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HIGHPOWER INTERNATIONAL, INC.

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Highpower International Reports Unaudited Second Quarter and First Half 2019 Financial Results

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA and SHENZHEN, China, August 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Highpower International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HPJ) ("Highpower" or the "Company"), a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of lithium ion and nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeable batteries, battery management systems, and a provider of battery recycling, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019.

Second Quarter 2019 Highlights (all results compared to prior year period)

Net sales increased 16.8% to $75.8 million from $64.9 million.

Lithium business net sales increased 28.4% to $62.3 million from $48.5 million.

Gross margin increased to 24.2% of net sales compared to 17.4%.

Net income attributable to the Company was $4.7 million, or earnings of $0.3 per diluted share, compared to net income attributable to the Company of $2.7 million, or earnings of $0.17 per diluted share.

Mr. George Pan, Chairman and CEO of Highpower International, commented, “During the second quarter of 2019, net sales in our lithium ion battery and battery solution business continued to see strong growth. Our gross margin also improved compared to that of the same period of 2018 due to our continued efforts to optimize our product mix and improve our efficiency while raw material costs stayed at a relatively low level.”

“At the same time, our top line began to feel pressure from the uncertain macro environment, including a general economic slowdown, an ongoing trade war, and increasingly fierce competition in the industry. We will continue to pursue efficiencies in our operations and ensure that we have the right talent, technology, and capacity. We will remain adaptable to market forces while focusing on our mission to provide clean, safe, and efficient power solutions to meet society’s needs,” concluded Mr. Pan.

Second Quarter and First Half 2019 Financial Results

Net Sales

Net sales for the second quarter of 2019 increased 16.8% to $75.8 million from $64.9 million in the prior year period. The increase was driven by sales of the Company’s lithium business, which grew 28.4%, or $13.8 million, during the quarter. Sales in the Ni-MH business decreased 17.5%, or $2.9 million, year over year.

Net sales increased 16.7% to $133.9 million in the first half of 2019 compared to $114.7 million in the first half of 2018. The increase in net sales was mainly due to the optimization of the Company’s sales structure.

Gross Profit

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2019 increased 62.4% to $18.4 million from $11.3 million in the prior year period due. Gross margin for the second quarter of 2019 was 24.2% compared to 17.4% in the prior year period. This increase was attributable to the product mix and improvement in the Company’s labor efficiency.

Gross profit for the first half of 2019 increased 64.4% to $31.0 million from $18.9 million in the prior year period. Gross margin was 23.2% and 16.5% for first half of 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Operating Expenses

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were $4.4 million compared to $3.6 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of net sales, R&D expenses increased to 5.8% from 5.5% in the prior year period due to the Company’s continued investments in R&D.

Research and development expenses were $7.4 million, or 5.5% of net sales, for the first half of 2019 compared to $6.2 million, or 5.4% of net sales, for the first half of 2018.

Selling and distribution expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were $3.3 million compared to $2.1 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of net sales, selling and distribution expenses increased to 4.3% from 3.3% in the prior year period.

Selling and distribution expenses were $6.1 million, or 4.5% of net sales, for the first half of 2019 compared to $4.1 million, or 3.6% of net sales, for the first half of 2018. The increase in expenses was mainly driven by marketing expenses to acquire more branded customers.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were $5.0 million compared to $3.9 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses increased to 6.6% from 6.0% in the prior year period.

General and administrative expenses were $9.9 million, or 7.4% of net sales, for the first half of 2019 compared to $8.0 million, or 7.0% of net sales, for the first half of 2018. The increase was due to increases in payroll and amortization of share-based compensation.

Net Income

Net income attributable to the Company for the second quarter of 2019 was $4.7 million compared to $2.7 million in the prior period. Net income attributable to the Company per diluted share for the second quarter of 2019 was $0.30 compared to $0.17 in the prior year period.

For the second quarter of 2019, the Company's weighted average diluted shares outstanding used in computing diluted share was 15,626,265.

Net income attributable to the Company for the first half of 2019 increased to $5.0 million from $1.6 million in the prior year period. Net income attributable to the Company per diluted share for the first half of 2019 increased to $0.32 from $0.10 in the prior year period.

For the first half of 2019 and 2018, the Company's weighted average diluted shares outstanding used in computing diluted share was 15,615,590 and 15,619,771, respectively.

