Kingold Jewelry Reports Financial Results For The First Quarter 2018

Company to Hold Conference Call with Accompanying Slide Presentation at 8:30 a.m. ET on May 11, 2018

WUHAN CITY, China, May 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kingold Jewelry, Inc. ("Kingold" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: KGJI), one of China's leading manufacturers and designers of high quality 24-karat gold jewelry, ornaments and investment-oriented products, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018.

2018 First Quarter Financial Highlights (all results compared to prior year period)

• Net sales were $539.5 million, an increase of 85% from $292.3 million.
• Processed a total of 23.3 metric tons of 24-karat gold products, increased by 45.6% from 16 metric tons.
• Net income was $13.2 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, increased by 162% from a net loss $21.3 million, or $(0.32) per diluted share.

Outlook for 2018

• The Company reiterates its guidance of processing between 100 metric tons and 110 metric tons of 24-karat gold products in 2018.

Management Commentary

Mr. Zhihong Jia, Chairman and CEO of the Company, commented, "We were pleased to deliver strong operating results during the first quarter of 2018, which was a result of Kingold's continuous devotion in production expansion and achieved good performance from our gold investment after few quarters of our management's efforts. Our production capacity expanded based on the support of a significant amount of gold from our prior investment at favorable terms. We will continue to enhance shareholder value through consistent expansion in production, tight risk controls of our investment gold and continued efforts in improving inventory management." 

2018 FIRST QUARTER OPERATIONAL REVIEW

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company processed a total of 23.3 metric tons of gold, of which branded production was 13 metric tons, representing 55.8% of total gold processed, and customized production was 10.3 metric tons, representing 44.2% of total gold processed in the first quarter of 2018. In the first quarter of 2017, the Company processed a total of 16 metric tons, of which branded production was 8.1 metric tons, or 50.3% of the total gold processed, and customized production was 7.9 metric tons, or 49.7% of total gold processed.

2018 FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL REVIEW

Net Sales
Net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $539.5 million, representing an increase of $247.3 million, or 85%, from $292.2 million for the same period in 2017.

The increase in net sales was primarily driven by the higher sales volume for branded production sales and customized production sales. In addition, the average selling price for branded production increased from RMB 245.70 per gram for the three months ended March 31, 2017 to RMB 258.32 per gram for three months ended March 31, 2018.

Gross Profit
Gross profit for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $64.2 million, compared to $17.1 million for the same period in 2017.

Gross Margin
The Company's gross margin was 12% for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to 6% in the prior year period.

The primary reason for the increase in gross margin was due to the increased average selling price of branded production and the decreasing unit cost of branded production sales. The average selling price of our branded production was RMB 258.32 per gram for the three months ended March 31, 2018, increased by RMB 12.62, or 5%, from RMB 245.70 per gram for the same period in 2017. While the unit cost of branded production sales was RMB 232.12 per gram for the three months ended March 31, 2018, decreased by RMB 2.8, or 1%, from RMB 234.92 per gram for the same period in 2017. The decrease of unit cost of branded production was mainly due to the fact the investment in gold released to the inventory for production during the three months ended March 31, 2018 was purchased at low price in the past periods.

Net Income (Loss)
Net income for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $13.2 million, or $0.20 per diluted share based on 66.5 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding, increased by $34.5 million, or 162%, from a net loss of $21.3 million in the prior year period, or $(0.32) per diluted share based on 66.0 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding in the prior-year period.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Net cash provided by operating activities was $211.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared with net cash used in operating activities of $54.7 million for the same period in 2017. The increase of net cash provided by operating activities was mainly due to the decrease in inventory purchases of 155.3 million because $319.9 million of gold for investment was released to inventory during the three months ended March 31, 2018, a decrease in value added tax receivable of $37 million and an increase in income taxable of $2.0 million.

Kingold's net cash from operating activities can fluctuate significantly due to changes in inventories (principally gold). Other factors that may vary significantly include our accounts payable, purchases of gold and income taxes. The Company expect the net cash it generates from operating activities to continue to fluctuate as the Company's inventories, receivables, accounts payables and the other factors described above change with increased production and the purchase of larger or smaller quantities of raw materials (principally gold). These fluctuations could cause net cash from operating activities to decrease, even if the net income grows as the Company continue to expand. Although the Company expects that net cash from operating activities will increase over the long term, it cannot predict how these fluctuations will affect Kingold's cash flow in any particular accounting period.

OUTLOOK FOR 2018
Based on its existing resources and capacity along with strong demand for 24-karat gold products in China, the Company reiterates its expectation that gold processed will be between 100 metric tons and 110 metric tons during 2018.

Conference Call Details
Kingold also announced that it will discuss these financial results in a conference call on May 11, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The dial-in numbers are:

Live Participant Dial In (Toll Free): +1-877-407-9038
Live Participant Dial In (International): +1-201-493-6742

The conference call will also be webcast live. To listen to the call, please go to the Investor Relations section of Kingold's website at www.kingoldjewelry.com, or click on the following link: http://kingoldjewelry.equisolvewebcast.com/q1-2018. The Company will also have an accompanying slide presentation available in PDF format on its homepage prior to the conference call.

About Kingold Jewelry, Inc.

Kingold Jewelry, Inc. (NASDAQ: KGJI), centrally located in Wuhan City, one of China's largest cities, was founded in 2002 and today is one of China's leading designers and manufacturers of high quality 24-karat gold jewelry, ornaments, and investment-oriented products. The Company sells its products both directly to retailers and through major distributors across China. Kingold has received numerous industry awards and has been a member of the Shanghai Gold Exchange since 2003. For more information, please visit www.kingoldjewelry.com.

Business Risks and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. You can identify these forward -looking statements by words such as "expects," "believe," "project," "anticipate," or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding Kingold's outlook with respect to its 2018 outlook for gold processing and investment. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, including those contained in Kingold's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including Kingold's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Kingold undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

COMPANY CONTACT
Kingold Jewelry, Inc. Bin Liu, CFO
Phone: +1-847-660-3498 (US) / +86-27-6569-4977 (China)
[email protected]

INVESTOR RELATIONS
The Equity Group Inc.
Katherine Yao, Senior Associate
Phone: +86-10-6587-6435
[email protected]

SOURCE Kingold Jewelry, Inc.