ATA Creativity Global Reports Q1 2025 Financial Results
- Net revenues increased 15.9% YoY to RMB55.8 million ($7.7 million)
- Gross profit grew 15.9% YoY to RMB25.4 million ($3.5 million)
- Total credit hours delivered increased 5.8% YoY
- Net loss reduced to RMB13.3 million from RMB17.9 million YoY
- Operating expenses decreased 3.2% YoY
- Positive revenue guidance of 3-5% growth for FY 2025
- Student enrollment decreased 19.4% YoY to 1,104 students
- Working capital deficit increased to RMB298.5 million from RMB287.9 million
- Time-based program credit hours declined 14.5% YoY
- Continued operating losses of RMB16.8 million in Q1 2025
Insights
ACG reports improved Q1 financials with 15.9% revenue growth, narrowed losses, and positive operating trends despite enrollment challenges.
ATA Creativity Global's Q1 2025 results paint a picture of modest improvement in a challenging educational services market. The company reported net revenues of RMB55.8 million ($7.7 million), a
The company's operational efficiency is improving, with total credit hours delivered increasing by
On the expense front, ACG has made progress in cost management, with total operating expenses decreasing slightly by
However, the company's balance sheet remains a concern. Despite having
For the full year 2025, management projects total revenues between
ACG's strategic pivot to project-based learning and international diversification is yielding financial improvements despite enrollment challenges.
ATA Creativity Global's Q1 results reveal important shifts in China's creative education market and the company's strategic response. The
The most telling operational metric is the dramatic shift in ACG's program mix. Project-based programs now dominate, growing
ACG's international diversification strategy is also notable. Management specifically mentioned expanding beyond traditional U.S. and U.K. partnerships to include institutions in Europe, Japan, and Singapore. This geographic pivot appears timely, potentially responding to changing student preferences and geopolitical considerations affecting Chinese students' overseas education choices.
The company's research-based learning services showed particularly strong growth, with specialized projects including themed camps in Hainan Province, an AI training camp at Alibaba, and international tours to fashion centers. These experiential offerings generated
Management's comments about "strategically allocating marketing resources to higher-performing campus locations" and "increasing classroom utilization" suggest a rationalization of ACG's physical footprint to focus on profitable operations. Similarly, the emphasis on program flexibility with both in-person and online options indicates adaptation to post-pandemic learning preferences.
The company's expansion plans targeting older adults and younger generations interested in art studies, workshops, and themed travels represents a strategic attempt to broaden beyond their traditional college-bound student population, potentially opening new revenue streams in China's developing lifelong learning market.
Reports Q1 2025 Results with Net Revenues and Gross Profit Increases of
Conference Call Scheduled for Friday, May 16, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (Friday, May 16, at 9:00 p.m. Beijing Time) with Accompanying Audio and Slide Webcast
BEIJING, CHINA / ACCESS Newswire / May 16, 2025 / ATA Creativity Global ("ACG" or the "Company"), (Nasdaq:AACG), an international educational services company focused on providing quality learning experiences that cultivate and enhance students' creativity, today announced preliminary unaudited financial results for the first quarter ("Q1 2025") ended March 31, 2025.
All amounts presented in U.S. dollars ($) in this news release are based on a conversion rate of RMB7.2567 to
Q1 2025 Financial Highlights
Net revenues for Q1 2025 increased
15.9% to RMB55.8 million (or$7.7 million ), from RMB48.1 million in Q1 2024.Gross profit for Q1 2025 increased
15.9% to RMB25.4 million (or$3.5 million ), from RMB21.9 million in Q1 2024. Q1 2025 gross margin remained unchanged at45.5% , compared to Q1 2024.Net loss attributable to ACG for Q1 2025 was RMB13.3 million (or
$1.8 million ), compared to net loss attributable to ACG of RMB17.9 million in Q1 2024.Cash and cash equivalents were RMB39.4 million (or
$5.4 million ) as of March 31, 2025.
