UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM 6-K

 

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of June 2024

 

Commission File Number: 001-40253

 

 

 

Zhihu Inc.

(Registrant’s Name)

 

 

 

18 Xueqing Road

Haidian District, Beijing 100083

People’s Republic of China

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F x      Form 40-F ¨

 

 

 

 

 

  

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

99.1   Press Release—Zhihu Inc. Reports Unaudited First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

  

  Zhihu Inc.
   
  By  :

/s/ Han Wang

  Name : Han Wang
  Title : Chief Financial Officer

  

Date: June 12, 2024

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Zhihu Inc. Reports Unaudited First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

 

BEIJING, China, June 12, 2024 — Zhihu Inc. (“Zhihu” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390), a leading online content community in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.

 

First Quarter 2024 Highlights

 

Total revenues were RMB960.9 million (US$133.1 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB994.2 million in the same period of 2023.

 

Gross margin expanded to 56.6% in the first quarter of 2024 from 51.5% in the same period of 2023.

 

Net loss was RMB165.8 million (US$23.0 million) in the first quarter of 2024, narrowed by 7.4% from the same period of 2023.

 

Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP)[1] was RMB135.7 million (US$18.8 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB120.2 million in the same period of 2023.

 

Average monthly active users (MAUs)[2] were 89.0 million in the first quarter of 2024.

 

Average monthly subscribing members[3] were 14.8 million in the first quarter of 2024.

 

“We are delighted to start 2024 with a solid financial and operating performance,” said Mr. Yuan Zhou, chairman and chief executive officer of Zhihu. “We made substantial strides toward our break-even target by enhancing operating efficiency and accelerating loss reduction. Furthermore, our efforts to enhance ‘trustworthiness’ within the Zhihu community continued to drive community prosperity, resulting in significant increases in core users’ engagement and retention rates, as well as our DAU time spent. We believe that our AI search feature’s emerging potential and the value we continue to unlock across the trustworthy Zhihu community will provide fresh momentum for our sustainable growth and a clear path to profitability for the remaining quarters of the year.”

 

Mr. Han Wang, chief financial officer of Zhihu, added, “We optimized our cost structure and enhanced monetization efficiency during the quarter. Our gross profit margin has improved year-over-year for six consecutive quarters. In terms of operating expenses, we significantly reduced community-related new user acquisition costs and maintained a high ROI across our multiple business lines, while investing prudently in AI. We are confident that with continued strong strategic execution, we will remain on track to achieve our profitability goals.”

 

First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

 

Total revenues were RMB960.9 million (US$133.1 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB994.2 million in the same period of 2023.

 

1

 

 

Marketing services revenue was RMB330.5 million (US$45.8 million), compared with RMB392.1 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to our ongoing refinement of service offerings to strategically focus on margin improvement.

 

Paid membership revenue was RMB449.7 million (US$62.3 million), compared with RMB454.8 million in the same period of 2023. The slight decrease was primarily attributable to a slight decline in our average monthly subscribing members.

 

Vocational training revenue was RMB145.4 million (US$20.1 million), representing a 35.9% increase from RMB107.0 million in the first quarter of 2023. The increase was primarily due to our further enriched online course offerings.

 

Other revenues were RMB35.2 million (US$4.9 million), compared with RMB40.3 million in the same period of 2023.

 

Cost of revenues decreased by 13.4% to RMB417.4 million (US$57.8 million) from RMB482.0 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in content and operating costs in connection with the decline in our revenues.

 

Gross profit was RMB543.5 million (US$75.3 million), representing a 6.1% increase from RMB512.2 million in the same period of 2023. Gross margin expanded to 56.6% from 51.5% in the same period of 2023, primarily attributable to our monetization enhancements.

 

Total operating expenses were RMB768.2 million (US$106.4 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB729.0 million in the same period of 2023.

