Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division is expected to post a loss in the first quarter of this year for the first time in 14 years.
According to the securities firms' earnings consensus (forecast) compiled by FnGuide on the 20th, Samsung Electronics' operating profit for the first quarter is expected to be 1.9071 trillion KRW. Compared to the operating profit of 14.1214 trillion KRW in the first quarter of last year, this represents an 86.5% decrease. In terms of quarterly operating profit, this is the lowest since the first quarter of 2009.
In the securities industry, it is anticipated that Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division will record a loss in the first quarter amid sluggish performance in its core businesses such as memory semiconductors. A considerable number of securities firms forecast a loss ranging from 2 trillion to 3 trillion KRW in the first quarter. This quarterly loss would be the first in 14 years since the first quarter of 2009.
Hi Investment & Securities presented an operating profit forecast for Samsung Electronics in the first quarter at around 1.2 trillion KRW on the same day.
Researcher Song Myung-seop of Hi Investment & Securities stated, "We forecast Samsung Electronics' first-quarter sales and operating profit at 62.84 trillion KRW and 1.21 trillion KRW, respectively." The operating profit forecast by division includes a 2.6 trillion KRW loss in semiconductors (2.6 trillion KRW loss in memory), 80 billion KRW in displays, 2.7 trillion KRW in Mobile Experience (MX) and networks, and 400 billion KRW in home appliances (including Harman).
Meanwhile, SK Hynix, which posted a loss in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to see an even larger loss in the first quarter. FnGuide's forecast for the first-quarter operating loss amounts to 3.1052 trillion KRW, which is 1.2068 trillion KRW larger than the loss in the fourth quarter of last year.
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