Samsung flags chip slowdown as profit drops sharply from previous quarter

Technology

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    Customers shop at a Samsung mobile store inside a shopping mall in New Delhi.
    Reuters | Anindito Mukherjee

    Samsung Electronics on Friday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue and operating profit, though its operating profit sharply dropped from last quarter.

    Here are Samsung’s fourth-quarter results compared with LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate:

    • Revenue: 75.8 trillion Korean won vs. KRW 75.4 trillion
    • Operating profit: KRW 6.5 trillion vs. KRW 6.8 trillion

    Revenue was about 12% up from the same period from last year, while operating profit grew about 130%, year on year.

    However, operating profit fell nearly 30% to 6.5 trillion won.

    Fourth-quarter revenue beat Samsung’s own guidance of KRW 75 trillion, while operating profit came in line with the company’s forecast.

    Samsung is a leading manufacturer of memory chips, which are utilized in devices such as laptops and servers, and is also the world’s second-largest player in the smartphone market.

    “Although fourth quarter revenue and operating profit decreased on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, annual revenue reached the second-highest on record, surpassed only in 2022,” Samsung said in its statement.

    For the full year, Samsung reported KRW 300.9 trillion in revenue and KRW 32.7 trillion in operating profit. In 2023, the company posted an annual revenue of KRW 258.94 trillion and an operating profit of KRW 6.57 trillion.

    For the current quarter, Samsung said that earnings might be limited due to weakness in its semiconductor business but that it would pursue growth through AI smartphones and other premium devices. 

    “For 2025 as a whole, the Company plans to enhance technological and product advantages in AI, continue to meet future demand for high-value-added products and drive sales growth in premium segments,” it added.

    This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

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