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 August 2021

 

 

 

Commission File Number: 001-36396

 

 

 

LEJU HOLDINGS LIMITED

 

Level G, Building G, No.8 Dongfeng South Road,

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100016

The 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 of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F      x           Form 40-F       ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):¨

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):¨

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

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.

 

  Leju Holdings Limited
   
  By : /s/ Li-Lan Cheng
  Name : Li-Lan Cheng
  Title : Acting Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: August 31, 2021

 

[Signature Page to 6-K]

 

 

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit 99.1 – Press Release

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Leju Reports First Half Year 2021 Results

 

BEIJING, Aug. 31, 2021/PRNewswire/ – Leju Holdings Limited (“Leju” or the “Company”) (NYSE: LEJU), a leading online-to-offline (“O2O”) real estate services provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

 

First Half 2021 Financial Highlights

 

·Total revenues increased by 8% year on year to $301.1 million.
·Revenues from e-commerce services increased by 13% year on year to $231.4 million.
·Revenues from online advertising services decreased by 6% year on year to $69.3 million.

 

·Loss from operations was $49.9 million, compared to income from operations of $1.2 million for the same period of 2020, primarily due to bad debt provision which was increased by $48.9 million compared to the same period of 2020

 

·Non-GAAP1 loss from operations was $43.4 million, compared to non-GAAP income from operations of $8.3 million for the same period of 2020.

 

·Net loss attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders was $47.8 million, or $0.35 loss per diluted American depositary share (“ADS”), compared to net income attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders of $1.5 million, or $0.01 per diluted ADS, for the same period of 2020.

 

·Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders was $42.6 million, or $0.31 loss per diluted ADS, compared to non-GAAP net income attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders of $7.2 million, or $0.05 per diluted ADS, for the same period of 2020.

 

“In the first half of 2021, amid tightening regulations in China’s real estate industry, the pressure on real estate developers’ operations and sales continued to increase,” said Mr. Geoffrey He, Leju's Chief Executive Officer. “Against this challenging backdrop, Leju’s overall business was able to maintain steady growth. However, due to the deterioration of the credit status of one of our real estate developer clients, our bad debt provision for the first half of this year increased by US$48.9 million compared to the same period of 2020, resulting in a loss for the first half of this year.”

 

“With the support of the strategic cooperation between our controlling shareholder E-House (China) Enterprise Holdings Limited and Alibaba Group Holding Limited, we held a series of online promotional events including ‘The 2nd Online Real Estate Fair’ and ‘June 18 Top Pick House Festival’ on the Leju Housing platform and Leju Flagship Store on Tmall Haofang. The success of these events and the launch of our Leju Flagship Store on Tmall Haofang have greatly improved the operational capabilities of Leju’s advertising and e-commerce businesses.”

 

 

1    Leju uses in this press release the following non-GAAP financial measures: (1) income (loss) from operations, (2) net income (loss), (3) net income (loss) attributable to Leju shareholders, (4) net income (loss) attributable to Leju shareholders per basic ADS, and (5) net income (loss) attributable to Leju shareholders per diluted ADS, each of which excludes share-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, and income tax impact on the share-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets resulting from business combinations. See "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" below for more information about the non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release.

 

Page 1

 

 

“In the second half of the year, Leju will firmly seize the opportunities created by the digitalization of real estate marketing and deepen cooperation with developers as we strive to expand our advertising business and develop new e-commerce business models. At the same time, we will continue to focus on platform construction and content creation and make efforts to improve user growth, optimize user experience and stickiness and further consolidate Leju’s influence among industry media. We will also continue to strengthen our team, further optimize our organizational structure and improve  operational efficiency in order to lay a solid foundation for Leju’s future development.”

 

First Half 2021 Results

 

Total revenues were $301.1 million, an increase of 8% from $279.7 million for the same period of 2020.

 

Revenues from e-commerce services were $231.4 million, an increase of 13% from $205.4 million for the same period of 2020, primarily due to an increase in the number of discount coupons redeemed, partially offset by a decrease in the average price per discount coupon redeemed.

 

Revenues from online advertising services were $69.3 million, a decrease of 6% from $73.9 million for the same period of 2020, primarily due to a decrease in property developers’ demand for online advertising.