Q1 2025 Operational Highlights
Student enrollment during Q1 2025 was 1,104, representing a decrease of
19.4% from 1,370 in Q1 2024.56.7% of students were enrolled in ACG's portfolio training programs, which consisted of time-based programs and project-based programs.43.3% of students were enrolled in ACG's other programs, which mainly consisted of overseas study counselling services and research-based learning services.Credit hours delivered during Q1 2025 were 35,472, representing an increase of
5.8% compared to Q1 2024.
The following is a summary of the credit hours delivered for ACG's portfolio training programs for Q1 2025, compared to those for the prior-year period:
Q1 2025 | Q1 2024 | % Change | ||||||||||
No. of Credit Hours | No. of Credit Hours | |||||||||||
Time-based Program | 9,250 | 10,825 | (14.5 | )% | ||||||||
Project-based Program | 26,222 | 22,702 | 15.5 | % | ||||||||
Total | 35,472 | 33,527 | 5.8 | % |
Management Commentary
Mr. Kevin Ma, Chairman and CEO of ACG, stated, "We are pleased with the approximately
Mr. Ma continued, "In Q1 2025, we continued to launch new research-based projects and organized multiple in-person and online classes. In-person projects included a themed camp to Hainan Province,an AI training camp at Alibaba, tours to the United States and Japan, and a Milan Fashion Week project in Italy, accommodating more than 100 students in total. Apart from our usual Master Class projects, which were held in an online group class form, we also delivered a creative art therapy training program, providing insights into art therapy through practical case sharing in interactive live online sessions. At the same time, ACG students continued to report favorable admission results, with offer letters and scholarships received from Ivy League and other reputable colleges around the world. Due to our continued investments and focus on providing state-of-the-art educational services, we remain a trusted partner to our growing student population in their pursuit of overseas arts education."
Guidance for FY 2025
ACG expects to report total net revenues of between RMB276 million and RMB281 million for the year ending December 31, 2025, which represents a year-over-year increase of around
Mr. Jun Zhang, President of ACG, added, "We anticipate ACG's core portfolio training services and all other services designed to help students create a compelling application portfolio to continue to expand in 2025. In addition to the regular Master Classes in line for Q2 2025, we have an exciting pipeline of research-based learning projects for the summer, which are expected to generate meaningful net revenues. Furthermore, we have expanded our international partnerships with colleges and universities beyond the U.S. and the U.K., and have observed a growing interest among students in applying for creative arts programs in Europe, Japan and Singapore."
Mr. Zhang continued, "We remain focused on driving organic expansion, controlling expenses and improving overall operational efficiency, as we have strategically allocated marketing resources to higher-performing campus locations, aiming to increase classroom utilization, while at the same time providing higher-value programs. We are helping students complete their portfolio creation projects more efficiently through mindful planning and intensified coaching. The variety of new project-based programs we are offering are gaining traction, as we are fostering creative thinking via an interactive learning environment and providing flexibility as many of these programs can be completed in-person and / or online. We are enthusiastic about China's creative arts education market, and our goal is to expand our student population by leveraging our existing teaching resources, and also introducing new programs to older adults and younger generation interested in art studies, workshops and themed travels. We believe ACG's long-term domestic and international partnership base, our competitive and highly experienced teaching team, and the investments we have made and continue to make in new programs, allow us to stand out from our competitors."
Conference Call and Webcast Information (With Accompanying Presentation)
ACG will host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, May 16 (9:00 p.m. Beijing Time on Friday, May 16), during which management will discuss Q1 2025 results.
To participate in the conference call, please use the following dial-in numbers about 10 minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time:
U.S. & Canada (Toll-Free): | +1 (877) 407-9122 | |
International (Toll): | +1 (201) 493-6747 | |
China (Local Access): | (400) 120 2840 | |
Hong Kong (Local Access): | (800) 965561 |
A simultaneous audio webcast including accompanying slides may be accessed via the following link: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=YpbcYM5l, or via the investor relations section of the Company's website https://ir.atai.net.cn/.
