan utilized car business, because nan transaction of nan utilized car, request a batch of offline face-to-face communication. So that's why successful 2022, nan utilized car business successful home markets dropped knowledgeable really 9%. So now, nan bully news is that, pinch much and much supportive policies released and pinch nan reopening up of nan nine station pandemic, we judge nan utilized car marketplace will acquisition very bully maturation this year. According to immoderate marketplace report, which said nan maturation tin beryllium 8%. We dream that this 8% is achievable and it will moreover execute beyond 8%. And Autohome's maturation would beryllium amended than nan market.
Well, according to nan car marketplace policy, arsenic Mr. Long had already introduced to you, we judge that nan car marketplace would use retired of nan policies. Auto is simply a ample magnitude depletion for nan individuals aliases for families. It is different from housing, because lodging is non-movable, it's existent estate. So that's why, we judge that successful March, location will beryllium caller policies released to further support nan market. The marketplace tin beryllium rather good.
There were 3 factors, I want to mention. The first 1 is, nan argumentation was trying to stabilize nan income of nan caller cars. And secondly, NEV continues to beryllium nan strategical attraction of nan market. And thirdly, for nan utilized car, we judge that it would person a batch of imaginable to grow. If you look astatine nan breakdown of nan utilized car comparing pinch nan caller car sales, it only accounts for 60% of nan car sales. But successful immoderate of nan mature markets, nan utilized car's transaction measurement was 2 times double aliases moreover triple, of nan caller car. So successful this way, we judge nan utilized car marketplace has a batch of potential.
Operator
Thank you. Thank you each for your questions. I'll move nan convention backmost to nan guidance squad for closing comments.
Quan Long
Thank you, everyone. Thank you very overmuch for joining america today. We admit your support and look guardant to updating you, connected our adjacent 4th convention telephone successful a fewer months' time. And successful nan meantime, please free to interaction us, if you person immoderate further questions aliases comments. Thank you very much. Thank you. Bye.
Operator
Thank you. This concludes today's convention call. Thank you for participating. You whitethorn now disconnect.