ReneSola Ltd Announces Third Quarter 2010 Results


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Nov 05, 2010
ReneSola Ltd Announces Third Quarter 2010 Results
Company achieves record results with revenues of US$358.7 million, quarterly solar wafer and module shipments of 324.9 MW and net income of US$60.1 million

JIASHAN, China, Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

ReneSola Ltd ("ReneSola" or the "Company") (NYSE: SOL) (AIM: SOLA), a leading global manufacturer of solar wafers and provider of solar module original equipment manufacturer ("OEM") services, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

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Third Quarter 2010 Financial and Operating Highlights

  • Total solar wafer and module shipments in Q3 2010 were a record 324.9 megawatts ("MW"), an increase of 25.8 % from 258.3 MW in Q2 2010.
  • Q3 2010 net revenues were a record US$358.7 million, an increase of 41.3% from US$253.9 million in Q2 2010.
  • Q3 2010 gross profit was US$116.7 million with a gross margin of 32.5%, compared to gross profit of US$76.6 million with a gross margin of 30.2% in Q2 2010.
  • Q3 2010 operating income was US$86.4 million with an operating margin of 24.1%, compared to operating income of US$52.5 million with an operating margin of 20.6% in Q2 2010.
  • Q3 2010 net income was a record US$60.1 million, representing basic and diluted earnings per share of US$0.35 and basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share ("ADS") of US$0.70.
  • The Company generated strong operating cash flow of US$118.7 million in Q3 2010, bringing cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of Q3 2010 to US$286.6 million, compared with US$246.6 million at the end of Q2 2010, while further reducing total debt from US$577.1 million at the end of Q2 2010 to US$542.2 million at the end of Q3 2010.

"Continuous cost reduction efforts coupled with robust market demand has led us to deliver another quarter of impressive financial and operating results," said Mr. Xianshou Li, ReneSola's chief executive officer. "As we focus on the production of high-quality wafers supported by module services, our growing in-house polysilicon production capacity will allow us to more effectively hedge our upstream risk and seize opportunities that will further define our company as a leading provider of solar energy."

Julia Xu, ReneSola's chief financial officer, added, "Our ongoing emphasis on improving manufacturing efficiencies has led to another quarter of improved margins and a substantial increase in our top and bottom line results. Additionally, our strong cash flow generation and prudent capital expenditures have resulted in a net cash balance of US$286.6 million for the first nine months of 2010, improving our capital structure and positioning us well for further expansion in 2011."

Results for the Third Quarter 2010

Product Shipments



3Q10

2Q10

3Q09

Q-o-Q%

Y-o-Y%

Total Solar Wafer and Module Shipments (MW)

324.9

258.3

146.9

25.8%

122.1%

Wafer Shipments (MW)

226.6

206.7

134.3

9.6%

68.7%

Module Shipments (MW)

98.3

50.6

10.8

94.3%

810.2%


Net Revenues



3Q10

2Q10

3Q09

Q-o-Q%

Y-o-Y%

Net Revenues (US$mln)

$358.7

$253.9

$140.9

41.3%

154.6%


Record revenues in Q3 2010 were driven by a combination of higher average selling prices ("ASP") and strong growth in our module business.

Gross Profit



3Q10

2Q10

3Q09

Q-o-Q%

Y-o-Y%

Gross Profit (US$mln)

$116.7

$76.6

$4.7

52.4%

2,383.0%

Gross Margin

32.5%

30.2%

3.4%

-

-


Operating Income (Loss)



3Q10

2Q10

3Q09

Q-o-Q%

Y-o-Y%

Operating Expenses (US$mln)

$30.3

$24.2

$12.5

25.5%

142.4%

Operating Income (Loss) (US$mln)

$86.4

$52.5

($7.8)

64.7%

-

Operating Margin

24.1%

20.6%

(5.5%)

-

-


Increases in operating expenses were primarily due to AIM delisting fees of US$2.0 million as a result of the cost of conversion of shares into ADSs and an increase in research and development costs of US$1.8 million for the production improvement of wafer processing.

Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Holders of Ordinary Shares



3Q10

2Q10

3Q09

Net Income (Loss) (US$mln)

$60.1

$36.1

($10.2)

Earnings (Loss) Per Share

$0.35

$0.21

($0.07)

Earnings (Loss) Per ADS

$0.70

$0.42

($0.14)


The Company achieved record net income of US$60.1 million, an increase of 66.7% from US$36.1 million in Q2 2010. Basic and diluted earnings per share were US$0.35, and basic and diluted earnings per ADS were US$0.70.

