6-K

Ambow Education Holding Ltd. (AMBO)

6-K 2020-12-17 For: 2020-12-17
View Original
Added on April 06, 2026

UNITED STATESSECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUERPURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDERTHE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


For the month of December 2020


Commission File Number: 001-34824

Ambow Education Holding Ltd.



Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)


Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)


12th Floor, Tower 1, Financial StreetChang’An Center,

Shijingshan District, Beijing 100043

People’s Republic of China

Telephone: +86 (10) 6206-8000

(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 o

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): o

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): o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes ¨ No x

If “Yes” marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-___

Other Information

Attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 is a press release dated December 17, 2020, announcing the Company’s unaudited financial and operating results for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2020.

Exhibits


99.1 Press Release, dated December 17, 2020


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.

Ambow Education Holding Ltd.
By: /s/<br> Jin Huang
Name: Dr. Jin Huang
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Date: December 17, 2020

Exhibit 99.1

Confidential Draft

Ambow Education Announces Third Quarter2020 Financial Results


BEIJING, December 17, 2020 -- Ambow Education Holding Ltd. (“Ambow” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: AMBO), a leading national provider of educational and career enhancement services in China, today announced its unaudited financial and operating results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2020.

“While our business continued to be impacted by COVID-19-related macro headwinds during the third quarter of 2020, I am pleased to report that after a solid start to the new fall semester, revenue from the K-12 schools segment increased 18.8% year-over-year. Encouragingly, deferred revenue related to tuition and course fees and our education service platform increased 12.4% to US$37.9 million from the year-ago period and reached its highest level since 2015, reflecting the resilience of our business. Supported by ample cash resources and a healthy balance sheet, our core strength and fundamentals remain solid across our key segments,” noted Dr. Jin Huang, Ambow’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are excited that in September we won the bid for a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Center project that is financially supported by the Asian Development Bank as a part of its inclusive growth project in Ziyang City of Sichuan Province. This achievement demonstrates our exceptional capabilities and leading position in the vocational and technical education sector.”

“We continued to execute our key strategies to pursue more balanced growth, while providing high quality educational services that better engage students against the challenging backdrop of the COVID-19 environment. Leveraging our 20-year proven track record in curriculum development, professional training, job placement and education technology innovation, we are making massive progress in building out our online-to-offline education SaaS platform, Huanyujun Education Hub. We have gradually started rolling out Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Cisco-authorized certification and training courses on the Huanyujun Education Hub, which is already supported by our cutting-edge educational solutions such as Ambow Panorama Digital Teaching System and Ambow Cloud Platform. We believe these best-in-class educational services and course offerings will broaden our appeal to a wider student base as they pursue professional certifications for their technology careers. ”

“Going forward, we will maintain our strategic efforts to enrich our educational service offerings, optimize operating efficiencies, and increase student enrollments and engagement. We remain confident that our efforts will support the long-term sustainability of our overall business,” concluded Dr. Huang.

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights


· Net revenues for the third quarter<br>of 2020 decreased by 6.2% to US$16.6 million from US$17.7 million in the same period of 2019. The decrease was primarily from fewer<br>services provided at the Company’s tutoring centers, training offices and college campuses. This was partially offset by<br>the increase in the revenue from K-12 schools driven by higher enrollment and the revenue from NewSchool of Architecture and Design,<br>LLC (“NewSchool”), acquired in the first quarter of 2020.

