Samsung expects lowest profit in over three years
In a preview to earnings due out this month, Samsung Electronics Co announced today that its quarterly profit is estimated to have fallen to its lowest level in more than three years, dragged down by weak sales of its new Galaxy model.
Samsung became the biggest smartphone brand on the popularity of earlier Galaxy models. But the bigger screen on Apple’s new iPhone 6 is luring away Americans who liked the bigger Galaxy, while in China, local brands are making inroads into Samsung’s business.
Analysts have repeatedly cut forecasts of Samsung’s profit this year as Galaxy sales lagged expectations. They say earnings in the quarter ending in September could suffer their biggest decline in Samsung’s recent history.
In Tuesday’s report, Samsung said the median forecast of July-September operating income was 4,1 trillion Won (R43 billion). That was below the median of analysts’ expectations of 5,2 trillion Won, according to FactSet, a financial data provider. It would be a 60% plunge from record-high 10,2 trillion Won a year earlier.
The decline in Galaxy sales has hurt demand for Samsung components such as an advanced display called OLED. High marketing costs are undermining profits.
“The operating margin declined due to increased marketing expenditure and lowered average selling price,” Samsung said in a statement. The company said it “cautiously expects increased shipments of new smartphones and strong seasonal demand for TV products.”
Analysts say the bigger iPhones released last month will likely take away American customers who favoured the Galaxy’s bigger screens. In emerging markets such as India and China, Samsung’s smartphone sales were overtaken by local rivals.
The operating margin declined due to increased marketing expenditure and lowered average selling price
Samsung estimated sales for the July-September period declined 20 percent from a year earlier to 47 trillion Won (R495,5 billion). That was slightly below analysts’ expectations of 50,4 trillion Won.
In January, analysts estimated Samsung’s third quarter operating income would exceed 10 trillion Won. That expectation has been steadily lowered to about half this month.
Quarterly profit from its mobile business, which reached 6,7 trillion a year earlier, is forecast to be a little over 2 trillion Won.
The company needs to revamp its handset designs, said Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at IBK Securities Co.
“Rather than seeking stability, Samsung should seek to distinguish (its phones) with Galaxy’s design policies,” he said. “The iPhone 6 will be a significant threat to Samsung.”
The company moved the launch of the Galaxy Note 4, a large smartphone with a stylus, to late September from October after Apple unveiled the iPhone 6. It also began sales of the Galaxy Note 4 in China last month, getting an early start in the world’s most populous country before Apple.
Last month, Samsung also received upbeat initial responses to its Galaxy Note Edge smartphone, a smartphone with a curved side screen that can display weather, news, apps and other information. But the supply volume for the Edge smartphone will be limited, likely not giving a big boost to its earnings, analysts said.
With growth momentum in smartphones sagging, Samsung is moving to step up its presence in the semi-conductor business.
This week, Samsung announced a 15,6 trillion Won (R165,2 billion) investment plan to build a new semiconductor fabrication plant in the South Korean city of Pyeongtaek. The construction will begin before the summer next year and begin operations during the second half of 2017.
Samsung did not disclose net income or divisional earnings in its quarterly earnings preview.
Samsung’s big property bid
Meanwhile, Samsung last month the South Korean electronics giant Samsung and automaker Hyundai were at loggerheads trying to outbid each other to buy property in the posh Gangnam district in the capital city of Seoul, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Gangnam district, an equivalent of Carlifonia’s Beverly Hills, became famous after South Korean rapper Psy’s Gangnam Style became a big hit in 2012. Gangnam is said to be.
Hyundai won the bid, paying 10,55 trillion Won (R114,5 billion), which was three times more than the property’s value. Making this the largest property deal in South Korea. But this had a negative impact on the markets as investors saw the acquisition of property as a waste of money.
Samsung’s bid price was not disclosed. But after the bid the company’s shares fell by 1,3%.
But the Gangnam district bid was not the first time the two South Korean giants went head-to-head over a property acquisition. In 2007 Samsung won the bid buying property at central Seoul’s Yongsan district at 8 trillion Won. That site has currently been valued at 3,8 trillion Won.
Source: Destiny Connect
