Analyst: Samsung Q2 may experience its first quarterly loss in nearly 15 years

Source: Mantianxin

    According to Yonhap News Agency, analysts said on Sunday that Samsung may experience operating losses in the second quarter due to sluggish chips and declining mobile demand, marking its first quarterly loss in nearly 15 years.

    According to Hi Investment Securities, Samsung may suffer an operating loss of up to 128 trillion won (961 million US dollars) in the second quarter. Among local securities firms offering similar prospects, SK Securities expects an operating loss of 600 billion won from April to June, while Samsung Securities expects an operating loss of 279 billion won. If that were the case, it would mark the first operating loss since the fourth quarter of 2008, when Samsung Electronics recorded an operating loss of 940 billion won.

    The company estimated in its financial report released earlier this month that operating profit in the first quarter decreased by 95.75% to 600 billion won.

    Samsung did not disclose detailed data for each business unit. Analysts predict that its DS (Device Solutions) division, which is responsible for the chip business, may have suffered an operating loss of 4 trillion won, but the mobile division, supported by its newly launched Galaxy S23, has steadily grown, which may have helped the company achieve meager profits in the first quarter.

    Hwang Min seong, a researcher at Samsung Securities, said, "The first quarter results were the result of thin profits in displays, home appliances, and electronic devices, while smartphones offset most of the large-scale losses of semiconductors." In addition, Hwang Min seong said, "semiconductors cannot immediately turn losses into profits

    Due to the dismal first quarter profit outlook, analysts expect a worse second quarter profit result as of June, as the impact of the new Galaxy release is expected to weaken and global chip demand may still be sluggish.

    After releasing its financial report, Samsung Electronics stated in a document that in the face of sluggish semiconductor demand, it has reduced production to a "meaningful level", which is in stark contrast to its previous stance of no production reduction plan.