Confidential Draft

· Gross profit for the third quarter<br>of 2020 decreased by 77.8% to US$1.0 million from US$4.5 million in the same period of 2019. Gross profit margin was 6.0%, compared<br>with 25.4% for the third quarter of 2019. The decreases in gross profit and margin were mainly attributable to the decrease in<br>net revenues from CP&CE Programs.
· Operating expenses for the third<br>quarter of 2020 decreased by 3.4% to US$14.0 million from US$14.5 million for the same period of 2019. The decrease was primarily<br>attributable to stringent expense controls to improve operating efficiency, and partially offset by operating expenses related<br>to NewSchool.
--- ---
· Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholderswas US$12.5 million, or US$0.29 per basic and diluted share, compared with a net loss of US$10.2 million, or US$0.23 per basic<br>and diluted share, for the third quarter of 2019.
--- ---
· As of September 30, 2020, Ambow maintained<br>strong cash resources of US$44.0 million, comprised of cash and cash equivalents of US$12.7 million and short-term investments<br>of US$31.3 million.
--- ---
· As of September 30, 2020, the Company’s<br>deferred revenue balance was US$37.9 million, representing a 59.9% increase from US$23.7 million as of December 31, 2019, mainly<br>attributable to the tuition and fees collected at K-12 schools for the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year, and deferred<br>revenue collected from our colleges for the fall semester of 2020.
--- ---

First Nine Months 2020 Financial Highlights


· Net revenues for the first nine<br>months of 2020 decreased by 8.0% to US$52.8 million from US$57.4 million in the same period of 2019. The decrease was primarily<br>from fewer boarding and other ancillary services provided for K-12 schools as result of temporary COVID-19-related campus closures<br>in the first half of 2020, and fewer services provided at the Company’s tutoring centers, training offices and college campuses.<br>This was partially offset by the revenue from NewSchool which was acquired in the period.
· Gross profit for the first nine<br>months of 2020 decreased by 40.5% to US$11.6 million from US$19.5 million in the same period of 2019. Gross profit margin was 22.0%,<br>compared with 34.0% for the first nine months of 2019. The decreases in gross profit and margin were mainly attributable to the<br>decrease in net revenues from CP&CE Programs.
--- ---

· Operating expenses for the first<br>nine months of 2020 decreased by 1.9% to US$30.4 million from US$31.0 million for the same period of 2019. The decrease was primarily<br>attributable to lower expenditures due to the temporary suspension of operations at training offices and tutoring centers in the<br>period as a part of the national pandemic containment efforts, as well as stringent expense controls to improve operating efficiency,<br>and partially offset by NewSchool’s operating expenses.

Confidential Draft

· Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholderswas US$10.9 million, or US$0.25 per basic and diluted share, compared with a net loss of US$12.3 million, or US$0.28 per basic<br>and diluted share, for the first nine months of 2019.

On October 5, 2020, the Company completed a registered direct offering of 1,507,538 American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”, representing 3,015,076 Class A Ordinary Shares), at a purchase price of $3.98 per ADS. The Company also issued to investors registered warrants to purchase up to an aggregate amount of 603,016 ADSs (representing 1,206,032 Class A Ordinary Shares). Net proceeds from this offering were approximately US$5.2 million.

The Company's financial and operating results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2020 can also be found on its Form 6-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all amounts translated from RMB to U.S. dollars for the third quarter and first nine months of 2020 are based on the effective exchange rate of 6.7896 as of September 30, 2020; all amounts translated from RMB to U.S. dollars for the third quarter and first nine months of 2019 are based on the effective exchange rate of 7.1477 as of September 30, 2019; all amounts translated from RMB to U.S. dollars as of December 31, 2019 are based on the effective exchange rate of 6.9618 as of December 31, 2019. The exchange rates were according to the middle rate as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

About Ambow Education Holding Ltd.


Ambow Education Holding Ltd. is a leading national provider of educational and career enhancement services in China, offering high-quality, individualized services and products. With its extensive network of regional service hubs complemented by a dynamic proprietary learning platform and distributors, Ambow provides its services and products to students in 15 out of the 34 provinces and autonomous regions within China.

Follow us on Twitter: @Ambow_Education



Confidential Draft


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. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Ambow’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Ambow may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the following: the Company’s goals and strategies, expansion plans, the expected growth of the content and application delivery services market, the Company’s expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with its customers, and the general economic and business conditions in the regions where the Company provides its solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Ambow undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries pleasecontact:

Ambow Education Holding Ltd.