 

Selling and marketing expenses increased to RMB478.0 million (US$66.2 million) from RMB445.6 million in the same period of 2023. The increase reflects our continued efforts in promoting our product and service offerings.

 

Research and development expenses increased to RMB197.4 million (US$27.3 million) from RMB183.0 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to our increased spending on technology innovation.

 

General and administrative expenses decreased to RMB92.9 million (US$12.9 million) from RMB100.4 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to lower share-based compensation expenses.

 

Loss from operations was RMB224.7 million (US$31.1 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB216.7 million in the same period of 2023.

 

Adjusted loss from operations (non-GAAP)[1] was RMB193.6 million (US$26.8 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB157.3 million in the same period of 2023.

 

Net loss was RMB165.8 million (US$23.0 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB179.0 million in the same period of 2023.

 

2

 

 

Adjusted net loss (non-GAAP)[1] was RMB135.7 million (US$18.8 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB120.2 million in the same period of 2023.

 

Diluted net loss per American depositary share (“ADS”)[4] was RMB1.76 (US$0.24), compared with RMB1.78 in the same period of 2023.

 

Cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments

 

As of March 31, 2024, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments of RMB5,216.9 million (US$722.5 million), compared with RMB5,462.9 million as of December 31, 2023.

 

Share Repurchase Programs

 

As of March 31, 2024, the Company had repurchased 31.1 million Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs) for a total price of US$66.5 million on both the New York Stock Exchange and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the Company’s existing US$100 million share repurchase program (the “2022 Repurchase Program”) established in May 2022, extended in May 2023, and effective until June 10, 2024. The repurchases made under the 2022 Repurchase Program were covered by the general unconditional mandate to purchase the Company’s own shares approved by shareholders at the Company’s annual general meetings held on June 10, 2022 and June 30, 2023, respectively.

 

The board of directors of the Company has approved an extension of the 2022 Repurchase Program until June 26, 2025, which is subject to shareholder approval for granting a general mandate to the board of directors to repurchase shares and/or ADSs of the Company not exceeding 10% of the total number of issued shares of the Company (excluding any treasury shares) as of the date of such approval (the “2024 Repurchase Mandate”) at the forthcoming annual general meeting of the Company to be held on June 26, 2024 (the “2024 Shareholder Approval”).

 

The board of directors of the Company further announces that, in addition to the extended 2022 Repurchase Program, it proposes to conduct a concurrent share repurchase program effective until June 26, 2025 (the “2024 Repurchase Program”). The maximum number of shares (including shares underlying the ADSs) that can be repurchased under the 2024 Repurchase Program, together with the remaining number of shares (including shares underlying the ADSs) that can be repurchased under the 2022 Repurchase Program, will not exceed the 2024 Repurchase Mandate, subject to the 2024 Shareholder Approval. The Company’s proposed repurchases, if approved, may be made from time to time in the open market at prevailing market prices or through other legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The Company plans to fund any such repurchases from its existing cash balance.

 

[1] Adjusted loss from operations and adjusted net loss are non-GAAP financial measures. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and the table captioned “Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this press release.

 

3

 

 

[2] MAUs refers to the sum of the number of mobile devices that launch our mobile apps at least once in a given month, or mobile MAUs, and the number of logged-in users who visit our PC or mobile website at least once in a given month, after eliminating duplicates.

 

[3] Monthly subscribing members refers to the number of our Yan Selection members in a specified month. Average monthly subscribing members for a period is calculated by dividing the sum of monthly subscribing members for each month during the specified period by the number of months in such period.

 

[4] On May 10, 2024, we effected a change in the ratio of our ADSs to Class A ordinary shares from two ADSs representing one Class A ordinary share to a new ratio of one ADS representing three Class A ordinary shares. Basic and diluted net loss per ADS have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect this ADS ratio change for all periods presented.

 

Conference Call

 

The Company’s management will host an earnings conference call at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on June 12, 2024 (7:00 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time on June 12, 2024).

