Electronic components supplier Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) yesterday reported that net profit last quarter fell 4 percent year-on-year to NT$2.99 billion (US$103.37 million), from NT$3.11 billion in the same period last year.
That translated into earnings per share (EPS) of NT$1.29, down from NT$1.34 a year earlier. On a quarterly basis, net profit contracted 13 percent from NT$3.45 billion, or EPS of NT$1.48, in the second quarter.
Gross margin increased to 19 percent from 16.2 percent in the third quarter last year, which was a decline from 19.4 percent in the second quarter.
Photo: Chen Rou-chen, Taipei Times
Operating profit for the third quarter grew 23 percent year-on-year to NT$3.99 billion from NT$3.35 billion, as the company recognized a substantial asset impairment loss.
‘NO IMPACT’
“In surveying the current state and likely future trends of the global CD-ROM reader industry, we have decided to recognize a goodwill impairment of about NT$700 million,” the company said in its revenue statement.
The impairment would have “no impact” on cash flow or revenue, the statement added.
Lite-On president Anson Chiu (邱森彬) said that he sees the work-from-home trend continuing through the first half of next year.
“As long as COVID-19 is still around, the demand [for work-from-home equipment] would still be around,” Chiu said, adding that “we will continue to see double-digit percentage growth in revenue from laptop-related products in the fourth quarter on a year-on-year basis.”
‘GOOD NEWS’
He is also optimistic that Lite-On’s automotive and 5G-related product categories would see positive movement next year.
Chiu also said there would be “good news” for the company’s 5G base stations in the first quarter next year.
Lite-On’s automotive products would also start contributing more seriously to revenue, he added.
“As Lite-On sheds underperforming departments, we expect gross margin and operating profit margin to keep improving in the fourth quarter on a year-on-year basis,” Chiu said.
Third-quarter revenue fell 14 percent to NT$41.33 billion from NT$48.16 billion in the third quarter last year.
Cumulative net profit for the first three quarters was NT$8.01 billion, a 15 percent increase year-on-year.
EPS for that period were NT$3.45, up from NT$3 from a year earlier.
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan’s food delivery market could undergo a major shift if Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd completes its planned acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan, industry experts said. Grab on Monday last week announced it would acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for US$600 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year, with Grab aiming to complete user migration to its platform by the first half of next year. A duopoly between Uber Eats and Foodpanda dominates Taiwan’s delivery market, a structure that has remained intact since the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Uber Technologies Inc’s
RSS