Business Highlights

Polysilicon Update

The Company will continue to build out its polysilicon production capabilities in the coming quarters in order to mitigate raw material volatility and diversify procurement risk. The Company produced approximately 269 metric tonnes ("MT") of polysilicon in Q3 2010, an increase of 66.0% from approximately 162 MT in Q2 2010. The Company expects to yield 500 MT to 600 MT of polysilicon during Q4 2010 with production cost reduced to US$45 per kilogram by the end of the quarter. The plant is on target to produce 3,000 MT to 3,500 MT with production cost below US$35 per kilogram by the end of the first half of 2011.

Wafer Business

ReneSola's wafer business continued to excel in Q3 2010 as wafer processing cost was further reduced to US$0.25/watt ("W") with average polysilicon input cost of US$50 per kilogram to US$55 per kilogram. The Company's prudent control over raw material procurement has led to steady polysilicon input prices which has provided protection against rising polysilicon spot prices. For Q4 2010, the Company expects to lower its wafer processing cost to US$0.24/W and achieve average polysilicon cost of US$55 per kilogram to US$60 per kilogram. Year-to-date, the Company has signed 9 new long-term wafer contracts for a period of 1 to 5 years under fixed volume and fixed pricing schedules, totaling 820 MW for 2011, which shall represent 68% of the Company's expected wafer product shipments.

Module Business

ReneSola continues to advance its downstream module business. The Company delivered record module shipments of 98.3 MW with an ASP of US$1.85/W in Q3 2010. The Company remains confident that its downstream platform will enhance its competitive edge by providing additional value to its customers. The Company expects to achieve similar module shipments and ASP in Q4 2010 and expects module shipments to reach 400 MW in 2011.

Strong Operating Cash Flows and Improved Capital Structure

The Company generated strong operating cash flows of US$118.7 million in the third quarter of 2010, bringing total operating cash flows to US$287.1 million for the first nine months of 2010. Consistently strong operating cash flows and a net cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash position of US$286.6 million at the end of Q3 2010, compared to US$246.6 million at the end of Q2 2010, allowed the Company to steadily reduce its net debt-to-equity ratio to below 50% as of September 30, 2010. The Company expects to continue to generate strong operating cash flows with similar trajectory during the fourth quarter of 2010, placing the Company in a good position to continue increasing its cash while holding its debt level steady for the remainder of 2010.

Capacity Expansion Plans and Related CAPEX

ReneSola spent US$86.7 million on capital expenditures during the first nine months of 2010 and is expected to spend another US$51.1 million in 2010, bringing total capital expenditure in 2010 to US$137.8 million. The Company expects to spend US$150 million in 2011 to expand wafer production capacity from the current 1.2 GW to 1.8 GW while increasing module production capacity from the current 375 MW to 600 MW.

AIM Cancellation

At ReneSola's annual general meeting on August 20, 2010, the Company passed a resolution to cancel its AIM quotation effective November 30, 2010 or such later date as the Company's directors may determine. Application has therefore been made to cancel the AIM quotation with effect from November 30, 2010.

Company Appoints New Vice President of Wafer Manufacturing

The Company recently appointed Robin Liu as vice president of wafer manufacturing. Mr. Liu previously served as the Company's vice general manager and director of its silicon wafer division. Mr. Liu has over 14 years of experience in engineering and operations management having previously served as a senior manufacturing manager at Kemet (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., industrial operations manager at Schneider (Suzhou) Transformers Co., Ltd., a manufacturing center manager and head of production and engineering at Royal Philips Electronic Sound Solutions Beijing, and an engineer with The Waterborne Transportation Institute of The Ministry of Communications. Mr. Liu received a degree in mechanical engineering from Shanghai Tongji University in 1996.

Outlook

Reflecting the robust market demand for solar products, ReneSola increases its Q4 2010 guidance. The Company expects total solar wafer and module shipments to be in the range of 310 MW to 330 MW, revenues to be in the range of US$340 million to US$360 million and gross profit margin to be between 30% to 32% in Q4 2010.

Full year 2010 solar wafer and module shipments are expected to be in the range of 1.13 GW to 1.15 GW. For the full year 2011, the Company expects solar wafer and module shipments to be in the range of 1.6 GW to 1.7 GW, representing an increase of 42% to 48% year-over-year.

