Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦), the world’s top contract laptop computer maker, yesterday posted 28 percent quarterly growth in net profit for the fourth quarter of last year, while the firm’s gross margin rebounded to its highest level in seven quarters.
Net income expanded to NT$6.98 billion (US$236.34 million) last quarter, compared with NT$5.45 billion in the third quarter, and three times the NT$2.32 billion net income recorded in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Gross margin climbed to 4.57 percent in the fourth quarter from 3.65 percent in the third quarter, and 2.8 percent a year earlier.
Quanta said the company’s growth momentum came primarily from production of servers supporting cloud-computing technology and tablets. The company said in October last year that it planned to expand non-PC business to between 25 percent and 30 percent of its total revenues.
The fourth-quarter figures were calculated by subtracting the total net profits for the first three quarters, NT$16.52 billion, from the full-year net profit, NT$23.5 billion, which was posted yesterday.
Last year, Quanta’s net profit hit a record high, expanding 26 percent from NT$18.59 billion in 2010.
However, revenue slid slightly to NT$1.11 trillion last year, from 2010’s NT$1.12 trillion.
Quanta shipped 13.9 billion notebook computers in the quarter ending Dec. 31, down 4 percent from 14.5 million units in the previous quarter, after severe flooding in Thailand last year caused many of the world’s major hard disk drive makers to shut down factories, resulting in tight supplies.
The company shipped 55.8 million notebook computers last year, up 7.1 percent from 52.1 million units in 2010, meaning Quanta hit its 5 percent to 10 percent annual growth target.
Quanta is scheduled to hold an annual shareholders’ meeting on June 22 to approve the annual financial statements and other agenda.
Quanta shares rose 0.7 percent to NT$72.3. Rival Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦) shares slid 1.62 percent to NT$33.5.
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