Tel: +86-10-6206-8000

The Piacente Group | Investor Relations

Tel: +1-212-481-2050 or +86-10-6508-0677

E-mail: ambow@tpg-ir.com

Confidential Draft

AMBOW EDUCATION HOLDING LTD.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

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

As of December 31,
2019
RMB RMB
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents 86,072 157,600
Restricted cash 13,621 -
Short term investments, available for sale 182,629 57,487
Short term investments, held to maturity 30,000 31,000
Accounts receivable, net 24,549 17,939
Amounts due from related parties 6,159 2,318
Prepaid and other current assets, net 157,177 133,296
Total current assets 500,207 399,640
Non-current assets:
Property and equipment, net 146,678 157,463
Land use rights, net 1,726 1,759
Intangible assets, net 55,458 56,607
Goodwill 25,710 60,353
Deferred tax assets, net 3,653 10,195
Operating lease right-of-use asset 262,787 257,361
Finance lease right-of-use asset 6,000 6,450
Other non-current assets, net 84,388 70,971
Total non-current assets 586,400 621,159
Total assets 1,086,607 1,020,799
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
Short-term borrowings  * 20,013 -
Deferred revenue  * 257,368 165,111
Accounts payable  * 15,500 14,718
Accrued and other liabilities  * 185,203 192,957
Income taxes payable, current  * 183,729 180,715
Amounts due to related parties  * 4,876 1,971
Operating lease liability, current  * 50,642 53,512
Total current liabilities 717,331 608,984
Non-current liabilities:
Income taxes payable, non-current  * 34,589 32,152
Operating lease liability, non-current  * 235,756 216,067
Total non-current liabilities 270,345 248,219
Total liabilities 987,676 857,203
EQUITY
Preferred shares
(US 0.003 par value;1,666,667 shares authorized, nil issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2020) - -
Class A Ordinary shares
(US0.003 par value; 66,666,667 and 66,666,667 shares authorized, 38,858,199 and 38,895,700 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2020, respectively) 731 730
Class C Ordinary shares
(US0.003 par value; 8,333,333 and 8,333,333 shares authorized, 4,708,415 and 4,708,415 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2020, respectively) 90 90
Additional paid-in capital 3,509,330 3,508,745
Statutory reserve 4,210 20,185
Accumulated deficit ) (3,430,122 ) (3,371,815 )
Accumulated other comprehensive income 16,429 6,341
Total Ambow Education Holding Ltd.’s equity 100,668 164,276
Non-controlling interests ) (1,737 ) (680 )
Total equity 98,931 163,596
Total liabilities and equity 1,086,607 1,020,799

All values are in US Dollars.

*  All of the VIE's assets can be used to settle obligations of their primary beneficiary. Liabilities recognized as a result of consolidating these VIEs do not represent additional claims on the Company's general assets.

