Solar wafer manufacturer Sino-American Silicon Products Inc (SAS, 中美矽晶) yesterday said net profit last quarter grew 7.3 percent year-on-year to NT$826.72 million (US$26.73 million) after a silicon wafer manufacturing arm’s strong earnings helped it escape a solar industry slump.
Earnings per share rose from NT$1.34 to NT$1.42, company data showed.
Net profit shrank 16.29 percent from NT$987.65 million, or earnings per share of NT$1.7, in the second quarter, the data showed.
Gross margin last quarter climbed to 30.14 percent, from 21 percent a year earlier and 28 percent a quarter earlier, the data showed.
In the first three quarters of this year, net profit more than quadrupled to NT$2.53 billion, from NT$494.25 million in the same period last year, while earnings per share jumped from NT$0.86 to NT$4.33, company data showed.
Revenue expanded 18.7 percent to NT$51.47 billion from January to September, compared with NT$43.36 billion in the same period last year, the data showed.
The data showed that about 85 percent of the firm’s revenue in the first three quarters came from subsidiary GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓), the world’s third-largest silicon wafer supplier.
GlobalWafers last month said that net profit surged 119 percent to NT$3.63 billion in the third quarter, from NT$1.65 billion in the same period last year, as strong customer demand continued to squeeze capacity, while earnings per share rose from NT$4.78 to NT$8.31.
SAS said that it is diversifying to solar power plant construction and niche markets such as smart electricity grids to enhance its core solar business’ competitiveness.
Meanwhile, United Renewable Energy Co (聯合再生能源), the nation’s biggest solar cell maker, last quarter remained in the red as losses narrowed to NT$895.81 million, compared with losses of NT$1.68 billion in the third quarter of last year.
The losses widened from losses of NT$400.23 million in the second quarter due to an overcapacity-driven slump, the firm said.
In the first three quarters, the company’s losses narrowed to NT$1.9 billion, compared with losses of NT$3.57 billion in the same period last year.
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