Release Date: December 17, 2024

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

• Cheetah Mobile Inc (NYSE:CMCM) achieved accelerated revenue growth in Q3 2024, driven by service robotics and internet businesses.
• The company is expanding the use cases of its wheeled service robotics and entering overseas markets, particularly in restaurants, hotels, factories, and offices.
• Cheetah Mobile Inc (NYSE:CMCM) launched a new robot for factory and fulfillment center use, which can autonomously deliver goods.
• The company is using advanced language models (LMS) to enhance robot interactions, improving user experience and expanding into international markets.
• Cheetah Mobile Inc (NYSE:CMCM) reported a 16.6% year-over-year increase in total revenues, marking the second consecutive quarter of accelerating revenue growth.

Negative Points

• The robotics industry is still in its early stages, presenting uncertainties and challenges for growth.
• Despite revenue growth, Cheetah Mobile Inc (NYSE:CMCM) reported an operating loss of 61 million RMB in Q3 2024.
• The company is heavily investing in AI, with R&D expenses increasing by 25% quarter over quarter, which could impact short-term profitability.
• Cheetah Mobile Inc (NYSE:CMCM) is facing labor cost challenges, leading to efforts in streamlining staff and services with overlapping functions.
• The company is still optimizing its new robot product to better meet the needs of customers in overseas markets, indicating potential delays in full market deployment.

Q & A Highlights

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with CMCM.

Q: What are Cheetah Mobile's goals for the robot business in 2025 in terms of volume, revenue growth, and revenue contribution? A: The management did not provide a specific answer to this question during the call.

Q: Does Cheetah Mobile have any plans for dividend distribution or share repurchase given the large amount of net cash on the balance sheet? A: The management did not provide a specific answer to this question during the call.

Q: How is Cheetah Mobile integrating AI into its service robotics business? A: Cheetah Mobile is investing in AI to enhance its service robotics business. They are using AI to improve voice interaction, indoor autonomous driving, and robotic arms functionality. They have also launched a new robot for factory and fulfillment center use, which is being optimized for overseas markets.

Q: What are the financial highlights for Cheetah Mobile in Q3 2024? A: Cheetah Mobile reported a 16.6% year-over-year increase in total revenues for Q3 2024. The non-GAAP gross profit rose by 14% year-over-year, with a gross margin expansion to 68%. Operating loss was reduced to 61 million RMB from 63 million RMB in Q2.

Q: How is Cheetah Mobile's legacy internet business performing? A: The legacy internet business showed resilience with a 26% year-over-year growth and an 18% quarter-over-quarter growth. The operating margin for this segment improved to 10% from 6% last year.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.