51Talk Online Education Group Announces the Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024
Rhea-AI Summary
51Talk Online Education Group (NYSE: COE) reported strong financial results for Q4 and full year 2024. The company achieved significant growth with full-year net revenues of US$50.7 million, up 87.0% from 2023, and gross billings of US$69.6 million, a 74.4% increase year-over-year.
Active students with attended lesson consumption reached 95,000 in 2024, an 87.0% increase from 2023. The company's Q4 2024 performance showed notable improvement with net revenues of US$16.2 million, up 117.3% year-over-year, and reduced operating loss to US$0.9 million compared to US$4.3 million in Q4 2023.
The company maintained a strong cash position of US$29.2 million and delivered positive operating cash flow of US$5.8 million for the full year. Looking ahead, 51Talk expects Q1 2025 net gross billings between US$21.5-22.0 million, representing 71.2-75.2% year-over-year growth.
Positive
- Net revenues increased 87.0% YoY to US$50.7 million in 2024
- Active student base grew 87.0% to 95,000 in 2024
- Q4 2024 operating loss reduced to US$0.9M from US$4.3M in Q4 2023
- Positive operating cash flow of US$5.8M for full year 2024
- Cash position strengthened to US$29.2M from US$23.4M YoY
Negative
- Operating loss of US$8.0M for full year 2024
- Net loss of US$7.2M in 2024
- Operating expenses increased 38.1% to US$47.6M in 2024
- Sales and marketing expenses rose 41.3% to US$33.4M
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, COE declined 8.45%, reflecting a notable negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Full Year 2024 Financial and Operating Highlights
- Gross billings[1] for 2024 were
US , a$69.6 million 74.4% growth from 2023. - Net revenues were
US for 2024, an$50.7 million 87.0% increase fromUS for 2023.$27.1 million - The number of active students with attended lesson consumption was approximately 95,000 in 2024, representing an
87.0% increase from approximately 50,800 in 2023.
Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial and Operating Highlights
- Gross billings for the fourth quarter of 2024 were
US , a$21.4 million 93.4% growth from the fourth quarter of 2023. - Net revenues were
US for the fourth quarter of 2024, a$16.2 million 117.3% increase fromUS for the fourth quarter of 2023.$7.5 million - The number of active students with attended lesson consumption was approximately 74,200 in the fourth quarter of 2024, representing an
83.2% increase from approximately 40,500 for the fourth quarter of 2023.
Key Financial and Operating Data | For the three months ended | For the year ended | |||||
Jun. 30, | Sept. 30, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | ||||
2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | ||||
Net Revenues (in US$ millions) | 11.0 | 14.0 | 16.2 | 50.7 | |||
Gross Margin | 78.1 % | 78.7 % | 77.5 % | 78.0 % | |||
Gross Billings (in US$ millions) | 15.9 | 19.8 | 21.4 | 69.6 | |||
Active students with attended lesson consumption[2] | 54.4 | 65.7 | 74.2 | 95.0 | |||
[1] Gross billings for a given period, which is one of the Company's key operating data, is defined as the total amount of cash received and receivable from third party payment platforms for the sale of course packages and services in such period, net of the total amount of refunds in such period. The gross billings data included herein was from the Company's business system and converted with quarterly corresponding exchange rate, which may lead to differences with bank records. |
[2] An "active student with attended lesson consumption" for a given period refers to a student who attended at least one paid lesson, excluding those students who only attended paid live broadcasting lessons or trial lessons. |
"We concluded FY24 with gross billings growing by
"Throughout FY24, we made significant progress in building out our local teams and developing more localized marketing and product content. We are also expanding into new geographic markets to drive further growth."
"In 2024, we've already seen the benefits of integrating AI into our operations, reflected in the improvement of operational efficiency and a narrowing of operating losses. We believe 2025 will continue to be a pivotal year for AI adoption and further efficiency improvements. Specifically, AI will enable more personalized course plans and exercises tailored to students' proficiency levels, as well as enhanced progress tracking," concluded Jack Jiajia Huang.
Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Net Revenues and Gross Margin
Net revenues for the fourth quarter of 2024 were
Cost of revenues for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were
Sales and marketing expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were
Product development expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were
General and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were
Loss from Operations
Operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Non-GAAP operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Net Loss Attributable to the Company's Ordinary Shareholders
Net loss attributable to the Company's ordinary shareholders for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Excluding share-based compensation expenses of
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Excluding share-based compensation expenses of
Basic and diluted net loss per American depositary share ("ADS") attributable to ordinary shareholders for the fourth quarter of 2024 was
Excluding share-based compensation expenses of
Balance Sheet
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had total cash, cash equivalents, time deposits of
The Company had advances from students[3] of
[3] "Advances from students" is defined as the amount of obligation to transfer goods or service to students or business partners for which consideration has been received from students in advance. The deposits from students are also presented in the total amount of "advances from students."