 

Revenues from listing services were $0.4 million, an increase of 18% from $0.3 million for the same period of 2020, primarily due to an increase in secondary real estate brokers’ demand.

 

Cost of revenues was $31.7 million, a decrease of 23% from $41.1 million for the same period of 2020, primarily due to decreased cost of advertising resources purchased from media platforms, partially offset by increased editorial personnel related costs.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $319.5 million, an increase of 34% from $237.7 million for the same period of 2020, primarily due to bad debt provision which increased by $48.9 million compared to the same period of 2020, and increased marketing expenses related to the Company's e-commerce business. The bad debt provision recorded in the first half of 2021 was mainly attributable to the recognition of additional loss allowance on expected credit loss of the Company’s outstanding online advertising related receivables from a certain customer, whose credit quality has worsened.

 

Loss from operations was $49.9 million, compared to income from operations of $1.2 million for the same period of 2020. Non-GAAP loss from operations was $43.4 million, compared to non-GAAP income from operations of $8.3 million for the same period of 2020.

 

Net loss was $46.9 million, compared to net income of $1.9 million for the same period of 2020. Non-GAAP net loss was $41.7 million, compared to non-GAAP net income of $7.6 million for the same period of 2020.

 

Net loss attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders was $47.8 million, or $0.35 loss per diluted ADS, compared to net income attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders of $1.5 million, or $0.01 per diluted ADS, for the same period of 2020. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders was $42.6 million, or $0.31 loss per diluted ADS, compared to non-GAAP net income attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders of $7.2 million, or $0.05 per diluted ADS, for the same period of 2020.

 

Cash Flow

 

As of June 30, 2021, the Company's cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash balance was $328.0 million.

 

Page 2

 

 

First half 2021 net cash provided by operating activities was $38.8 million, primarily comprised of provision for allowance for doubtful accounts of $51.7 million, and a decrease in accounts receivable of $46.5 million, partially offset by non-GAAP net loss of $41.7 million, and an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $15.2 million.

 

Business Outlook

 

Given the current macroeconomic situation and Leju’s prudent operating model, the Company estimates that its total revenues for the second half of 2021 will be approximately $300 million to $310 million, which relatively flat compared to the first half of 2021. This forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary view, which is subject to change.

 

Board of Directors Changes

 

The Company also announced that Ms. Juhong Chen has resigned as a director of the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board"). The Board has appointed Mr. Minyi Zhang as the new director to replace Ms. Chen, effective August 31, 2021.

 

Mr. Minyi Zhang currently serves as General Manager of Vertical Sales & Operation Department of Tencent Marketing Solution, Mr. Zhang is in charge of the department’s overall business strategy and development, and leads various teams including vertical sales, operations and marketing insights service teams. He joined Tencent in 2009. Mr. Zhang received his bachelor’s degree in automation from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and his MBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS).

 

"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Juhong Chen for her dedication and contributions during her tenure on the Board," said Mr. Xin Zhou, Leju's Executive Chairman. "We also look forward to working with Mr. Minyi Zhang. We believe he is a great addition to our Board, and we are confident that Leju will benefit from his experience and contributions."

 

Conference Call Information

 

Leju's management will host an earnings conference call on August 31, 2021 at 7 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (7 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time).

 

Please register in advance of the conference using the link provided below and dial in 10 minutes prior to the call, using participant dial-in numbers, Direct Event passcode and unique registrant ID which would be provided upon registering. You will be automatically linked to the live call after completion of this process, unless required to provide the conference ID below due to regional restrictions.

 

PRE-REGISTER LINK: http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/9888419

 

CONFERENCE ID: 9888419

 

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following number until September 8, 2021:

 

U.S./International: +1-855-452-5696
Hong Kong: 800-963-117
Mainland China: 400-632-2162
Passcode: 9888419

 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast will be available at http://ir.leju.com.

 

Page 3

 

 

About Leju

 

Leju Holdings Limited ("Leju") (NYSE: LEJU) is a leading e-commerce and online media platform for real estate and home furnishing industries in China, offering real estate e-commerce, online advertising and online listing services. Leju's integrated online platform comprises various mobile applications along with local websites covering more than 380 cities, enhanced by complementary offline services to facilitate residential property transactions. In addition to the Company's own websites, Leju operates the real estate and home furnishing websites of SINA Corporation, and maintains a strategic partnership with Tencent Holdings Limited. For more information about Leju, please visit http://ir.leju.com.