For those unable to listen to the live webcast, the replay will be available on the Company's website shortly after the conclusion of the call.
Q1 2025 Financial Review - GAAP Results
ACG's total net revenues for Q1 2025 of RMB55.8 million (or
Net revenues from portfolio training programs of RMB39.5 million (or
$5.5 million ) increased11.5% as compared to Q1 2024 and accounted for70.8% of total net revenues.Net revenues from overseas study counselling services, research-based learning services and other educational services of RMB16.3 million (or
$2.2 million ) increased28.4% as compared to Q1 2024 and accounted for29.2% of total net revenues.
Gross profit for Q1 2025 of RMB25.4 million (or
Total operating expenses for Q1 2025 were RMB42.2 million (or
Selling expenses of RMB21.3 million (or
$2.9 million ) decreased by RMB1.3 million or5.8% from Q1 2024.Research and development expenses of RMB0.7 million (or
$0.1 million ), decreased by RMB0.3 million or27.4% from Q1 2024, as ACG's system development was completed in Q2 2024.General & administrative expenses of RMB24.0 million (or
$3.3 million ), increased by RMB4.0 million or19.8% from Q1 2024, mainly as a result of increased investment in the development of new projects as well as increased professional fees.
Loss from operations for Q1 2025 decreased to RMB16.8 million (or
Basic and diluted losses per common share attributable to ACG for Q1 2025 were RMB0.21 (or
Non-GAAP Measures
Adjusted net loss attributable to ACG for Q1 2025, which excludes share-based compensation expense and foreign currency exchange losses, net, was RMB13.3 million (or
Basic and diluted losses per common share attributable to ACG excluding share-based compensation expense and foreign currency exchange losses, net for Q1 2025, were RMB0.21 (or
Please see the note about non-GAAP measures and the reconciliation table at the end of this press release.
Other Data
The number of weighted average ADSs used to calculate basic and diluted losses per ADS for Q1 2025 were both 31.6 million. Each ADS represents two common shares.
Balance Sheet Highlights
As of March 31, 2025, ACG's cash and cash equivalents were RMB39.4million (or
About ATA Creativity Global
ATA Creativity Global is an international educational services company focused on providing quality learning experiences that cultivate and enhance students' creativity. ATA Creativity Global offers a wide range of education services consisting primarily of portfolio training, research-based learning services, overseas study counselling and other educational services through its training center network. For more information, please visit ACG's website at www.atai.net.cn.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "future," "intend," "look forward to," "outlook," "guidance," "plan," "should," "will," and similar terms and include, among other things, statements regarding ACG's future growth and results of operations; ACG's plans for mergers and acquisitions generally; ACG's growth strategy, anticipated growth prospects and subsequent business activities; ACG's 2025 guidance; market demand for, and market acceptance and competitiveness of, ACG's portfolio training programs and other education services.
The factors that could cause the Company's actual financial and operating results to differ from what the Company currently anticipates may include its ability to develop and create content that could accommodate needs of potential students, its ability to provide effective creative related international education services and control sales and marketing expenses, its recognition in the marketplace for services it delivered and branding it established, its ability to maintain market share amid increasing competition, its ability to identify and execute on M&A opportunities within the education sector and its ability to integrate the acquired business, the economy of China, uncertainties with respect to China's legal and regulatory environments, the impact of the political tensions between the United States and China or other international tensions, and the impact of actual or potential international trade or military conflicts, and other factors stated in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").
The financial information contained in this release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and other filings that ACG has made with the SEC. The filings are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and at ACG's website at www.atai.net.cn. For additional information on the risk factors that could adversely affect the Company's business, financial conditions, results of operations, and prospects, please see the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
The forward-looking statements in this release involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections about ACG and the markets in which it operates. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release, to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that its expectations and assumptions expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company cannot assure you that its expectations and assumptions will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.