EBITDA

EBITDA for the second quarter of 2019 increased 48.1% to $7.4 million from $5.0 million in the prior year period. EBITDA for the first half of 2019 increased 82.7% to $10.1 million from $5.6 million in the prior year period.

A table reconciling EBITDA to the appropriate GAAP measure is included with the Company's financial information below.

Balance Sheet Highlights
	June 30,		December 31,
($ in millions, except per share data)	2019		2018
	(Unaudited)
	$		$
Cash		18.1	$	24.9
Total Current Assets	$	178.9	$	215.0
Total Assets	$	269.1	$	288.1

Total Current Liabilities	$	178.5	$	210.8
Total Liabilities	$	186.9	$	210.8
Total Equity	$	82.2	$	77.3
Total Liabilities and Equity	$	269.1	$	288.1
Book Value Per Share	$	5.28	$	4.97

Financial Outlook

For the third quarter of 2019, the Company expects net revenues to grow slightly year over year. Gross margin is expected to be similar or slightly lower than that of the second quarter of 2019.

Going Private Transaction Update

Highpower announced in June 2019 that it has entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement") with HPJ Parent Limited, an entity owned by Mr. Dang Yu Pan, our CEO and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Wen Liang Li, a director of the Company, Mr. Wen Wei Ma, a stockholder of the Company, and Essence International Capital Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong (the “Buyer Group”), pursuant to which all of the outstanding shares, other than shares held by the Buyer Group and their affiliates or stockholders who have validly exercised their appraisal rights, will be converted into the right to receive $4.80 in cash without interest. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2019, pending approval by Highpower stockholders and satisfaction of certain other closing conditions.

No Conference Call

Given the pending merger agreement with HPJ Parent Limited, management will not be hosting a conference call to discuss its financial results for the second quarter and first half ended June 30, 2019, and does not expect to do so for future quarters.

About Highpower International, Inc.

Highpower International was founded in 2001 and produces high-quality Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) and lithium-based rechargeable batteries used in a wide range of applications such as electric bikes, energy storage systems, power tools, medical equipment, digital and electronic devices, personal care products, and lighting, etc. Highpower's target customers are Fortune 500 companies and top 10 companies in each vertical segment. With advanced manufacturing facilities located in Shenzhen, Huizhou, and Ganzhou of China, Highpower is committed to clean technology, not only in the products it makes, but also in the processes of production. The majority of Highpower International's products are distributed to worldwide markets mainly in the United States, Europe, China and Southeast Asia.

Use of Non-GAAP Measures

The Company has supplemented its reported GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) financial information with non-GAAP measures. EBITDA was derived by taking earnings before interest expense (net), taxes, depreciation and amortization. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company believes this non-GAAP measure is useful to investors as it provides a basis for evaluating the Company's operating results in the ordinary course of its operations. This non-GAAP measure is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. The Company believes that non-GAAP measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with its results of operations as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP and that these measures should only be used to evaluate the Company's results of operations in conjunction with, and not in lieu of, the corresponding GAAP measures. EBITDA are reconciled in the tables below to the most directly comparable measure as reported in accordance with GAAP.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements include outlook on net revenues and gross margins, business and financial expectations and anticipated growth during 2019. 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 involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such statements, including, without limitation; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement; the inability to consummate the Merger due to the failure to obtain stockholder approval of the Merger Agreement (including the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all outstanding shares unaffiliated with the Consortium) or the failure to satisfy other conditions to completion of the proposed transaction; risks related to the disruption of management's attention from the Company's ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction; the effect of the announcement of the proposed transaction on the Company's relationships with its customers, suppliers and business generally; and the outcome of lawsuits that may be brought by certain purported stockholders seeking to rescind the Merger Agreement or enjoin the consummation of the transaction; inability to successfully expand our production capacity and improve production efficiency; fluctuations in the cost of raw materials; our dependence on, or inability to attract additional, major customers for a significant portion of our net sales; our ability to increase manufacturing capabilities to satisfy orders from new customers; our ability to maintain increased margins; our dependence on the growth in demand for smart wearable devices and energy storage systems, and other digital products and the success of manufacturers of the end applications that use our battery products; our responsiveness to competitive market conditions; our ability to successfully manufacture our products in the time frame and amounts expected; the market acceptance of our battery solutions, including our lithium ion batteries; impact of trade relations between China and the U.S. and other countries where we sell our products; unexpected fluctuations in exchange rates and our ability to successfully manage hedging; our ability to continue R&D development to keep up with technological changes, and adverse changes in legal, regulatory and economic factors generally. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties see "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2018 on Form 10-K and other public filings with the SEC. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company has no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

CONTACT:

Highpower International, Inc.