 

Safe Harbor: Forward-Looking Statements

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "going forward," "outlook" and similar statements. Leju may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed or furnished with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Leju's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained, either expressly or impliedly, in any of the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in China's real estate market; the highly regulated nature of, and government measures affecting, the real estate and internet industries in China; Leju's ability to compete successfully against current and future competitors; its ability to continue to develop and expand its content, service offerings and features, and to develop or incorporate the technologies that support them; its limited operating history and lack of experience as a stand-alone public company, given its carve-out from E-House and prior reliance on E-House for various corporate services; its reliance on SINA and others with which it has developed, or may develop in the future, strategic partnerships; substantial revenue contribution from a limited number of real estate markets; complexities resulting from its ongoing relationships with E-House, due to E-House's status as a principal shareholder of Leju; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry of Leju. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

 

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

To supplement Leju’s consolidated financial results presented in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), Leju uses in this press release the following non-GAAP financial measures: (1) income (loss) from operations, (2) net income (loss), (3) net income (loss) attributable to Leju shareholders, (4) net income (loss) attributable to Leju shareholders per basic ADS, and (5) net income (loss) attributable to Leju shareholders per diluted ADS, each of which excludes share-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, and income tax impact on the share-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets resulting from business combinations. 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 "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

 

Page 4

 

 

Leju believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information to investors regarding its operating performance by excluding share-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, which may not be indicative of Leju’s operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management’s internal comparisons to Leju’s historical performance and assist its financial and operational decision making. A limitation of using these non-GAAP financial measures is that share-based compensation expense and amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions may continue to exist in Leju’s business for the foreseeable future. Management compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying tables provide more details on the reconciliation between non-GAAP financial measures and their most comparable GAAP financial measures.

 

For investor and media inquiries please contact:

 

Ms. Christina Wu 

Leju Holdings Limited

Phone: +86 (10) 5895-1062

E-mail: ir@leju.com

 

Philip Lisio

The Foote Group

Phone: +86 135-0116-6560

E-mail: phil@thefootegroup.com

 

Page 5

 

 

LEJU HOLDINGS LIMITED

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars)

 

   December 31,   June 30, 
   2020   2021 
ASSETS          
Current assets          
Cash and cash equivalents    284,489    315,383 
Restricted cash    1,217    12,619 
Accounts receivable, net    202,702    103,282 
Contract assets, net    1,884    2,178 
Marketable securities    4,304    6,497 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets    7,484    21,872 
Customer deposits    11,551    12,004 
Amounts due from related parties    9,076    5,609 
Total current assets    522,707    479,444 
Property and equipment, net    17,002    16,763 
Intangible assets, net    34,213    28,726 
Right-of-use assets    25,666    24,812 
Investment in affiliates    31    23 
Deferred tax assets, net    40,905    41,315 
Other non-current assets    1,437    1,415 
Total assets    641,961    592,498 
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY          
Current liabilities          
Accounts payable    2,834    2,107 
Accrued payroll and welfare expenses    29,222    26,678 
Income tax payable    63,041    63,049 
Other tax payable    21,204    21,357 
Amounts due to related parties    7,106    6,512 
Advances from customers    95,340    100,574 
Lease liabilities, current    5,461    5,632 
Accrued marketing and advertising expenses    70,086    54,209 
Other current liabilities    22,596    31,347 
Total current liabilities    316,890    311,465 
Lease liabilities, non-current    21,727    20,677 
Deferred tax liabilities    8,559    8,644 
Total liabilities    347,176    340,786 
Shareholders’ Equity          
Ordinary shares ($0.001 par value): 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 136,326,020 and 136,795,935 shares issued and outstanding, as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021, respectively    136    137 
Additional paid-in capital    799,537    800,900 
Accumulated deficit    (498,001)   (545,773)
Subscription receivables   (50)    
Accumulated other comprehensive loss    (5,695)   (3,302)
Total Leju Holdings Limited shareholders’ equity    295,927    251,962 
Non-controlling interests    (1,142)   (250)
Total equity    294,785    251,712 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY    641,961    592,498 