Conference Call Information

ReneSola's management will host an earnings conference call on Friday, November 5, 2010 at 8 am U.S. Eastern Time / 8 pm Beijing/Hong Kong time / 12 pm Greenwich Mean Time.

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

U.S. / International:

+1-857-350-1596

United Kingdom:

+44-207-365-8426

Hong Kong:

+852-3002-1672

Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call. The passcode is "ReneSola Call."

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following number until November 12, 2010:

International:

+1-617-801-6888

Passcode:

73941661

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of ReneSola's website at http://www.renesola.com.

About ReneSola

ReneSola is a leading global manufacturer of solar wafers and producer of solar power products based in China. Capitalizing on proprietary technologies, economies of scale, low-cost production capabilities and technological innovations and know-how, ReneSola leverages its in-house virgin polysilicon and solar cell and module production capabilities to provide its customers with high-quality, cost-competitive solar wafer products and OEM services. The Company possesses a global network of suppliers and customers that includes some of the leading global manufacturers of solar cells and modules. ReneSola's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: SOL) and the AIM of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: SOLA).

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that constitute ''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 U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Whenever you read a statement that is not simply a statement of historical fact (such as when the Company describes what it "believes," "expects" or "anticipates" will occur, what "will" or "could" happen, and other similar statements), you must remember that the Company's expectations may not be correct, even though it believes that they are reasonable. The Company does not guarantee that the forward-looking statements will happen as described or that they will happen at all. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 20-F. The Company undertakes no obligation, beyond that required by law, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made, even though the Company's situation may change in the future.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:


In China:


Ms. Feng Qi

ReneSola Ltd

Tel:+86-573-8477-3903

E-mail:feng.qi@renesola.com


Mr. Derek Mitchell

Ogilvy Financial, Beijing

Tel:+86-8520-6284

E-mail:derek.mitchell@ogilvy.com


In the United States:


Ms. Jessica Barist Cohen

Ogilvy Financial, New York

Tel: +1-646-460-9989

E-mail: jessica.cohen@ogilvypr.com


In the United Kingdom:


Mr. Tim Feather / Mr. Richard Baty

Westhouse Securities Limited, London

Tel:+44-20-7601-6100

E-mail: tim.feather@westhousesecurities.com

richard.baty@westhousesecurities.com

RENESOLA LTD

Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheet

(US dollars in thousands)



September 30,


June 30,


December 31,


September 30,



2010


2010


2009


2009

ASSETS









Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents


211,586


171,208


106,808


95,210

Restricted cash


75,051


75,384


25,266


28,852

Available for sale investment


3,512


4,975


6,207


-

Trade receivable, net of allowances for doubtful receivables


120,366


102,629


107,987


86,780

Inventories, net of inventory provisions


163,629


164,770


137,844


162,196

Advances to suppliers, current portion


41,898


18,917


12,092


39,729

Amounts due from related parties


401


412


440


439

Value added tax recoverable


40,409


44,341


51,843


44,411

Prepaid expenses and other current assets


15,620


10,784


7,412


6,184

Deferred tax assets, current portion


22,155


25,124


24,325


22,799

Total current assets


694,627


618,543


480,224


486,600










Property, plant and equipment, net


786,025


743,079


702,816


618,732

Prepaid land rent, net


25,707


25,351


23,137


23,277

Other intangible assets


553


425


1,349


2,474

Deferred tax assets, non-current portion


18,948


27,723


40,227


36,020

Advances to suppliers, non-current portion


-


7,204


8,072


19,140

Advances for purchases of property, plant and equipment


15,871


13,402


20,840


76,948

Other long-term assets


2,881


2,670


2,840


2,131

Goodwill


5,323


5,323


5,323


5,323

Total assets


1,549,935


1,443,719


1,284,829


1,270,645










LIABILITIES AND EQUITY


















Current liabilities:









Short-term borrowings


353,558


388,028


358,634


312,560

Accounts payable


209,409


190,779


93,406


78,414

Advances from customers, current portion


82,356


51,276


53,852


59,682

Amounts due to related parties


24


24


24


40

Other current liabilities


96,861


73,848


71,460


74,116

Derivative liabilities


2,426


-


-


-

Convertible bond payable, current portion


-


-


32,475


-

Total current liabilities


744,634


703,955


609,851


524,812










Convertible bond payable


-


-


-


99,330

Long-term borrowings


188,596


189,073


189,279


170,666

Advances from customers, non-current portion


82,821


90,198


78,578


99,428

Other long-term liabilities


20,660


12,911


10,858


20,880

Total liabilities


1,036,711


996,137


888,566


915,116










Equity









Common shares


415,001


414,585


413,753


345,645

Additional paid-in capital


22,995


21,896


21,065


20,410

Retained earnings/accumulated deficits


47,342


(12,772)