Sunny Pan

Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +86-755-8968-6521

Email: ir@highpowertech.com

Yuanmei Ma

Investor Relations Manager

Tel: +1-909-214-2482

Email: yuanmei@highpowertech.com

ICR, Inc.

Rose Zu

Tel: +1-646-931-0303

Email: ir@highpowertech.com

HIGHPOWER INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Stated in US Dollars)

	June 30,		December 31,
	2019		2018
	(Unaudited)
	$		$
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash		18,092,242		24,916,484
Restricted cash		29,154,304		44,495,633
Accounts receivable, net		68,999,026		77,279,817
Amount due from a related party		146,119		477,663
Notes receivable		3,664,108		256,712
Advances to suppliers		463,891		2,292,843
Prepayments and other receivables		6,419,803		10,457,789
Inventories		51,980,426		54,790,461
Total Current Assets		178,919,919		214,967,402

Property, plant and equipment, net		65,089,990		56,523,177
Long-term prepayments		2,373,543		2,617,419
Land use right, net		2,406,173		2,445,751
Other assets		770,717		643,128
Deferred tax assets, net		935,443		865,370
Long-term investments		8,387,618		9,993,852
Right-of-use assets		10,213,704		-

TOTAL ASSETS		269,097,107		288,056,099

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

LIABILITIES
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable		64,413,566		66,486,690
Deferred government grants		680,915		464,206
Short-term loans		24,662,933		24,856,744
Non-financial institution borrowing		-		8,761,426
Notes payable		60,168,272		73,607,284
Foreign exchange derivative liabilities		932,378		521,509
Amount due to related parties		101,869		6,116,851
Other payables and accrued liabilities		21,818,077		25,860,703
Income taxes payable		3,394,112		4,124,719
Lease liabilities, current		2,334,110		-
Total Current Liabilities		178,506,232		210,800,132

Long-term payable		359,033		-
Lease liabilities, non current		8,040,487		-

TOTAL LIABILITIES		186,905,752		210,800,132

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES		-		-

HIGHPOWER INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Stated in US Dollars)

	*June 30,*			*December 31,*
	*2019*			*2018*
	*(Unaudited)*
	$			$
EQUITY
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock
(Par value: $0.0001, Authorized: 10,000,000 shares, Issued and outstanding: none)		-			-
Common stock
(Par value: $0.0001, Authorized: 100,000,000 shares, 15,567,953 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2019 and 15,559,658 at December 31, 2018, respectively)		1,557			1,556
Additional paid-in capital		14,257,469			13,863,282
Statutory and other reserves		8,012,052			8,012,052
Retained earnings		61,169,856			56,173,912
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(1,249,579	)		(794,835	)

TOTAL EQUITY		82,191,355			77,255,967

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY		269,097,107			288,056,099

HIGHPOWER INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Stated in US Dollars)

	*Three months ended* *June 30,*						*Six months ended* *June 30,*
	2019			2018			2019			2018
	(Unaudited)			(Unaudited)			(Unaudited)			(Unaudited)
	$			$			$			$
Net sales		75,807,093			64,923,960			133,920,573			114,707,413
Cost of sales		(57,436,018	)		(53,614,034	)		(102,888,969	)		(95,831,160	)
Gross profit		18,371,075			11,309,926			31,031,604			18,876,253

Research and development expenses		(4,380,399	)		(3,592,760	)		(7,367,108	)		(6,154,597	)
Selling and distribution expenses		(3,279,570	)		(2,121,650	)		(6,072,432	)		(4,096,746	)
General and administrative expenses		(5,027,418	)		(3,910,188	)		(9,850,907	)		(8,024,998	)
Foreign currency transaction gain (loss)		1,213,623			1,670,932			(37,272	)		656,239
Total operating expenses		(11,473,764	)		(7,953,666	)		(23,327,719	)		(17,620,102	)