 

All participants wishing to join the conference call must pre-register online using the link provided below. Once the pre-registration has been completed, each participant will receive a set of dial-in numbers, a passcode, and a unique registrant ID which can be used to join the conference call. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

 

Participant Online Registration: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10189533/fc960a34f7

 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.zhihu.com.

 

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call, until June 19, 2024, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

 

United States (toll free): +1-877-344-7529
International: +1-412-317-0088
Replay Access Code: 6946527

 

About Zhihu Inc.

 

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390) is a leading online content community in China where people come to find solutions, make decisions, seek inspiration, and have fun. Since the initial launch in 2010, we have grown from a Q&A community into one of the top comprehensive online content communities and the largest Q&A-inspired online content community in China. For more information, please visit https://ir.zhihu.com.

 

4

 

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted loss from operations and adjusted net loss, to supplement the review and assessment of its operating performance. The Company defines non-GAAP financial measures by excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and the tax effects of the non-GAAP adjustments, which are non-cash expenses. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures facilitate comparisons of operating performance from period to period and company to company by adjusting for potential impacts of items, which the Company’s management considers to be indicative of its operating performance. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating the Company’s consolidated results of operations in the same manner as it helps the Company’s management.

 

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. The use of the non-GAAP financial measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and investors should not consider it in isolation from, or as a substitute for analysis of, our results of operations or financial condition as reported under U.S. GAAP. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the tables captioned “Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this press release.

 

Exchange Rate Information

 

This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars were made at a rate of RMB7.2203 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of March 29, 2024 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to,” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

 

5

 

 

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

 

In China:

 

Zhihu Inc.

Email: ir@zhihu.com

 

Piacente Financial Communications

Helen Wu

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com

 

In the United States:

 

Piacente Financial Communications

Brandi Piacente

Phone: +1-212-481-2050

Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com

 

6

 

 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)

 

   For the Three Months Ended 
  

March 31,

2023

  

December 31,

2023

  

March 31,

2024

 
   RMB   RMB   RMB   US$ 
Revenues:                
Marketing services   392,137    465,153    330,542    45,780 
Paid membership   454,769    455,906    449,724    62,286 
Vocational training   106,998    169,272    145,436    20,143 
Others   40,316    47,966    35,161    4,870 
Total revenues   994,220    1,138,297    960,863    133,079 
Cost of revenues   (482,001)   (465,197)   (417,384)   (57,807)
Gross profit   512,219    673,100    543,479    75,272 
                     
Selling and marketing expenses   (445,565)   (527,604)   (477,954)   (66,196)
Research and development expenses   (182,960)   (232,585)   (197,356)   (27,333)
General and administrative expenses   (100,438)   (91,069)   (92,917)   (12,869)
Total operating expenses   (728,963)   (851,258)   (768,227)   (106,398)
                     
Loss from operations   (216,744)   (178,158)   (224,748)   (31,126)
                     
Other income/(expenses):                    
Investment income   6,006    12,279    16,902    2,341 
Interest income   39,493    38,828    30,763    4,261 
Fair value change of financial instruments   (3,582)   14,780    9,408    1,303 
Exchange (losses)/gains   (5,649)   (937)   120    17 
Others, net   6,333    15,032    3,043    421 
                     
Loss before income tax   (174,143)   (98,176)   (164,512)   (22,783)
Income tax expense   (4,829)   (4,929)   (1,284)   (178)
Net loss   (178,972)   (103,105)   (165,796)   (22,961)
Net (income)/loss attributable to noncontrolling interests   (2,383)   (666)   950    132 
Net loss attributable to Zhihu Inc.’s shareholders   (181,355)   (103,771)   (164,846)   (22,829)
                     
Net loss per share                    
Basic   (0.59)   (0.36)   (0.59)   (0.08)
Diluted   (0.59)   (0.36)   (0.59)   (0.08)
                     