Confidential Draft

AMBOW EDUCATION HOLDING LTD.<br> <br>UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS<br> <br>(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)
For<br> the nine months ended September 30, For<br> the three months ended September 30,
2020 2020 2019 2020 2020 2019
US RMB RMB US RMB RMB
NET<br> REVENUES
Educational<br> program and services 358,098 409,367 112,439 126,729
Intelligent<br> program and services 352 1,193 269 (173 )
Total<br> net revenues 358,450 410,560 112,708 126,556
COST<br> OF REVENUES
Educational<br> program and services ) (277,683 ) (265,454 ) ) (105,359 ) (92,934 )
Intelligent<br> program and services ) (2,340 ) (5,818 ) ) (882 ) (1,109 )
Total<br> cost of revenues ) (280,023 ) (271,272 ) ) (106,241 ) (94,043 )
GROSS<br> PROFIT 78,427 139,288 6,467 32,513
Operating<br> expenses:
Selling<br> and marketing ) (37,861 ) (40,778 ) ) (13,655 ) (15,607 )
General<br> and administrative ) (127,230 ) (140,510 ) ) (42,987 ) (48,116 )
Research<br> and development ) (4,456 ) (1,555 ) ) (1,758 ) (1,087 )
Impairment<br> loss ) (36,699 ) (38,754 ) ) (36,699 ) (38,754 )
Total<br> operating expenses ) (206,246 ) (221,597 ) ) (95,099 ) (103,564 )
OPERATING<br> LOSS ) (127,819 ) (82,309 ) ) (88,632 ) (71,051 )
OTHER<br> INCOME (EXPENSES)
Interest<br> income 7,150 3,343 3,015 1,823
Foreign<br> exchange gain (loss), net 31 46 ) (4 ) 45
Other<br> income (loss), net 840 193 ) (712 ) 7
Gain<br> from deregistration of subsidiaries 3,967 1,279 70 -
Gain<br> on disposal of subsidiaries 752 - 752 -
Gain<br> on the bargain purchase 40,273 - - -
Gain<br> on sale of investment available for sale 2,477 422 1,421 3
Total<br> other income 55,490 5,283 4,542 1,878
LOSS<br> BEFORE INCOME TAX AND NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST ) (72,329 ) (77,026 ) ) (84,090 ) (69,173 )
Income<br> tax expense ) (2,399 ) (11,032 ) ) (776 ) (3,634 )
NET<br> LOSS ) (74,728 ) (88,058 ) ) (84,866 ) (72,807 )
Less:<br> Net (loss)/income attributable to non-controlling interest ) (1,040 ) (269 ) ) (332 ) 4
NET<br> LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS ) (73,688 ) (87,789 ) ) (84,534 ) (72,811 )
NET<br> LOSS ) (74,728 ) (88,058 ) ) (84,866 ) (72,807 )
OTHER<br> COMPREHENSIVE INCOME, NET OF TAX
Foreign<br> currency translation adjustments 10,731 (3,267 ) 2,403 (93 )
Unrealized<br> gains on short term investments
Unrealized<br> holding gains arising during period 1,518 1,238 578 538
Less:<br> reclassification adjustment for gains included in net income 2,161 489 1,493 37
Other<br> comprehensive income (loss) 10,088 (2,518 ) 1,488 408
TOTAL<br> COMPREHENSIVE LOSS ) (64,640 ) (90,576 ) ) (83,378 ) (72,399 )
Net<br> loss per share – basic and diluted ) (1.69 ) (2.02 ) ) (1.94 ) (1.67 )
Weighted<br> average shares used in calculating basic and diluted net loss per share 43,583,448 43,496,848 43,595,871 43,512,447

All values are in US Dollars.

