ReTo Eco-Solutions Reports First Half of 2020 Financial Results

BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ReTo Eco-Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RETO) ("ReTo" or the "Company"), a provider of technology solutions for the improvement of ecological environments, today announced its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2020. ReTo is a manufacturer and distributor of eco-friendly construction materials as well as equipment used for the production of eco-friendly construction materials. ReTo also engages in consultation, design, project implementation, and construction of urban ecological projects, including those for the purpose of capturing, controlling, and reusing rainwater, commonly called "sponge cities."

Mr. Hengfang Li, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ReTo, commented, "As was the case for most companies, COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on our business throughout 2020. Unfortunately, projects we were anticipating to contribute to revenue never materialized due to forced closures. As a result of COVID-19 related business and government closures, logistic complications, delays and higher costs, and the cancellation or delay in the delivery of products and services to customers, our financial results for the first six months of 2020 were negative when compared to the first six months of 2019."

Net revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $3.14 million compared to $14.13 million for the same period of last year. The decrease was primarily due to the materially adverse impact of COVID-19 on the economy, ReTo's operations, its customers, and its supply chain. Revenue from machinery and equipment, construction materials, and municipal construction projects accounted for 43.6%, 52.0%, and 4.4%, respectively, of total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to 48.0%, 51.5%, and 0.5%, respectively, for the same period of last year.

Cost of revenue was $2.88 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to $10.70 million for the same period of last year, which reflected the decrease in revenue over the same period. Gross profit was $0.26 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to $3.44 million for the same period of last year. Gross margin was 8.2% for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to 24.3% for the same period of last year. Net loss attributable to ReTo was $3.7 million, or $0.16 per basic and diluted share, as compared to a net loss of $3.0 million, or $0.13 per basic and diluted share in the year-ago period. The six-month period ended June 30, 2020 included a $2.19 million one-time gain from the disposal of a subsidiary.

As of June 30, 2020, the Company had balance of cash and cash equivalents of approximately $0.2 million, with an accounts receivable balance of approximately $6.7 million, of which approximately $1.3 million was subsequently collected after June 30, 2020, with the remaining balance expected to be substantially collected before June 30, 2021. The Company is working to improve its liquidity and capital sources mainly through cash flow from its operations, renewal of bank borrowings, borrowing from related parties, and potential equity financings, but it cannot guarantee the timing or a positive outcome leading to a substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern for the next 12 months based on its unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Mr. Hengfang Li continued, "We believe we have solid long-term business fundamentals based on the growing demand for eco-friendly solutions. Our focus is on reducing operating expenses and overhead wherever possible as we align our cost structure with the current business level. We have seen an improvement in the operating environment in the second half of 2020 and expect a continued improvement in 2021. We are excited about our long-term fundamentals and believe we will emerge from 2020 in a stronger position as we are now offering customers additional features and customized configurations on our machinery and equipment products. We will continue to devote our efforts to manufacturing equipment used for production of eco-friendly construction materials.

In addition, with more stringent environmental regulations being enforced in China, many companies have to replace older equipment with more environmentally friendly equipment. We believe our products can provide an ideal solution for these companies and will work to capitalize on this potential growth opportunity. In line with our development strategy, we have started several ecological restoration projects in cooperation with local governments and state-owned companies. We believe these projects will contribute our business growth in 2021."

Recent Developments

On July 13, 2020, ReTo transferred its 55% equity interests in Yunnan Litu Technology Development Co., Ltd. ("Yunnan Litu") to third parties for a nominal price given the inactivity of Yunnan Litu's business operations since its inception and ReTo's ongoing focus on its own organic business growth.

On September 7, 2020, Beijing REIT Technology Development Co., Ltd. ("Beijing REIT") entered into a share transfer agreement with the original shareholder of Shexian Ruibo Environmental Science and Technology Co., Ltd. ("Shexian Ruibo") for the acquisition of 41.67% of the equity interests in Shexian Ruibo for a total consideration of $3.6 million (RMB 25 million), including a cash payment of $2.7 million (RMB 18.5 million) and non-cash contribution of six patents valued at $0.9 million (RMB 6.5 million). Beijing REIT made the cash payment of $2.7 million (RMB 18.5 million) on October 20, 2020 and the six patents had been transferred to Shexian Ruibo prior to September 15, 2020.

About ReTo Eco-Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RETO)

Founded in 1999, ReTo (NASDAQ: RETO), through its proprietary technologies, systems and solutions, is striving to bring clean water and fertile soil to communities worldwide. The Company offers a full range of products and services, ranging from the production of environmentally-friendly construction materials, environmental protection equipment, and manufacturing equipment used to produce environmentally-friendly construction materials, to project consulting, design, and installation for the improvement of ecological environments, such as ecological soil restoration through solid waste treatment. For more information, please visit: http://en.retoeco.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as "may," "will," "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Specifically, the Company's statements regarding: 1) the ability of additional features and customized configurations on its machinery and equipment products to attract new customers; 2) the ability of the growth of its business to resume in the near future; and 3) the further spread of COVID-19 or the occurrence of another wave of cases and the impact it may have on the Company's operations are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the growth of the construction industry in China; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.