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 May 2023

 

Commission File Number: 001-35126

 

 

 

VNET Group, Inc.

 

 

 

Guanjie Building, Southeast 1st Floor
10# Jiuxianqiao East Road

Chaoyang District

Beijing 100016

The People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive office)

 

 

 

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  ¨

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 6-K is hereby incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement on Form F-3 of VNET Group, Inc. (File No. 333-240044) and shall form a part thereof from the date on which this Current Report is furnished, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

99.1   Press Release

 

 

 

 

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.

 

  VNET Group, Inc.
     
  By:

/s/ Tim Chen

  Name: Tim Chen
  Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: May 24, 2023

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

 

VNET Reports Unaudited First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

 

BEIJING, May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VNET Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNET) (“VNET” or the “Company”), a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023.

 

“We were pleased to kick off 2023 with a solid first quarter, thanks to our effective dual-core growth strategy and competitive service offerings,” said Jeff Dong, Chief Executive Officer of VNET. “We consistently made headway across both our wholesale and retail businesses, as our wholesale business continued to gain traction among leading internet players while our retail business steadily expanded with a diverse customer base. Notably, we are smoothly progressing with the bid we won in the first quarter to deliver a total capacity of over 100MW in multiple phases to a new customer, one of China’s internet giants. Moving forward, we will deepen our commitment to offering high-quality and reliable services, facilitating digital transformations across verticals as China’s digital economy further develops.”

 

Tim Chen, Chief Financial Officer of VNET, commented, “During the first quarter, amid China’s steady post-pandemic recovery, we delivered revenue of RMB1.81 billion, representing an increase of 9.7% year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA exceeded our expectations, growing by 9.9% year-over-year to RMB556.2 million. We also maintained a healthy operating cash flow of RMB455.0 million. With robust digital demand persisting for the foreseeable future, we remain dedicated to our dual-core growth strategy and further exploring valuable opportunities that enhance our suite of offerings and strengthen our presence in the IDC service market. We believe our core competitiveness and solid fundamentals form a strong foundation that will enable us to deliver long-term, sustainable value to all our stakeholders.”

 

First Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights

 

·Net revenues increased by 9.7% to RMB1.81 billion (US$262.9 million) from RMB1.65 billion in the same period of 2022.
·Adjusted cash gross profit (non-GAAP) increased by 10.1% to RMB754.3 million (US$109.8 million) from RMB684.8 million in the same period of 2022. Adjusted cash gross margin (non-GAAP) was 41.8%, compared to 41.6% in the same period of 2022.

·Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) increased by 9.9% to RMB556.2 million (US$81.0 million) from RMB506.2 million in the same period of 2022. Adjusted EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) in the first quarter of 2023 and 2022 was both 30.8%.

 

First Quarter 2023 Operational Highlights

 

·Total cabinets under management were 87,310 as of March 31, 2023, compared to 87,322 as of December 31, 2022 and 78,964 as of March 31, 2022.
·Cabinets utilized by customers increased by 1,300 in the first quarter of 2023 to reach 49,316 as of March 31, 2023, compared to 48,016 as of December 31, 2022 and 43,032 as of March 31, 2022.
·Overall utilization rate of cabinets1 was 56.5% as of March 31, 2023, compared to 55.0% as of December 31, 2022 and 54.5% as of March 31, 2022.

·Retail IDC MRR2 per cabinet increased to RMB9,486 in the first quarter of 2023, compared to RMB9,371 in the fourth quarter of 2022 and RMB9,236 in the first quarter of 2022.

 

First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

 

NET REVENUES: Net revenues in the first quarter of 2023 were RMB1.81 billion (US$262.9 million), representing an increase of 9.7% from RMB1.65 billion in the same period of 2022. The year-over-year increase was mainly driven by the continued growth of our IDC business as well as our cloud and VPN services.

 

 

1 The overall utilization rate is calculated by dividing the number of customer-utilized cabinets by the total cabinets under management at the end of the period.