Income from operations		6,897,311			3,356,260			7,703,885			1,256,151

Changes in fair value of foreign exchange derivatives		(996,012	)		(1,125,140	)		(608,912	)		(421,425	)
Government grants		729,204			988,679			950,639			1,318,499
Other income		15,550			56,581			82,248			80,142
Equity in (loss) earnings of investees		(1,177,639	)		160,070			(1,595,843	)		316,320
Interest expenses, net		(38,675	)		(312,814	)		(509,098	)		(554,666	)
Income before taxes		5,429,739			3,123,636			6,022,919			1,995,021

Income taxes expenses		(741,516	)		(409,321	)		(1,026,975	)		(399,642	)
Net income		4,688,223			2,714,315			4,995,944			1,595,379

Comprehensive income
Net income		4,688,223			2,714,315			4,995,944			1,595,379
Foreign currency translation loss		(2,160,506	)		(4,168,216	)		(454,744	)		(1,331,660	)
Comprehensive income (loss)		2,527,717			(1,453,901	)		4,541,200			263,719

Earnings per share of common stock
- Basic		0.30			0.17			0.32			0.10
- Diluted		0.30			0.17			0.32			0.10

Weighted average number of common stock outstanding
- Basic		15,567,953			15,556,361			15,567,220			15,533,139
- Diluted		15,626,265			15,629,413			15,615,590			15,619,771

HIGHPOWER INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Stated in US Dollars)

	Six Months Ended June 30,
	2019			2018
	(Unaudited)			(Unaudited)
	$			$
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income		4,995,944			1,595,379
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		3,616,314			3,003,872
Bad debt expense		93,576			(472,799	)
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment		94,147			159,458
Impairment of plant and equipment		75,783			-
Deferred taxes		(73,794	)		(498,878	)
Changes in fair value of foreign exchange derivatives		608,912			955,790
Equity in loss (earnings) of investees		1,595,843			(316,320	)
Share based compensation		394,188			488,117
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		8,198,062			(3,877,577	)
Notes receivable		(3,459,522	)		986,591
Advances to suppliers		1,848,529			(2,154,883	)
Prepayments and other receivables		4,064,320			(4,921,059	)
Amount due from a related party		334,879			740,408
Amount due to related parties		(138,767	)		-
Inventories		2,668,278			(27,915,901	)
Accounts payable		(7,588,132	)		21,683,401
Deferred government grants		221,572			469,895
Other payables and accrued liabilities		(3,379,969	)		3,578,815
Income taxes payable		(727,876	)		(1,140,753	)
Net cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities		13,442,287			(7,636,444	)

Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisitions of plant and equipment		(6,700,225	)		(5,681,723	)
Payment for long-term investment		(310,201	)		(328,927	)
Net cash flows used in investing activities		(7,010,426	)		(6,010,650	)

Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from short-term bank loans		14,771,485			15,664,587
Repayments of short-term bank loans		(14,882,292	)		-
Proceeds from a related party		2,954,297			-
Repayment of loan from a related party		(8,589,619	)		-
Repayments of non-financial institution borrowing		(8,862,891	)		(1,566,318	)
Proceeds from notes payable		58,314,662			53,584,205
Repayments of notes payable		(71,701,335	)		(55,920,682	)
Payment of derivative instruments		(190,062	)		-
Net cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities		(28,185,755	)		11,761,792
Effect of foreign currency translation on cash		(411,677	)		(1,130,850	)
Net decrease in cash and restricted cash		(22,165,571	)		(3,016,152	)
Cash and restricted cash- beginning of year		69,412,117			40,456,117
Cash and restricted cash- end of year		47,246,546			37,439,965

Supplemental disclosures for cash flow information:
Cash paid for:
Income taxes		1,960,545			2,039,273
Interest expenses		1,394,561			1,002,653
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Shares issued for legal case settlement		-			212,500
Purchase of plant and equipment financed by accounts payable		5,715,931			-
Reconciliation of cash and restricted cash:
Cash		18,092,242			7,280,576
Restricted cash		29,154,304			30,159,389
Total cash and restricted cash shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows		47,246,546			37,439,965

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA

	*Three months ended* *June 30,*				*Six months ended* *June 30,*
	2019		2018		2019		2018
	(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)
	$		$		$		$
Net income		4,688,223		2,714,315		4,995,944		1,595,379

Interest expenses, net		38,675		312,814		509,098		554,666
Income taxes expenses		741,516		409,321		1,026,975		399,642
Depreciation and Amortization		1,886,874		1,528,644		3,616,314		3,003,872

EBITDA		7,355,288		4,965,094		10,148,331		5,553,559