Currency Convenience Translation
The Company's financial information is stated in Renminbi ("RMB"), the currency of the People's Republic of China. The translations of RMB amounts for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, into U.S. dollars are included solely for the convenience of readers and have been made at the rate of RMB7.2567 to
About Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement ACG's consolidated financial information presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, ACG uses the following non-GAAP financial measures: net income (loss) excluding share-based compensation expense and foreign currency exchange gain or loss, and basic and diluted earnings (losses) per common share and ADS excluding share-based compensation expense and foreign currency exchange gain or loss.
The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. ACG believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information about its performance by excluding share-based compensation expense and foreign currency exchange gain or loss, which may not be indicative of its operating performance.
ACG believes that both management and investors benefit from these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing its performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management's internal comparisons to ACG's historical performance. ACG computes its non-GAAP financial measures using a consistent method from period to period. ACG believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making. A limitation of using non-GAAP net income (loss) excluding share-based compensation expense and foreign currency exchange gain or loss and basic and diluted earnings (losses) per common share and per ADS excluding share-based compensation expense and foreign currency exchange gain or loss is that share-based compensation charges and foreign currency exchange gain or loss have been, and are expected to continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense in ACG's business.
Management compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The table captioned "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures to the Most Comparable GAAP Measures" shown at the end of this news release has more details on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to the non-GAAP financial measures used by ACG.
For more information on our company, please contact the following individuals:
At the Company | Investor Relations | |
ATA Creativity Global | The Equity Group Inc. | |
Ruobai Sima, CFO | Lena Cati, Senior Vice President | |
+86 10 6518 1133 x 5518 | 212-836-9611 | |
Alice Zhang, Associate | ||
212-836-9610 | ||
ATA CREATIVITY GLOBAL AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31, | March 31, | March 31, | ||||||||||
2024 | 2025 | 2025 | ||||||||||
RMB | RMB | USD | ||||||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||||||
Current assets: | ||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 36,523,995 | 39,410,928 | 5,430,971 | |||||||||
Accounts receivable | 2,712,845 | 2,310,382 | 318,379 | |||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 27,402,834 | 31,518,971 | 4,343,430 | |||||||||
Total current assets | 66,639,674 | 73,240,281 | 10,092,780 | |||||||||
Long-term investments | 38,000,000 | 38,000,000 | 5,236,540 | |||||||||
Property and equipment, net | 38,698,086 | 36,854,928 | 5,078,745 | |||||||||
Intangible assets, net | 46,236,111 | 41,802,778 | 5,760,577 | |||||||||
Goodwill | 196,289,492 | 196,289,492 | 27,049,415 | |||||||||
Other non-current assets | 35,156,141 | 35,555,050 | 4,899,617 | |||||||||
Right-of-use assets | 35,907,761 | 35,600,931 | 4,905,939 | |||||||||
Total assets | 456,927,265 | 457,343,460 | 63,023,613 | |||||||||
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||||||||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||||||||
Accrued expenses and other payables | 56,372,960 | 52,432,984 | 7,225,458 | |||||||||
Short-term loan | - | 13,031,929 | 1,795,848 | |||||||||
Lease liabilities-current | 18,085,643 | 16,922,442 | 2,331,975 | |||||||||
Deferred revenues | 280,036,806 | 289,321,892 | 39,869,623 | |||||||||
