Acer Inc (宏碁) yesterday reported a net profit of NT$2.82 billion (US$96.61 million) for last year, its highest earnings performance since 2010, bolstered by its efforts in higher-margin commercial and gaming PCs, as well as new businesses, such as “smart” transportation and virtual reality solutions.
“The performance demonstrates the company’s steady drive to optimize existing operations, while investing in future growth drivers in PCs and other new businesses,” Acer said in a news release.
That compares with a net loss of NT$4.9 billion in 2016, which was partly due to Acer’s recognition of intangible assets impairment from acquiring iGware Inc in 2012.
Earnings per share for last year reached NT$0.93, compared with a loss per share of NT$1.62 in 2016, company data showed.
Gross margin gained 0.73 percentage points to 10.7 percent, the highest in 14 years, while operating margin added 0.99 percentage points to 1.5 percent, the best result in seven years, the company said.
The New Taipei City-based company has been reshaping its product portfolio over the past few years by increasing sales of commercial PCs, gaming PCs and ultrabooks to offset persistent weakness in conventional consumer PCs.
In a bid to retain its technological competitiveness, Acer last year registered 380 technology patents with the Intellectual Property Office, making it one of the top five companies to receive new patents.
Acer’s board approved a cash dividend of NT$0.7 per share from its capital surplus, which translates into a payout ratio of 75.26 percent and a yield of 2.6 percent based on its closing price of NT$26.85 in Taipei trading yesterday.
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