Net loss per ADS (One ADS represents three Class A ordinary shares)                    
Basic   (1.78)   (1.07)   (1.76)   (0.24)
Diluted   (1.78)   (1.07)   (1.76)   (0.24)
                     
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding                    
Basic   305,245,036    291,056,615    281,549,707    281,549,707 
Diluted   305,245,036    291,056,615    281,549,707    281,549,707 

 

7

 

 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)

 

   For the Three Months Ended 
  

March 31,

2023

  

December 31,

2023

  

March 31,

2024

 
   RMB   RMB   RMB   US$ 
Share-based compensation expenses included in:                    
Cost of revenues   4,400    1,575    2,497    346 
Selling and marketing expenses   8,758    (7,001)   3,272    453 
Research and development expenses   21,205    (57)   3,680    510 
General and administrative expenses   21,555    12,983    16,363    2,266 

 

8

 

 

ZHIHU INC. 

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(All amounts in thousands)

 

  

As of December 31,

2023

  

As of March 31,

2024

 
   RMB   RMB   US$ 
ASSETS            
Current assets:               
Cash and cash equivalents   2,106,639    2,194,419    303,923 
Term deposits   1,586,469    1,553,663    215,180 
Short-term investments   1,769,822    1,468,801    203,427 
Trade receivables   664,615    638,226    88,393 
Amounts due from related parties   18,319    31,277    4,332 
Prepayments and other current assets   232,016    239,814    33,214 
Total current assets   6,377,880    6,126,200    848,469 
Non-current assets:               
Property and equipment, net   10,849    10,794    1,495 
Intangible assets, net   122,645    117,113    16,220 
Goodwill   191,077    191,077    26,464 
Long-term investments   44,621    51,176    7,088 
Right-of-use assets    40,211    31,141    4,313 
Other non-current assets    7,989    7,875    1,090 
Total non-current assets   417,392    409,176    56,670 
Total assets   6,795,272    6,535,376    905,139 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY               
Current liabilities               
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities   1,038,531    1,023,973    141,819 
Salary and welfare payables   342,125    332,077    45,992 
Taxes payables    21,394    16,328    2,261 
Contract liabilities   303,574    310,307    42,977 
Amounts due to related parties   26,032    9,491    1,314 
Short term lease liabilities    42,089    33,729    4,672 
Other current liabilities   171,743    165,873    22,973 
Total current liabilities   1,945,488    1,891,778    262,008 
Non-current liabilities               
Long term lease liabilities   3,642    2,861    396 
Deferred tax liabilities   22,574    21,505    2,979 
 Other non-current liabilities   121,958    111,664    15,465 
Total non-current liabilities   148,174    136,030    18,840 
Total liabilities   2,093,662    2,027,808    280,848 
                
Total Zhihu Inc.’s shareholders’ equity   4,599,810    4,393,324    608,468 
Noncontrolling interests   101,800    114,244    15,823 
Total shareholders’ equity   4,701,610    4,507,568    624,291 
                
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   6,795,272    6,535,376    905,139 

 

9

 

 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS

(All amounts in thousands)

 

   For the Three Months Ended 
  

March 31,

2023

  

December 31,

2023

  

March 31,

2024

 
   RMB   RMB   RMB   US$ 
Loss from operations   (216,744)   (178,158)   (224,748)   (31,126)
Add:                    
Share-based compensation expenses   55,918    7,500    25,812    3,575 
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions   3,490    5,365    5,365    743 
Adjusted loss from operations   (157,336)   (165,293)   (193,571)   (26,808)
                     
Net loss   (178,972)   (103,105)   (165,796)   (22,961)
Add:                    
Share-based compensation expenses   55,918    7,500    25,812    3,575 
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions   3,490    5,365    5,365    743 
Tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments   (600)   (1,069)   (1,069)   (148)
Adjusted net loss   (120,164)   (91,309)   (135,688)   (18,791)

 

10

 

 


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