AMBOW EDUCATION HOLDING LTD.<br> <br>UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY<br> <br>(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)
Attributable<br> to Ambow Education Holding Ltd.’s Equity
Retained Accumulated
Class<br> A Ordinary Class<br> C Ordinary Additional Earnings other Non-
shares shares paid-in Statutory (Accumulated comprehensive controlling Total
Shares Amount Shares Amount capital reserves deficit) income Interest Equity
RMB RMB RMB RMB RMB RMB RMB RMB
Balance<br> as of January 1, 2020 38,858,199 730 4,708,415 90 3,508,745 20,185 (3,372,409 ) 6,341 (680 ) 163,002
Share-based<br> compensation - - - - 238 - - - - 238
Issuance<br> of ordinary shares for restricted stock award 12,500 0 - - (0 ) - - - - -
Foreign<br> currency translation adjustment - - - - - - - 433 - 433
Unrealized<br> gain on investment, net of income taxes - - - - - - - 154 - 154
Net<br> income/(loss) - - - - - - 6,039 - (412 ) 5,627
Balance<br> as of March 31, 2020 38,870,699 730 4,708,415 90 3,508,983 20,185 (3,366,370 ) 6,928 (1,092 ) 169,454
Share-based<br> compensation - - - - 242 - - - - 242
Issuance<br> of ordinary shares for restricted stock award 12,500 1 - - (1 ) - - - - -
Foreign<br> currency translation adjustment - - - - - - - 7,895 - 7,895
Unrealized<br> gain on investment, net of income taxes - - - - - - - 118 - 118
Deregistration<br> of subsidiaries - - - - - (15,473 ) 15,473 - - -
Net<br> income/(loss) - - - - - - 4,807 - (297 ) 4,510
Balance<br> as of June 30, 2020 38,883,199 731 4,708,415 90 3,509,224 4,712 (3,346,090 ) 14,941 (1,389 ) 182,219
Share-based<br> compensation - - - - 239 - - - - 239
Issuance<br> of ordinary shares for restricted stock award 12,501 0 - - (0 ) - - - - -
Foreign<br> currency translation adjustment - - - - - - - 2,403 - 2,403
Unrealized<br> gain on investment, net of income taxes - - - - - - - (915 ) - (915 )
Deregistration<br> of subsidiary - - - - - - - - (16 ) (16 )
Disposal<br> of subsidiaries - - - - (133 ) (502 ) 502 - - (133 )
Net<br> loss - - - - - - (84,534 ) - (332 ) (84,866 )
Balance<br> as of September 30, 2020 38,895,700 731 4,708,415 90 3,509,330 4,210 (3,430,122 ) 16,429 (1,737 ) 98,931
Balance<br> as of January 1, 2019 38,756,289 728 4,708,415 90 3,507,123 20,149 (3,271,838 ) 8,305 (1,786 ) 262,771
Share-based<br> compensation - - - - 872 - - - - 872
Issuance<br> of ordinary shares for restricted stock award 28,646 1 - - (1 ) - - - - -
Foreign<br> currency translation adjustment - - - - - - - (2,428 ) - (2,428 )
Unrealized<br> gain on investment, net of income taxes - - - - - - - 75 - 75
Net<br> loss - - - - - - (23,756 ) - (93 ) (23,849 )
Balance<br> as of March 31, 2019 38,784,935 729 4,708,415 90 3,507,994 20,149 (3,295,594 ) 5,952 (1,879 ) 237,441
Share-based<br> compensation - - - - 266 - - - - 266
Issuance<br> of ordinary shares for restricted stock award 19,097 0 - - (0 ) - - - - -
Foreign<br> currency translation adjustment - - - - - - - (746 ) - (746 )
Unrealized<br> gain on investment, net of income taxes - - - - - - - 173 - 173
Addition<br> of noncontrolling interests resulting from new subsidiaries - - - - - - - - 502 502
Net<br> income (loss) - - - - - - 8,778 - (180 ) 8,598
Balance<br> as of June 30, 2019 38,804,032 729 4,708,415 90 3,508,260 20,149 (3,286,816 ) 5,379 (1,557 ) 246,234
Share-based<br> compensation - - - - 244 - - - - 244
Foreign<br> currency translation adjustment - - - - - - - (93 ) - (93 )
Unrealized<br> gain on investment, net of income taxes - - - - - - - 501 - 501
Net<br> (loss) / income - - - - - - (72,811 ) - 4 (72,807 )
Balance<br> as of September 30, 2019 38,804,032 729 4,708,415 90 3,508,504 20,149 (3,359,627 ) 5,787 (1,553 ) 174,079

Confidential Draf

Discussion ofSegment Operations

(All amountsin thousands)

For the nine months ended September 30, For the three months ended September 30,
2020 2020 2019 2020 2020 2019
US RMB RMB US RMB RMB
NET REVENUES
K-12 Schools 185,766 203,214 58,966 52,256
CP&CE Programs 172,684 207,346 53,742 74,300
Total net revenues 358,450 410,560 112,708 126,556
COST OF REVENUES
K-12 Schools ) (119,972 ) (128,887 ) ) (45,430 ) (38,794 )
CP&CE Programs ) (160,051 ) (142,385 ) ) (60,811 ) (55,249 )
Total cost of revenues ) (280,023 ) (271,272 ) ) (106,241 ) (94,043 )
GROSS PROFIT
K-12 Schools 65,794 74,327 13,536 13,462
CP&CE Programs 12,633 64,961 ) (7,069 ) 19,051
Total gross profit 78,427 139,288 6,467 32,513

All values are in US Dollars.