(60,609)


(32,483)

Accumulated other comprehensive income


27,886


23,873


22,054


21,957

Total equity


513,224


447,582


396,263


355,529










Total liabilities and equity


1,549,935


1,443,719


1,284,829


1,270,645

RENESOLA LTD

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Income Data

(US dollars in thousands, except ADS and share data)










Three Months Ended



September 30, 2010


June 30, 2010


September 30, 2009








Net revenues


358,704


253,879


140,945

Cost of revenues


(241,964)


(177,255)


(136,207)

Gross profit


116,740


76,624


4,738








Operating expenses:







Sales and marketing


(2,330)


(1,815)


(1,752)

General and administrative


(15,900)


(13,371)


(5,809)

Research and development


(9,300)


(7,459)


(4,800)

Other general expenses


(2,806)


(1,529)


(151)

Total operating expenses


(30,336)


(24,174)


(12,512)








Income (loss) from operations


86,404


52,450


(7,774)








Non-operating expenses:







Interest income


438


378


269

Interest expenses


(6,199)


(5,299)


(4,152)

Foreign exchange gain (loss)


582


(7)


116

Fair value change on derivative liabilities


(492)


(147)


-

Investment income


(2,578)


293


-

Total non-operating expenses


(8,249)


(4,782)


(3,767)

Income (loss) before income tax


78,155


47,668


(11,541)








Income tax benefit (expense)


(18,041)


(11,607)


1,370

Net income (loss) attributed to holders of ordinary shares


60,114


36,061


(10,171)








Earnings (Loss) per share







Basic


0.35


0.21


(0.07)

Diluted


0.35


0.21


(0.07)








Earnings (Loss) per ADS







Basic


0.70


0.42


(0.14)

Diluted


0.70


0.42


(0.14)








Weighted average number of shares used in computing
earnings per share





Basic


172,767,742


172,706,512


141,624,912

Diluted


172,921,501


172,706,512


141,624,912

CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT

(US dollars in thousands, except ADS and share data)




Nine Months Ended



September 30, 2010


September 30, 2009






Operating activities:





Net income (loss)


107,951


(43,779)

Adjustment to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:





Equity in earnings of investee


-


291

Inventory write-down


(290)


68,047

Depreciation and amortization


40,301


20,983

Amortization of deferred convertible bond issue costs and premium


327


1,937

Allowances for doubtful receivables and advance to suppliers


6,374


866

Prepaid land use right expensed


551


261

Change in fair value of derivatives


639


-

Gain on early extinguishment of debt, net of inducement charges


-


(5,353)

Share-based compensation


2,711


2,627

Loss on disposal of long-lived assets


673


6

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:





Accounts receivable


(11,600)


(41,472)

Inventories


(22,318)


(23,955)

Advances to suppliers


(25,797)


21,434

Amounts due from related parties


47


(11,783)

Value added tax recoverable


12,274


(28,093)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets


(10,124)


6,914

Prepaid land use right


(1,044)


(110)

Accounts payable


112,421


29,582

Advances from customers


30,933


3,432

Other liabilities


15,796


18,398

Deferred taxes


24,292


(43,028)

Accrued warranty


2,972


255

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities


287,089


(22,540)

Investing activities:





Purchases of property, plant and equipment


(94,519)


(273,751)

Advances for purchases of property, plant and equipment


2,392


75,911

Purchase of other long-term assets


(433)


(438)

Cash received from government subsidy


5,910


5,959

Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment


51


-

Restricted cash


(48,289)


(22,491)

Cash consideration for acquisition


-


(16,831)

Net cash used in investing activities


(134,888)


(231,641)






Financing activities:





Proceeds from borrowings


552,595


458,799

Repayment of bank borrowings


(569,012)


(202,035)

Cash paid for issuance cost


(252)


-

Proceeds from exercised stock option


468


-

Cash consideration paid to repurchase convertible bonds


(32,715)


(19,781)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities


(48,916)


236,983






Effect of exchange rate changes


1,493


75






Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents


104,778


(17,123)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year


106,808


112,333

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year


211,586


95,210

SOURCE ReneSola Ltd.

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