Smartphones push Samsung to record $4.4 bln net profit

  • Assembly points set for KL 'Black 505' rally
    Assembly points set for KL 'Black 505' rally

    Pakatan Rakyat and NGO leaders will gather at seven assembly points in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, before proceeding to Padang Merbok to hold the 'Black 505' rally. …

  • Najib breathes easier after Dr Mahathir pow-wow
    Najib breathes easier after Dr Mahathir pow-wow

    It has been a roller-coaster ride for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (pic left) since he led the Barisan Nasional to victory at the May 5 general election but without achieving his own benchmark: restoring its two-thirds control of Parliament. …

  • Dr Mahathir regrets Internet freedom
    Dr Mahathir regrets Internet freedom

    Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted today he might have made a mistake in giving guarantees for Internet freedom, which has been blamed for empowering and enabling opposition parties to win more seats in the 13th general election. …

  • Time to re-look at ETP and NKEA, says corporate leader
    Time to re-look at ETP and NKEA, says corporate leader

    It is time for the country to re-look at the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) programmes in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the government plans in actually boosting the country's economy. …

  • How Umno exploits fears of Pakatan among Malays
    How Umno exploits fears of Pakatan among Malays

    INTERVIEW Umno has successfully exploited the fears many Malays that a stronger Pakatan Rakyat would mean a dominant DAP, said PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. …

South Korea's Samsung Electronics reported a record net profit of 5.05 trillion won ($4.44 billion) in the first quarter, thanks largely to strong smartphone sales.

The figure, released on Friday, compares with net profit of 2.78 trillion won a year earlier and 4.0 trillion last October-December.

Samsung, the world's largest technology firm in revenue terms, also reported a record operating profit of 5.85 trillion won, a 98 percent rise year-on-year. Sales rose 22 percent to 45.27 trillion won.

The company credited brisk sales of its Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II devices for the record performance in January-March, a quarter which is normally a slow period for technology companies after the year-end holiday period.

Some 73 percent of the total operating profit was generated by the telecoms business. The company is the world's second largest mobile phone maker after Nokia.

Samsung said its display panel business also pushed up profit margins despite a seasonal fall in sales of computer chips and televisions. It tipped further profit increases in coming months.

"We cautiously expect our earnings momentum to continue, going forward, as competitiveness in our major businesses is enhanced," Robert Yi, senior vice president, said in a statement.

Analysts expect the mobile division to remain the biggest cash generator for the company, which is the world's largest maker of flat panels, memory chips and televisions.

Growth in shipments of the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II and other premium mobile devices yielded high returns, Samsung said, with "significant growth" in China, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa.

Analysts expect the firm to continue posting record earnings in coming quarters thanks to increased sales of its mobile products. Its new version of the Galaxy S phone is to be unveiled early next month.

From April-June, demand for chips for personal computers would revive following the bankruptcy filing of Japanese supplier Elpida, said Seo Won-Seok, an analyst at Korea Investment and Securities.

Recovery in TV panels would also accelerate, Seo said, predicting a second-quarter net profit of 6.02 trillion won.

Samsung said demand for tablet and notebook panels was expected to increase on seasonal education-related demand. Demand for TV panels was expected to grow due to Chinese Labour Day sales and the London Olympics.

The company said it would continue to boost profitability by expanding sales of premium panel products such as 3D, large size and LED panels.

Smartphone demand was expected to continue to fuel OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panel sales.

-- Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this report --

Loading...

Comments on Yahoo! pages are subject to our link to Comments Guidelines. You are responsible for any content that you post. Yahoo! is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users. Yahoo! does not in any way endorse or support comments made by its users.