Full Year 2024 Financial Results
Net Revenues and Gross margin
Net revenues for 2024 were
Cost of revenues for 2024 was
Gross profit for 2024 was
Gross margin for 2024 was
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses for 2024 were
Sales and marketing expenses for 2024 were
Product development expenses for 2024 were
General and administrative expenses for 2024 were
Loss from Operations
Operating loss for 2024 was
Excluding share-based compensation expenses of
Net Loss Attributable to the Company's Ordinary Shareholders
Net loss for 2024 was
Excluding share-based compensation expenses of
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for 2024 was
Excluding share-based compensation expenses of
Basic and diluted net loss per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders for 2024 was
Excluding share-based compensation expenses of
Outlook
For the first quarter of 2025, the Company currently expects net gross billings to be between
The above outlook is based on current market conditions and reflects the Company's current and preliminary estimates of market and operating conditions and customer demand, which are all subject to change.
Conference Call
The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM
Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:
1-888-346-8982 | |
International: | 1-412-902-4272 |
800-120-6157 | |
Mainland | 4001-201203 |
800-905945 | |
852-301-84992 |
Participants should dial-in at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "51Talk Online Education Group."
Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.51talk.com.
A replay of the conference call will be accessible until March 28, 2025, by dialing the following telephone numbers:
1-877-344-7529 | |
International: | 1-412-317-0088 |
Replay Access Code: | 2569063 |
About 51Talk Online Education Group
51Talk Online Education Group (NYSE American: COE) is a global online education platform with core expertise in English education. The Company's mission is to make quality education accessible and affordable. The Company's online and mobile education platforms enable students to take live interactive English lessons, on demand. The Company connects its students with a large pool of highly qualified teachers that it assembled using a shared economy approach, and employs student and teacher feedback and data analytics to deliver a personalized learning experience to its students.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In evaluating its business, 51Talk considers and uses the following measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the SEC as supplemental metrics to review and assess its operating performance: non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses, non-GAAP product development expenses, non-GAAP general and administrative expenses, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating income/(loss), non-GAAP net income/(loss), non-GAAP net income/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders, and non-GAAP net income/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders per share and per ADS. To present each of these non-GAAP measures, the Company excludes share-based compensation expenses. 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. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP measures" set forth at the end of this press release.
51Talk believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance by excluding share-based compensation expenses that may not be indicative of its operating performance from a cash perspective. 51Talk 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 51Talk's historical performance. 51Talk computes its non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter and from period to period. 51Talk 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 measures is that these non-GAAP measures exclude share-based compensation expenses that have been and will continue to be for the foreseeable future a significant recurring expense in the 51Talk's business. Management compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying table at the end of this press release provides more details on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the
51TALK ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP | ||||||||
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | ||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||
As of | ||||||||
Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | |||||||
2023 | 2024 | |||||||
US$ | US$ | |||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Current assets | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 21,298 | 27,758 | ||||||
Time deposits | 2,091 | 1,430 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 6,394 | 10,906 | ||||||
Total current assets | 29,783 | 40,094 | ||||||
Non-current assets | ||||||||
Property and equipment, net | 138 | 363 | ||||||
Intangible assets, net | 92 | 80 | ||||||
Right-of-use assets | 723 | 2,888 | ||||||
Deferred tax assets | 72 | 57 | ||||||
Other non-current assets | 348 | 460 | ||||||
Total non-current assets | 1,373 | 3,848 | ||||||
Total assets | 31,156 | 43,942 | ||||||
LIABILITIES | ||||||||
AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICITS | ||||||||
Current liabilities | ||||||||
Advances from students | 27,214 | 45,064 | ||||||
Accrued expenses and other current | 6,189 | 6,644 | ||||||
Amounts due to related parties | 4,077 | 2,853 | ||||||
Lease liabilities | 590 | 1,242 | ||||||
Taxes payable | 1,060 | 1,100 | ||||||
Total current liabilities | 39,130 | 56,903 | ||||||
Non-current liabilities | ||||||||
Lease liabilities | 41 | 1,441 | ||||||
Other non-current liabilities | 176 | 310 | ||||||
Total non-current liabilities | 217 | 1,751 | ||||||
Total liabilities | 39,347 | 58,654 | ||||||
Total shareholders' deficits | (8,340) | (15,000) | ||||||
Noncontrolling interests | 149 | 288 | ||||||
Total deficits | (8,191) | (14,712) | ||||||
Total liabilities and shareholders' deficits | 31,156 | 43,942 | ||||||
51TALK ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP | ||||||||||
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS | ||||||||||
