Sensor maker PixArt Imaging Inc (原相科技) expects sales growth in the second half of this year, supported by the peak season for wearable devices and console gaming.
The company said that its CMOS optical heart rate sensor has been selected by South Korean and US fitness wearable brands, as well as by a number of Chinese smartwatch makers, and growing demand is expected to drive up shipments this quarter following a lull last quarter, Pixart Imaging chief financial officer Lo Mei-wei (羅美煒) told a teleconference.
The company should begin shipping automotive gesture recognition products in the second half of this year, after gaining the required certifications, Lo said.
He said that automotive shipments would be limited initially, and declined to specify whether the products would be destined for European or Japanese car makers.
While shipments of console gaming components would likely slow this quarter, they would be boosted in the second half of the year as it is the peak season for popular products such as the Nintendo Switch, Lo said.
Wired and wireless computer mouse component sales, which accounted for 72 percent of sales last quarter, are expected to see a double-digit decline this quarter, as customers continue to adjust their inventory figures following a round of restocking shortly after the Lunar New Year holiday, Lo said.
However, demand for PC gaming mouse components remains robust, and shipments are expected to rise 10 percent sequentially this quarter, Lo said.
As of the end of March, PC gaming mouse components accounted for 30 percent of total mouse sales, he said.
Looking ahead, the company is expecting a shift in its product mix, with mouse sales expected to dip from 72 percent of the total sales at the end of March to about 65 percent, Lo said, adding that the sales contribution from gaming consoles is also expected to see a sequential decline this quarter, with revenue contribution falling below 19 percent of total sales.
Despite the decline in its main product categories, the company is expecting surveillance and security products to see significant gains this quarter, while changes in the company’s product mix should boost gross margins to about 56.68 percent this quarter, up from 55.7 percent at the end of March, Lo said.
The company reported that its net income last quarter rose 134 percent annually to NT$169.88 million (US$5.68 million), with sales rising 17.8 percent to NT$1.3 billion. Earnings per share were NT$1.4.
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