2 Retail IDC MRR refers to Monthly Recurring Revenues for the retail IDC business.

 

 1

 

 

 

 

GROSS PROFIT: Gross profit in the first quarter of 2023 was RMB352.4 million (US$51.3 million), compared with RMB355.5 million in the same period of 2022. Gross margin in the first quarter of 2023 was 19.5%, compared to 21.6% in the same period of 2022.

 

ADJUSTED CASH GROSS PROFIT, which excludes depreciation, amortization, and share-based compensation expenses, was RMB754.3 million (US$109.8 million) in the first quarter of 2023, compared to RMB684.8 million in the same period of 2022. Adjusted cash gross margin in the first quarter of 2023 was 41.8%, compared to 41.6% in the same period of 2022.

 

OPERATING EXPENSES: Total operating expenses in the first quarter of 2023 were RMB237.1 million (US$34.5 million), compared to RMB259.5 million in the same period of 2022. As a percentage of net revenues, total operating expenses in the first quarter of 2023 were 13.1%, compared to 15.8% in the same period of 2022.

 

Sales and marketing expenses in the first quarter of 2023 were RMB65.8 million (US$9.6 million), compared to RMB74.9 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Research and development expenses in the first quarter of 2023 were RMB79.8 million (US$11.6 million), compared to RMB72.6 million in the same period of 2022.

 

General and administrative expenses in the first quarter of 2023 were RMB127.4 million (US$18.6 million), compared to RMB154.2 million in the same period of 2022.

 

ADJUSTED OPERATING EXPENSES, which exclude share-based compensation expenses and compensation for postcombination employment in an acquisition, were RMB228.8 million (US$33.3 million) in the first quarter of 2023, compared to RMB200.8 million in the same period of 2022. As a percentage of net revenues, adjusted operating expenses in the first quarter of 2023 were 12.7%, compared to 12.2% in the same period of 2022.

 

ADJUSTED EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2023 was RMB556.2 million (US$81.0 million), representing an increase of 9.9% from RMB506.2 million in the same period of 2022. Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2023 excluded share-based compensation expenses of RMB8.3 million (US$1.2 million). Adjusted EBITDA margin in the first quarter of 2023 and 2022 was both 30.8%.

 

NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS: Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the first quarter of 2023 was RMB82.3 million (US$12.0 million), compared to a net income attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB90.7 million in the same period of 2022.

 

EARNINGS PER SHARE: Basic and diluted earnings per share in the first quarter of 2023 were RMB0.09 (US$0.01) and RMB0.07 (US$0.01), respectively, which represented the equivalent of RMB0.54 (US$0.06) and RMB0.42 (US$0.06) per American depositary share (“ADS”), respectively. Each ADS represents six Class A ordinary shares. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by the weighted average number of diluted shares outstanding.

 

As of March 31, 2023, the aggregate amount of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash was RMB3.24 billion (US$472.2 million).

 

Net cash generated from operating activities, in the first quarter of 2023, was RMB455.0 million (US$66.3 million), compared to RMB482.6 million in the same period of 2022.

 

Business Outlook

 

The Company expects net revenues for the full year of 2023 to be in the range of RMB7,600 million to RMB7,900 million, representing a year-over-year growth of 7.6% to 11.8%, and adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of RMB2,025 million to RMB2,125 million, representing a year-over-year growth of 8.1% to 13.5%. The above outlook remains unchanged from the previously provided estimates.

 

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The forecast reflects the Company’s current and preliminary views on the market and its operational conditions, and is subject to change.

 

Conference Call

 

The Company’s management will host an earnings conference call at 9:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, or 9:00 AM Beijing Time on Thursday, May 25, 2023.

 

For participants who wish to join the call, please access the link provided below to complete the online registration process and dial in 5 minutes prior to the scheduled call start time.

 

Event Title:VNET First Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call

Registration Link:https://register.vevent.com/register/BI2b1a455a2d1c4052884fb097d6b93441

 

Upon registration, each participant will receive a set of dial-in numbers by location, a personal PIN and an email with further detailed instructions, which will be used to join the conference call.

 

A simultaneous audio webcast and replay of the conference call will be accessible on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.vnet.com.

 

Non-GAAP Disclosure

 

In evaluating its business, VNET considers and uses the following non-GAAP measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a supplemental measure to review and assess its operating performance: adjusted cash gross profit, adjusted cash gross margin, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin. 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 U.S. GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned “Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP results” set forth at the end of this press release.

 

The non-GAAP financial measures are provided as additional information to help investors compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and to enhance investors' overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance and prospects for the future. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, U.S. GAAP results. In addition, the Company's calculation of the non-GAAP financial measures may be different from the calculation used by other companies, and therefore comparability may be limited.

 

Exchange Rate

 

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars (“USD”) at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to USD were made at the rate of RMB6.8676 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on March 31, 2023, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or USD amounts referred could be converted into USD or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this earnings release.

 

Statement Regarding Unaudited Condensed Financial Information

 

The unaudited financial information set forth above is preliminary and subject to potential adjustments. Adjustments to the consolidated financial statements may be identified when audit work has been performed for the Company's year-end audit, which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited condensed financial information.

 

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About VNET

 

VNET Group, Inc. is a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China. VNET provides hosting and related services, including IDC services, cloud services, and business VPN services to improve the reliability, security, and speed of its customers' internet infrastructure. Customers may locate their servers and equipment in VNET's data centers and connect to China's internet backbone. VNET operates in more than 30 cities throughout China, servicing a diversified and loyal base of over 7,000 hosting and related enterprise customers that span numerous industries ranging from internet companies to government entities and blue-chip enterprises to small-to mid-sized enterprises.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “target,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement as well as VNET’s strategic and operational plans contain forward-looking statements. VNET may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, 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. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about VNET’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. 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 statement, including but not limited to the following: VNET’s goals and strategies; VNET’s expansion plans; the expected growth of the data center services market; expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, VNET’s services; VNET’s expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with customers; VNET’s plans to invest in research and development to enhance its solution and service offerings; and general economic and business conditions in the regions where VNET provides solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in VNET’s reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and VNET undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

 

Investor Relations Contact:

 

Xinyuan Liu

 

Tel: +86 10 8456 2121

Email: ir@vnet.com

 

 4

 

VNET GROUP, INC.

 CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 (Amount in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”))

 

   As of   As of 
   December 31, 2022   March 31, 2023 
   RMB   RMB   US$ 
   (Audited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited) 
Assets        Ex-Rate     6.8676 
Current assets:               
Cash and cash equivalents   2,661,321    2,916,329    424,650 
Restricted cash   327,673    325,631    47,416 
Accounts and notes receivable, net   1,763,693    2,020,435    294,198 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   2,147,500    2,569,329    374,127 
Amounts due from related parties   152,089    232,511    33,856 
Total current assets   7,052,276    8,064,235    1,174,247 
                
Non-current assets:               
Property and equipment, net   11,964,498    12,134,146    1,766,868 
Intangible assets, net   1,497,131    1,469,112    213,919 
Land use rights, net   576,020    595,378    86,694 
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net   3,503,925    4,032,533    587,182 
Goodwill   1,364,191    1,364,191    198,642 
Restricted cash   500    882    128 
Deferred tax assets, net   196,098    204,392    29,762 
Long-term investments, net   242,194    242,020    35,241 
Other non-current assets   551,572    561,218    81,720 
Total non-current assets   19,896,129    20,603,872    3,000,156 
Total assets   26,948,405    28,668,107    4,174,403 
                
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity               
Current liabilities:               
Accounts and notes payable   713,628    710,251    103,421 
Accrued expenses and other payables   2,410,479    2,382,095    346,860 
Advances from customers   1,157,963    1,563,908    227,723 
Deferred revenue   95,078    119,217    17,359 
Income taxes payable   42,017    30,332    4,417 
Amounts due to related parties   6,928    3,657    533 
Current portion of long-term borrowings   484,020    509,624    74,207 
Current portion of finance lease liabilities   206,260    184,336    26,841 
Current portion of deferred government grants   3,646    3,646    531 
Current portion of operating lease liabilities   674,288    714,675    104,065 
Convertible promissory notes   537,778    4,578,083    666,621 
Total current liabilities   6,332,085    10,799,824    1,572,578 
                
Non-current liabilities:               
Long-term borrowings   3,049,856    3,632,968    529,001 
Convertible promissory notes   5,859,259    1,717,030    250,019 
Non-current portion of finance lease liabilities   1,047,640    1,103,454    160,675 
Unrecognized tax benefits   87,174    87,174    12,694 
Deferred tax liabilities   682,580    689,095    100,340 
Deferred government grants   2,672    82,529    12,017 
Non-current portion of operating lease liabilities   2,905,283    3,361,049    489,407 
Total non-current liabilities   13,634,464    10,673,299    1,554,153 
                
Shareholders' equity               
Ordinary shares   60    60    9 
Additional paid-in capital   15,239,926    15,285,161    2,225,692 
Accumulated other comprehensive income   11,022    240    35 
Statutory reserves   77,996    78,181    11,384 
Accumulated deficit   (8,369,868)   (8,287,760)   (1,206,791)
Treasury stock   (349,523)   (349,523)   (50,894)
Total VNET Group, Inc. shareholders’ equity   6,609,613    6,726,359    979,435 
Noncontrolling interest   372,243    468,625    68,237 
Total shareholders' equity   6,981,856    7,194,984    1,047,672 
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity   26,948,405    28,668,107    4,174,403 

 

 

 

 VNET GROUP, INC.

 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 (Amount in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”) except for number of shares and per share data)

 

   Three months ended 
   March 31, 2022   December 31, 2022   March 31, 2023 
   RMB   RMB   RMB   US$ 
   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited) 
Net revenues   1,645,486    1,880,673    1,805,782    262,942 
Cost of revenues   (1,289,965)   (1,552,298)   (1,453,402)   (211,632)
Gross profit   355,521    328,375    352,380    51,310 
                     
Operating income (expenses)                    
Operating income   39,697    12,965    33,379    4,860 
Sales and marketing expenses   (74,941)   (76,363)   (65,776)   (9,576)
Research and development expenses   (72,615)   (84,137)   (79,750)   (11,612)
General and administrative expenses   (154,237)   (156,228)   (127,447)   (18,558)
Reversal (allowance) for doubtful debt   2,633    (41,983)   2,449    357 
Total operating expenses   (259,463)   (345,746)   (237,145)   (34,529)
                     
Operating profit (loss)   96,058    (17,371)   115,235    16,781 
Interest income   4,549    8,756    5,681    827 
Interest expense   (53,119)   (72,923)   (69,786)   (10,162)
Other income   5,391    6,872    1,164    169 
Other expenses   (352)   (22,380)   (3,592)   (523)
Changes in the fair value of convertible promissory notes   60,278    (48,510)   21,298    3,101 
Foreign exchange gain   24,749    89,048    78,633    11,450 
Income (loss) before income taxes and gain (loss) from equity method investments   137,554    (56,508)   148,633    21,643 
Income tax expenses   (46,700)   (101)   (44,886)   (6,536)
Gain (loss) from equity method investments   2,047    (828)   (174)   (25)
Net income (loss)   92,901    (57,437)   103,573    15,082 
Net profit attributable to noncontrolling interest   (2,195)   (6,807)   (21,280)   (3,099)
Net income (loss) attributable to the VNET Group, Inc.   90,706    (64,244)   82,293    11,983 
                     
Earnings (loss) per share                    
Basic   0.10    (0.07)   0.09    0.01 
Diluted   0.03    (0.07)   0.07    0.01 
Shares used in earnings (loss) per share computation                    
Basic*   885,771,728    888,327,554    888,383,240    888,383,240 
Diluted*   938,146,240    888,327,554    1,056,829,494    1,056,829,494 
                     
Earnings (loss) per ADS (6 ordinary shares equal to 1 ADS)                    
Basic   0.60    (0.42)   0.54    0.06 
Diluted   0.18    (0.42)   0.42    0.06 

 

* Shares used in earnings (loss) per share/ADS computation were computed under weighted average method.

 

 

 

 

 VNET GROUP, INC.

 RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS  

 (Amount in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”))

 

   Three months ended 
   March 31, 2022   December 31, 2022   March 31, 2023 
   RMB   RMB   RMB   US$ 
Gross profit   355,521    328,375    352,380    51,310 
Plus: depreciation and amortization*   327,393    409,825    401,877    58,518 
Plus: share-based compensation expenses   1,860    1,893    -    - 
Adjusted cash gross profit   684,774    740,093    754,257    109,828 
Adjusted cash gross margin   41.6%   39.4%   41.8%   41.8%
                     
Operating expenses   (259,463)   (345,746)   (237,145)   (34,529)
Plus: share-based compensation expenses   41,385    (9,684)   8,336    1,214 
Plus: compensation for postcombination employment in an acquisition   17,260    -    -    - 
Adjusted operating expenses   (200,818)   (355,430)   (228,809)   (33,315)
    12.2%        12.7%     
Operating profit (loss)   96,058    (17,371)   115,235    16,781 
Plus: depreciation and amortization*   349,609    449,469    432,629    62,996 
Plus: share-based compensation expenses   43,245    (7,791)   8,336    1,214 
Plus: compensation for postcombination employment in an acquisition   17,260    -    -    - 
Adjusted EBITDA   506,172    424,307    556,200    80,991 
Adjusted EBITDA margin   30.8%   22.6%   30.8%   30.8%

 

* Before the deduction of government grants for three months ended March 31, 2023

 

 

 

 

 VNET GROUP, INC.

 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

 (Amount in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and US dollars (“US$”))

 

   Three months ended 
   March 31, 2022   December 31, 2022   March 31, 2023 
   RMB   RMB   RMB   US$ 
   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited) 
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES                    
Net income (loss)   92,901    (57,437)   103,573    15,082 
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash generated from operating activities:                    
Depreciation and amortization   349,609    449,469    431,654    62,854 
Share-based compensation expenses   43,245    (7,791)   8,336    1,214 
Others   39,992    131,774    62,631    9,120 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities                    
Accounts and notes receivable   (197,962)   (109,803)   (254,293)   (37,028)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   (115,458)   175,880    (378,933)   (55,177)
Accounts and notes payable   125,459    65,879    (3,377)   (492)
Accrued expenses and other payables   101,002    (53,481)   192,063    27,966 
Deferred revenue   82    (774)   24,139    3,515 
Advances from customers   125,243    (46,355)   405,945    59,110 
Others   (81,514)   (139,873)   (136,727)   (19,909)
Net cash generated from operating activities   482,599    407,488    455,011    66,255 
                     
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES                    
Purchases of property and equipment   (1,005,736)   (898,459)   (608,717)   (88,636)
Purchases of intangible assets   (10,497)   (17,132)   (2,312)   (337)
Payments for investments   (14,487)   (209,998)   -    - 
Payments for other investing activities   (2,038)   (207,794)   (90,489)   (13,176)
Net cash used in investing activities   (1,032,758)   (1,333,383)   (701,518)   (102,149)
                     
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES                    
Proceeds from bank borrowings   650,952    156,912    279,916    40,759 
Repayment of bank borrowings   (65,570)   (56,390)   (73,070)   (10,640)
Payments for finance lease   (102,073)   63,068    (84,882)   (12,360)
Proceed from issuance of convertible promissory notes   1,592,627    -    -    - 
Proceeds from other financing activities   137,968    9,500    395,096    57,530 
Net cash generated from financing activities   2,213,904    173,090    517,060    75,289 
                     
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   (7,328)   (13,774)   (17,205)   (2,505)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   1,656,417    (766,579)   253,348    36,890 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period   1,708,473    3,756,073    2,989,494    435,304 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period   3,364,890    2,989,494    3,242,842    472,194