(In thousands except for number of shares and per share data) | ||||||||||
For the three months ended | For the year ended | |||||||||
Dec. 31, | Sep. 30, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | ||||||
2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||
US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | ||||||
Net revenues | 7,471 | 14,047 | 16,236 | 27,111 | 50,692 | |||||
Cost of revenues | (1,868) | (2,985) | (3,651) | (6,322) | (11,164) | |||||
Gross profit | 5,603 | 11,062 | 12,585 | 20,789 | 39,528 | |||||
Operating expenses | ||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses | (7,182) | (8,171) | (10,121) | (23,637) | (33,388) | |||||
Product development expenses | (864) | (839) | (933) | (3,088) | (3,571) | |||||
General and administrative | (1,867) | (2,838) | (2,389) | (7,727) | (10,615) | |||||
Total operating expenses | (9,913) | (11,848) | (13,443) | (34,452) | (47,574) | |||||
Loss from operations | (4,310) | (786) | (858) | (13,663) | (8,046) | |||||
Interest income | 67 | 57 | 27 | 165 | 229 | |||||
Other expenses/(income), net | (1,253) | 145 | (421) | (1,416) | 771 | |||||
Loss before income tax expenses | (5,496) | (584) | (1,252) | (14,914) | (7,046) | |||||
Income tax expenses | (171) | (51) | (162) | (118) | (276) | |||||
Net loss | (5,667) | (635) | (1,414) | (15,032) | (7,322) | |||||
Net loss attributable to | - | (17) | (36) | - | (87) | |||||
Net loss attributable to the | (5,667) | (618) | (1,378) | (15,032) | (7,235) | |||||
Weighted average number of | 342,841,445 | 347,705,165 | 348,918,600 | 341,070,214 | 347,119,359 | |||||
51TALK ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP | |||||||||||
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS | |||||||||||
(In thousands except for number of shares and per share data) | |||||||||||
For the three months ended | For the year ended | ||||||||||
Dec. 31, | Sep. 30, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | |||||||
2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||
US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | |||||||
Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders | |||||||||||
Basic and diluted | (0.02) | (0.00) | (0.00) | (0.04) | (0.02) | ||||||
Net loss per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders | |||||||||||
Basic and diluted | (0.99) | (0.11) | (0.24) | (2.64) | (1.25) | ||||||
Share-based compensation expenses are included in the operating expenses as follows: | |||||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses | (31) | (27) | (30) | (149) | (117) | ||||||
Product development expenses | (45) | (29) | (32) | (179) | (118) | ||||||
General and administrative expenses | (170) | (149) | (145) | (582) | (699) | ||||||
51TALK ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP | ||||||||||||
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to the Most Comparable GAAP Measures | ||||||||||||
(In thousands except for number of shares and per share data) | ||||||||||||
For the three months ended | For the year ended | |||||||||||
Dec. 31, | Sep. 30, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | ||||||||
2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||||
US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | ||||||||
Sales and marketing expenses | (7,182) | (8,171) | (10,121) | (23,637) | (33,388) | |||||||
Less: Share-based compensation expenses | (31) | (27) | (30) | (149) | (117) | |||||||
Non-GAAP sales and marketing expenses | (7,151) | (8,144) | (10,091) | (23,488) | (33,271) | |||||||
Product development expenses | (864) | (839) | (933) | (3,088) | (3,571) | |||||||
Less: Share-based compensation expenses | (45) | (29) | (32) | (179) | (118) | |||||||
Non-GAAP product development expenses | (819) | (810) | (901) | (2,909) | (3,453) | |||||||
General and administrative expenses | (1,867) | (2,838) | (2,389) | (7,727) | (10,615) | |||||||
Less: Share-based compensation expenses | (170) | (149) | (145) | (582) | (699) | |||||||
Non-GAAP general and administrative | (1,697) | (2,689) | (2,244) | (7,145) | (9,916) | |||||||
Operating expenses | (9,913) | (11,848) | (13,443) | (34,452) | (47,574) | |||||||
Less: Share-based compensation expenses | (246) | (205) | (207) | (910) | (934) | |||||||
Non-GAAP operating expenses | (9,667) | (11,643) | (13,236) | (33,542) | (46,640) | |||||||
Loss from operations | (4,310) | (786) | (858) | (13,663) | (8,046) | |||||||
Less: Share-based compensation expenses | (246) | (205) | (207) | (910) | (934) | |||||||
Non-GAAP loss from operations | (4,064) | (581) | (651) | (12,753) | (7,112) | |||||||
51TALK ONLINE EDUCATION GROUP | |||||||||||||
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to the Most Comparable GAAP Measures | |||||||||||||
(In thousands except for number of shares and per share data) | |||||||||||||
For the three months ended | For the year ended | ||||||||||||
Dec. 31, | Sep. 30, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | Dec. 31, | |||||||||
2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||||
US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | US$ | |||||||||
Income tax expenses | (171) | (51) | (162) | (118) | (276) | ||||||||
Less: Tax impact of Share-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
Non-GAAP income tax expenses | (171) | (51) | (162) | (118) | (276) | ||||||||
Net loss, all attributable to the Company's ordinary | (5,667) | (618) | (1,378) | (15,032) | (7,235) | ||||||||
Less: Share-based compensation expenses | (246) | (205) | (207) | (910) | (934) | ||||||||
Non-GAAP net loss, all attributable to the | (5,421) | (413) | (1,171) | (14,122) | (6,301) | ||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in | 342,841,445 | 347,705,165 | 348,918,600 | 341,070,214 | 347,119,359 | ||||||||
Non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders | |||||||||||||
Basic and Diluted | (0.02) | (0.00) | (0.00) | (0.04) | (0.02) | ||||||||
Non-GAAP net loss per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders | |||||||||||||
Basic and Diluted | (0.95) | (0.07) | (0.20) | (2.48) | (1.09) | ||||||||
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SOURCE 51Talk Online Education Group