Total current liabilities | 354,495,409 | 371,709,247 | 51,222,904 | |||||||||
Lease liabilities-non-current | 17,120,842 | 16,960,986 | 2,337,286 | |||||||||
Deferred income tax liabilities | 5,664,822 | 2,278,714 | 314,015 | |||||||||
Total liabilities | 377,281,073 | 390,948,947 | 53,874,205 | |||||||||
Shareholders' equity: | ||||||||||||
Common shares | 4,755,623 | 4,758,893 | 655,793 | |||||||||
Treasury shares | (8,201,046 | ) | (8,201,046 | ) | (1,130,134 | ) | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 547,915,003 | 547,992,475 | 75,515,382 | |||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (36,952,183 | ) | (36,939,934 | ) | (5,090,459 | ) | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (427,806,949 | ) | (441,151,591 | ) | (60,792,315 | ) | ||||||
Total shareholders' equity attributable to ACG | 79,710,448 | 66,458,797 | 9,158,267 | |||||||||
Non-redeemable non-controlling interests | (64,256 | ) | (64,284 | ) | (8,859 | ) | ||||||
Total shareholders' equity | 79,646,192 | 66,394,513 | 9,149,408 | |||||||||
Commitments and contingencies | - | - | - | |||||||||
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity | 456,927,265 | 457,343,460 | 63,023,613 |
ATA CREATIVITY GLOBAL AND SUBSIDIARIES UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
Three-month Period Ended | ||||||||||||
March 31, | March 31, | March 31, | ||||||||||
2024 | 2025 | 2025 | ||||||||||
RMB | RMB | USD | ||||||||||
Net revenues | 48,125,819 | 55,790,906 | 7,688,192 | |||||||||
Cost of revenues | 26,215,352 | 30,402,595 | 4,189,590 | |||||||||
Gross profit | 21,910,467 | 25,388,311 | 3,498,602 | |||||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||
Research and development | 1,030,262 | 748,002 | 103,077 | |||||||||
Sales and marketing | 22,561,908 | 21,256,231 | 2,929,187 | |||||||||
General and administrative | 20,006,938 | 23,974,143 | 3,303,725 | |||||||||
Provision for loan receivable and other receivables | - | (3,781,662 | ) | (521,127 | ) | |||||||
Total operating expenses | 43,599,108 | 42,196,714 | 5,814,862 | |||||||||
Other operating income, net | 23,088 | 18,805 | 2,591 | |||||||||
Loss from operations | (21,665,553 | ) | (16,789,598 | ) | (2,313,669 | ) | ||||||
Other income (expense): | ||||||||||||
Interest income, net of interest expenses | 333,145 | 61,546 | 8,481 | |||||||||
Foreign currency exchange losses, net | (564 | ) | (2,726 | ) | (376 | ) | ||||||
Loss before income taxes | (21,332,972 | ) | (16,730,778 | ) | (2,305,564 | ) | ||||||
Income tax benefit | (3,384,168 | ) | (3,386,108 | ) | (466,618 | ) | ||||||
Net loss | (17,948,804 | ) | (13,344,670 | ) | (1,838,946 | ) | ||||||
Net loss attributable to non-redeemable non-controlling interests | (28 | ) | (28 | ) | (4 | ) | ||||||
Net loss attributable to ACG | (17,948,776 | ) | (13,344,642 | ) | (1,838,942 | ) | ||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss): | ||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil income taxes | 12,811 | 12,249 | 1,688 | |||||||||
Comprehensive loss attributable to ACG | (17,935,965 | ) | (13,332,393 | ) | (1,837,254 | ) | ||||||
Basic and diluted losses per common share attributable to ACG | (0.29 | ) | (0.21 | ) | (0.03 | ) | ||||||
Basic and diluted losses per ADS attributable to ACG | (0.58 | ) | (0.42 | ) | (0.06 | ) |
RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP MEASURES
TO THE MOST COMPARABLE GAAP MEASURES
Three-month Period Ended | ||||||||
March 31, | March 31, | |||||||
2024 | 2025 | |||||||
RMB | RMB | |||||||
GAAP net loss attributable to ACG | (17,948,776 | ) | (13,344,642 | ) | ||||
Share-based compensation expenses | 1,072,616 | 81,532 | ||||||
Foreign currency exchange losses, net | 564 | 2,726 | ||||||
Non-GAAP adjusted net loss attributable to ACG | (16,875,596 | ) | (13,260,384 | ) | ||||
GAAP losses per common share attributable to ACG | ||||||||
Basic and diluted | (0.29 | ) | (0.21 | ) | ||||
Non-GAAP adjusted losses per common share attributable to ACG | ||||||||
Basic and diluted | (0.27 | ) | (0.21 | ) |
SOURCE: ATA Creativity Global
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire