Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Reports 33% Growth in Revenue From Continuing Operations in Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2010

Gross Margin Remains at 53%; $0.33 Diluted Earnings per Share; Company Reiterates Fiscal 2010 Guidance of $45.5 Million to $47.5 Million


XI'AN, CHINA--(Marketwire - August 17, 2010) - Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company (NASDAQ: SKBI) ("Skystar" or the "Company"), a China-based manufacturer and distributor of veterinary medicines, vaccines, micro-organisms and feed additives, today reported unaudited second quarter fiscal year 2010 earnings, for the period ended June 30, 2010.

Second Quarter 2010 Highlights

  • Revenue increases 33% YoY to $8.3 million
    • Veterinary vaccines totaled $0.4 million, up 21% YoY
    • Veterinary medicines totaled $5.5 million, up 41% YoY
    • Feed additives totaled $0.4 million, up 31% YoY
    • Micro-organism products totaled $2.0 million, up 14% YoY
  • Gross margin of 53% for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 as compared to 53% in the year ago period
  • GAAP net income of $2.4 million or $0.33 per fully diluted share, compared with a loss of $0.1 million or ($0.03) per fully diluted share in the year ago period
  • Fiscal 2010 top line revenue guidance range remains at $45.5 million to $47.5 million

First Half 2010 Financial Highlights

  • First half fiscal 2010 revenue increases 30% YoY to 13.1 million
  • Gross margin of 53% for the first half of fiscal 2010 as compared to 51% in the year ago period
  • GAAP net income of $3.5 million or $0.49 per fully diluted share, compared with GAAP net income of $0.9 million or $0.25 per fully diluted share in the year ago period

Mr. Weibing Lu, Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical's chairman and chief executive officer, commented, "Skystar's performance in the second quarter of fiscal 2010 positions the Company well for the second half of the fiscal year which is seasonally our strongest half. The second quarter's performance can be attributed to improved sales effort and increased utilization of production capacity at our Huxian plant, including the expanded micro-organism facility completed in 2009 and came online in June of this year, as well as increased product variety. We currently produce over 248 products as compared to over 195 products in the first quarter of 2010.

"Overall outlook for the industry remains promising despite severe flood damage in many of the agricultural regions of China. The Company anticipates meeting its financial goals and metrics for the year. During the quarter, the Company filed an S-1 registration which was subsequently withdrawn. The intention was not to raise capital at any price or level of dilution to shareholders but in preparation of strengthening our balance sheet should an opportunistic moment arise. The Company does not intend to raise capital at current price levels and is looking into alternative sources of funding such as low interest debt at the local level. Our current income from operations and cash on hand are at adequate levels to maintain daily operations. 

"Skystar is committed to continue its efforts to expand manufacturing capacity to meet market demands for our products. In addition, the Company has negotiated with some of our raw material suppliers to receive favorable pricing while obtaining the necessary materials to supply seasonal production ramp up in the third quarter. Subsequently, we have lowered our cash advances to suppliers as compared to the same period last year, improving our cash flow position and will continue to manage this process closely.

"In preparation for the fiscal third quarter, historically the Company's strongest quarter, the Company build up the inventory levels in anticipation of the upcoming demand. Accounts receivable and inventories increased significantly in the second quarter as part of the Company's strategy to expand market share. Historically, we have collected nearly all of our accounts receivable, and management expects our collection rate to normalize in the third quarter. To be prudent, however, we have made provisions by increasing our allowance for bad debt.

"R&D for the period has decreased relative to the prior year as projects have entered late stage developments and required less cash outlays. General and administrative expenses for our Chinese operating entity have increased with expanded operations and added acquisition related expenses, plus increased allowance for accounts receivable.

"With regard to Skystar's construction projects, the construction of the vaccine facility at our Huxian plant was completed as of June 30, 2010. We expect to release a thorough update to shareholders regarding the facility shortly.

"We expect our sales and growth trajectory to continue through the remainder of the year as we reiterate fiscal guidance for the full year. The Company is positioning itself to be able to meet anticipated market demand for its products, and have sufficient cash resources on hand to maintain on-going operations. We hope to continue to maximize the Company's performance for our shareholders," concluded Mr. Lu. 

Financial Summary
Gross profit for second quarter 2010 was $4.4 million, up 33% from second quarter 2009. Gross margin for the period was 53%, in line with historical year over year comparables.

Operating expenses for second quarter 2010 were $1.6 million, or 20% of total revenue, compared with $1.6 million or 25% of total revenue in the year ago period. Increased G&A expenses were offset by declines in R&D and selling expenses resulting in a slight increase in total operating expenses. Total operating expense increased 3% year over year.

Research and development (R&D) costs were $0.19 million, or less than 3% of revenue in the second quarter 2010, down from $0.3 million, or 6% of revenue during second quarter 2009. Most of the company's existing research projects were in the later phases, and required less cash outlays as compared to the early stages of the projects in the same period last year where we had large scale testing and clinical trials. 

Selling expenses totaled $0.4 million, or 5% of revenue, for the second quarter 2010, compared with $0.6 million, or 9% of revenue, in the second quarter 2009. General and administrative expenses were $1.0 million, or 12% of revenue, in second quarter 2010, compared with $0.6 million, or 10% of revenue, in second quarter 2009. General and administrative expenses have increased due to acquisition related costs and costs related to the expansion of existing operations, and the increased allowance for accounts receivable.

Operating income increased by 60% year over year to $2.7 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2010, compared with $1.7 million in the same quarter a year ago, and operating margin increased to 33% from 27% in the same period a year ago. 

Net income for the second quarter of 2010 was $2.45 million, or $0.33 per fully diluted share. This compares to a net loss of $0.1 million or a loss of $0.03 per fully diluted share in the same quarter of 2009. Skystar's adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2010 was $2.2 million, or $0.31 per fully diluted share, compared with $1.36 million, or $0.36 per fully diluted share, in the second quarter of 2009 (See "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures" toward the end of this release.)

As of June 30, 2010, Skystar had approximately $3.5 million in cash and restricted cash, current assets of $29.4 million and current liabilities of $5.0 million. 

China Floods
On July 21, 2010, Xinhua news agency, reported China's worst flood in over a decade, displacing over 110 million people and affecting over 17 million acres of farmland. Additionally, as reported by Xinhua news agency on August 6, 2010, China's Ministry of Agriculture urged local authorities to resume agricultural production as soon as possible and create favorable conditions for the fall harvest.

To date Skystar's business lines have not been affected by the acts of nature; however, the Company will closely monitor the situation and react accordingly.

Fiscal 2010 Guidance
Taking into consideration the vast flooding and severity of the conditions across China's farming communities and any potential impact on the Company's business, we are taking a conservative approach and will maintain current guidance of $45.5 million to $47.5 million for the full fiscal 2010 year. We will re-evaluate the situation as visibility improves.

Conference Call & Webcast Information
Skystar will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 to review the Company's second quarter financial and operational performance. Mr. Weibing Lu, Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical chairman and chief executive officer, will host the call, which will be webcast live.

The webcast will be made available on the investor relations section of the Skystar corporate website at http://www.skystarbio-pharmaceutical.com. Telephone access to the conference call will also be available in North America by dialing +1 (877) 407-9210 or internationally by dialing +1 (201) 689-8049.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the call and for the following 30 day period. To access the replay in North America, dial +1 (877) 660-6853 or, when calling internationally, dial +1 (201) 612-7415, using replay account code # 286 and conference ID # 355460. An archived replay of the conference webcast will also be available on investor relations section of the Skystar corporate website at http://www.skystarbio-pharmaceutical.com.

To be added to the Company's email distribution for future news releases, please send your request to skystar@grayling.com.

About Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company
Skystar is a China-based developer and distributor of veterinary healthcare and medical care products. Skystar has four product lines (veterinary medicines, micro-organisms, vaccines and feed additives) and over 170 products. Skystar has formed strategic sales distribution networks covering 29 provinces throughout China. For additional information, please visit http://www.skystarbio-pharmaceutical.com.

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures for the change in the fair value of the Company's warrants. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors because they exclude non-cash charges that our management excludes when it internally evaluates the performance of the Company's business and makes operating decisions, including internal budgeting, and performance measurement, because these measures provide a consistent method of comparison to historical periods. Moreover, management believes these non-GAAP measures reflect the essential operating activities of Skystar. Accordingly, management excludes the change in the fair value of the Company's warrants when making operational decisions. The Company believes that providing the non-GAAP measures that management uses to its investors is useful to investors for a number of reasons. The non-GAAP measures provide a consistent basis for investors to understand the Company's financial performance in comparison to historical periods. In addition, it allows investors to evaluate the Company's performance using the same methodology and information as that used by our management. Non-GAAP measures are subject to inherent limitations because they do not include all of the expenses included under GAAP and because they involve the exercise of judgment of which charges are excluded from the non-GAAP financial measure. However, our management compensates for these limitations by providing the relevant disclosure of the items excluded.

The following table provides the non-GAAP financial measure and the related GAAP measure and provides a reconciliation of the non-GAAP measure to the equivalent GAAP measure.

           
           
           
SKBI- Adjusted Net Income          
  For the Three      For the Three   
  Months Ending     Months Ending  
  June 30, 2010     June 30, 2009  
               
GAAP Net Income $ 2,378,395     $ (116,797 )
GAAP Basic Earnings Per Share   0.33       (0.03 )
GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share   0.33       (0.03 )
               
Additions              
Change in fair value of warrants   (158,054 )     1,480,484  
Addition (subtraction)   (158,054 )     1,480,484  
               
Non GAAP Net Income $ 2,220,341     $ 1,363,687  
               
Non GAAP Basic Earnings Per Share   0.31       0.36  
Non GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share   0.31       0.36  
               
Shares used in computing net income per basic share   7,104,606       3,739,024  
Shares used in computing net income per diluted share   7,140,518       3,739,024  
   
   
   
   
   
SKYSTAR BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES  
   
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATION AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)  
(UNAUDITED)  
   
   
    For Three Months Ended June 30,     For Six Months Ended June 30,  
    2010     2009     2010     2009  
                                 
REVENUE, NET   $ 8,264,541     $ 6,243,438     $ 13,133,784     $ 10,067,004  
                                 
COST OF REVENUE     3,905,063       2,958,837       6,196,282       4,905,195  
                                 
GROSS PROFIT     4,359,478       3,284,601       6,937,502       5,161,809  
                                 
OPERATING EXPENSES:                                
  Research and development     192,088       366,695       236,083       484,047  
  Selling expenses     431,810       585,207       602,944       792,602  
  General and administrative     998,034       625,359       1,617,584       940,054  
    Total operating expenses     1,621,932       1,577,261       2,456,611       2,216,703  
                                 
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS     2,737,546       1,707,340       4,480,891       2,945,106  
                                 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):                                
  Other income (expense), net     36,257       (310 )     36,674       (542 )
  Interest income (expense), net     (12,976 )     (788 )     (17,792 )     (486 )
  Change in fair value of warrant liability     158,054       (1,480,484 )     (159,326 )     (1,442,156 )
    Total other income (expense), net     181,335       (1,481,582 )     (140,444 )     (1,443,184 )
                                 
INCOME BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES     2,918,881       225,758       4,340,447       1,501,922  
                                 
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES     540,486       342,555       865,805       554,075  
                                 
NET INCOME (LOSS)     2,378,395       (116,797 )     3,474,642       947,847  
                                 
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS):                                
  Foreign currency translation adjustment     280,998       (16,233 )     240,182       (54,681 )
                                 
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)   $ 2,659,393     $ (133,030 )   $ 3,714,824     $ 893,166  
                                 
EARNINGS PER SHARE:                                
  Basic   $ 0.33     $ (0.03 )   $ 0.49     $ 0.25  
  Diluted   $ 0.33     $ (0.03 )   $ 0.49     $ 0.25  
                                 
WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES:                                
  Basic     7,104,606       3,739,024       7,083,149       3,737,708  
  Diluted     7,140,518       3,739,024       7,119,846       3,824,432  
 
 
 
 
 
SKYSTAR BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
       
  June 30,   December 31,
ASSETS  2010   2009
  Unaudited    
CURRENT ASSETS:          
  Cash $ 3,482,558   $ 11,699,398
  Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $617,955 and $327,857 as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively   7,711,719     4,383,187
  Inventories, net of allowance of $263,539 and $199,460 as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively   13,318,742     4,074,645
  Deposits and prepaid expenses   4,348,910     11,900,314
  Other receivables   549,043     490,712
    Total current assets   29,410,972     32,548,256
           
PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET   11,786,671     8,829,058
           
CONSTRUCTION-IN-PROGRESS   8,777,066     9,389,120
           
OTHER ASSETS:          
  Long-term prepayments   1,341,031     1,173,427
  Long-term prepayments for acquisitions   12,376,146     6,806,880
  Intangible assets, net   1,790,327     1,860,172
    Total other assets   15,507,504     9,840,479
      Total assets $ 65,482,213   $ 60,606,913
           
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY          
           
CURRENT LIABILITIES:          
  Accounts payable $ 553,404   $ 297,567
  Other payables and accrued expenses   832,816     917,284
  Short-term loans   -     220,050
  Short-term loans from shareholders   -     110,025
  Deposits from customers   1,632,581     1,275,958
  Taxes payable   1,481,748     722,106
  Shares to be issued to related parties   372,739     327,374
  Due to related parties   137,503     185,024
    Total current liabilities   5,010,791     4,055,388
           
OTHER LIABILITIES:          
  Deferred government grant   1,104,750     1,100,250
  Derivative liability   966,082     1,538,686
    Total other liabilities   2,070,832     2,638,936
      Total liabilities   7,081,623     6,694,324
           
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES          
           
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:          
 
 
 
 
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, Nil Series "A" shares authorized as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 48,000,000 Series "B" shares authorized, Nil Series "B" shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively  
 
 
 
 
 
 
-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-
 
 
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 40,000,000 shares authorized, 7,106,705 and 6,989,640 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively  
 
 
7,106
 
 
 
 
 
6,989
  Paid-in capital   35,353,156     34,580,096
  Statutory reserves   3,879,077     3,879,077
  Retained earnings   16,049,548     12,574,906
  Accumulated other comprehensive income   3,111,703     2,871,521
    Total shareholders' equity   58,400,590     53,912,589
      Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 65,482,213   $ 60,606,913
   
   
   
   
   
SKYSTAR BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS  
FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2010 AND 2009  
(UNAUDITED)  
   
   
    Six months ended June 30,  
    2010     2009  
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:                
  Net income   $ 3,474,642     $ 947,847  
  Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:                
      Depreciation     299,848       225,953  
      Amortization     77,133       77,070  
      Bad debt expense     287,561       -  
      Allowance for slow moving inventories     63,001       -  
      Common stock issued for services     16,245       30,521  
      Common stock to be issued to related parties for compensation     70,367       78,024  
      Change in fair value of warrant liability     159,326       1,442,156  
    Change in operating assets and liabilities                
      Accounts receivable     (3,584,456 )     (1,412,505 )
      Inventories     (9,252,221 )     (5,164,998 )
      Deposits and prepaid expenses     7,729,174       2,158,970  
      Other receivables     (56,090 )     (43,532 )
      Accounts payable     253,565       (197,071 )
      Other payables and accrued expenses     (88,372 )     (189,065 )
      Deposits from customers     349,949       (164,796 )
      Taxes payable     753,555       2,386,654  
        Net cash provided by operating activities     553,227       175,228  
                 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:                
  Refunds of prepayments for potentital acquistions     -       2,711,545  
  Proceeds from short-term investments     -       43,971  
  Prepayment for acquisitions     (5,518,478 )     -  
  Loans to third parties     -       (1,685,555 )
  Purchases of plant and equipment     (2,136,531 )     -  
  Payments on construction-in-progress     (748,449 )     (1,792,941 )
        Net cash used in investing activities     (8,403,458 )     (722,980 )
                 
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:                
  Decrease in restricted cash     -       80,662  
  Proceeds from short-term loans     -       205,198  
  Repayment of short-term loans     (220,035 )     (307,798 )
  Repayment to shareholders and directors     (110,018 )     -  
  Proceeds from shareholders and directors     -       -  
  Due (from) to related parties     (47,874 )     420,038  
        Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities     (377,927 )     398,100  
                 
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH     11,318       (16,203 )
                 
DECREASE IN CASH     (8,216,840 )     (165,855 )
                 
CASH, beginning of period     11,699,398       576,409  
                 
CASH, end of period   $ 3,482,558     $ 410,554  
                 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:                
  Cash paid for interest   $ 7,435     $ 40,448  
  Cash paid for income taxes   $ 578,055     $ -  
  Non-cash investing and financing activities                
    Long-term prepayment transferred to construction-in-progress   $ -     $ 1,025,257  
    Long-term prepayment transferred to plant and equipment   $ 439,897     $ -  
    Construction-in-progress transferred to plant and equipment   $ 1,396,211     $ -  
    Interest expense capitalized as construction-in-progress   $       $ 40,050  
    Cashless exercise of warrants   $ 1,511,604     $ -  
    Issuance of common stock accrued in previous year   $ 25,002     $ -  
                     
                     
                     

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain of the statements made in the press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "project," "plan," "seek," "intend," or "anticipate" or the negative thereof or comparable terminology. Such statements typically involve risks and uncertainties and may include financial projections or information regarding the progress of new product development. Actual results could differ materially from the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions in The People's Republic of China, variations in cash flow, reliance on collaborative retail partners and on new product development, variations in new product development, risks associated with rapid technological change, and the potential of introduced or undetected flaws and defects in products, and other risk factors detailed in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

Contact Information:

Contacts:

Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company
Scott Cramer
Director - Corporate Development and U.S. Representative
(407) 645-4433

Grayling
Investor Relations
Christopher Chu
(646) 284-9426
christopher.chu@grayling.com