 

Page 6

 

 

LEJU HOLDINGS LIMITED 

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS  

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except share data and per share data) 

 

    Six months ended  
    June 30,  
    2020     2021  
Revenues                
E-commerce     205,448       231,401  
Online advertising     73,929       69,290  
Listing     339       401  
Total net revenues     279,716       301,092  
Cost of revenues     (41,138 )     (31,671 )
Selling, general and administrative expenses     (237,670 )     (319,472 )
Other operating income, net     245       199  
Income (loss) from operations     1,153       (49,852 )
Interest income, net     699       1,575  
Other income, net     713       2,128  
Income (loss) before taxes and loss from equity in affiliates     2,565       (46,149 )
Income tax expenses     (618 )     (730 )
Income (loss) before loss from equity in affiliates     1,947       (46,879 )
Loss from equity in affiliates     (22 )     (8 )
Net income (loss)     1,925       (46,887 )
Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interests     433       885  
Net income (loss) attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders      1,492       (47,772 )
                 
Earnings (loss) per ADS:                
Basic     0.01       (0.35 )
Diluted     0.01       (0.35 )
Shares used in computation of earnings (loss) per ADS:                
Basic     135,891,617       136,485,339  
Diluted     136,039,569       136,485,339  

 

The conversion of Renminbi ("RMB") amounts into reporting currency USD amounts is based on the rate of USD1 = RMB6.4601 on June 30, 2021 and USD1 = RMB6.5316 for the six months ended June 30, 2021

 

Page 7

 

 

LEJU HOLDINGS LIMITED 

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) 

(In thousands of U.S. dollars) 

 

   Six months ended 
   June 30, 
   2020   2021 
Net income (loss)   1,925    (46,887)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax of nil          
Foreign currency translation adjustment   (3,279)   2,400 
           
Comprehensive loss   (1,354)   (44,487)
           
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interest   464    892 
           
Comprehensive loss attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders   (1,818)   (45,379)

 

Page 8

 

 

LEJU HOLDINGS LIMITED 

Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results 

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except share data and per ADS data) 

 

   Six months ended 
   June 30, 
   2020   2021 
GAAP income (loss) from operations   1,153    (49,852)
Share-based compensation expense    1,236    1,194 
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions   5,901    5,279 
Non-GAAP income (loss) from operations   8,290    (43,379)
           
GAAP net income (loss)   1,925    (46,887)
Share-based compensation expense   1,236    1,194 
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions   5,901    5,279 
Income tax benefit:          
Current        
Deferred2   (1,476)   (1,320)
Non-GAAP net income (loss)   7,586    (41,734)
           
Net income (loss) attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders   1,492    (47,772)
Share-based compensation expense (net of non-controlling interests)   1,236    1,194 
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions (net of non-controlling interests)   5,901    5,279 
Income tax benefit:          
Current        
Deferred   (1,476)   (1,320)
Non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders   7,153    (42,619)
           
GAAP net income (loss) per ADS — basic   0.01    (0.35)
           
GAAP net income (loss) per ADS —diluted   0.01    (0.35)
           
Non-GAAP net income (loss) per ADS —basic   0.05    (0.31)
           
Non-GAAP net income (loss) per ADS —diluted   0.05    (0.31)
         
Shares used in calculating basic GAAP/non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders per ADS   135,891,617    136,485,339 
           
Shares used in calculating diluted GAAP/non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to Leju Holdings Limited shareholders per ADS   136,039,569    136,485,339 

 

 

2 Amount represents the realization of deferred tax liabilities recognized for the temporary difference between the tax basis of intangible assets recognized from acquisitions and their reported amounts in the financial statements. The income tax impact on the share-based compensation expense is nil.

 

Page 9

 

 

LEJU HOLDINGS LIMITED

SELECTED OPERATING DATA 

 

   Six months ended 
   June 30, 
   2020   2021 
Operating data for e-commerce services          
Number of discount coupons issued to prospective purchasers (number of transactions)   94,215    92,058 
Number of discount coupons redeemed (number of transactions)   67,268    77,378 

 

Page 10