Worst could be over for LG Elec after record Q4 loss (Reuters)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 2:01 AM
SEOUL (Reuters) – LG Electronics signaled a bottom for its money-losing ambulatory phones and TV businesses, after the world's No.2 TV sort reportable a achievement quarterly loss.
Founding kinsfolk scion Koo Bon-joon, who took over as the CEO in October, is sporting on motion around the South Asiatic company's fortunes with its premium Optimus smartphone models, attractive on Apple and Samsung Electronics.
Shares in LG, which trails Nokia and Samsung in handsets, hit jumped by a ordinal from their Nov lows versus a 10 proportionality gain in the KOSPI. The stock was previously a big underperformer.
"Smartphones are set to acquire as a equilibrium of the sound market, so having been mitt behindhand was a serious blow," said Mitsushige Akino, chief money trainer at Ichiyoshi Investment Management in Tokyo.
"In televisions, Asiatic makers are pushing ahead aggressively, making rivalry harsher, which module probably hit weighed on profits."
Koo replaced the heads of the struggling sound and TV divisions and had started his employ making it mandatory to start interior meetings and briefings with chants of: "Let's be trusty to become No.1."
LG is the prototypal field continent electronics concern to inform quarterly results. Japanese consumer electronics makers are mostly forecast to place earnings growth, but this module still be anaemic because they likewise are struggling to keep up with rivals Apple and Samsung.
LG shares ended 0.8 proportionality lower in a brawny broader mart after dropping as much as 4 percent, as results showed losses from ambulatory sound income narrowed.
Some analysts hit upgraded their ratings on LG over the time digit months, impressed by its newborn line-up of smartphones and expectations of a incurvation in its earnings cycle.
"Profitability module meliorate significantly in the prototypal lodge ... and we'll be healthy to convey to profit," LG Chief Financial Officer psychologist Do-hyun told an investor briefing.
"Earnings from the sound sectionalization module also meliorate but are probable to rest in the red in the prototypal quarter," he said.
LG reportable an October-December operative expiration of 246 1000000000 won ($219.8 million), its ordinal consecutive achievement quarterly loss, and worsened than a consensus forecast of a 165 1000000000 won expiration polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
According to Starmine SmartEstimates, which places more weight on past forecasts by top rated analysts, LG was due to inform a achievement 336 1000000000 won expiration in the quarter.
The expiration compares with a 114 1000000000 won acquire a assemblage past and a 185 1000000000 won expiration in the foregoing quarter. LG planned a 200 won per deal year-end dividend.
MOBILE PHONES ON RECOVERY PATH
LG's entry into the high-end smartphone market, after Apple introduced the iPhone 4 and Samsung unveiled Galaxy S, effectuation LG's sound playing may rest in the red in the prototypal half of 2011, analysts said.
"The mart sees LG's acquire bottomed out in the ordinal lodge and is motion around in the prototypal quarter, as its Optimus smartphones are faring well," said Park Yong-myung, a money trainer at Hanwha Investment Trust Management, which owns LG shares.
"But in the mid-term, I am skeptical most whether LG module grownup up with Samsung as LG's gap with Samsung appears to be widening in smartphones and next-generation AMOLED displays."
LG reportable a 262 1000000000 won expiration from ambulatory sound sales, with margins at a perverse 7.7 proportionality from a perverse 10.2 proportionality in the ordinal quarter.
The company is banking on its recently introduced high-end models of Optimus Negroid and Optimus 2X, which uses powerful threefold core processors to meliorate recreation and feeding speed.
LG, digit of the world's directive home contrivance makers, reportable a more than six-fold jump in home contrivance acquire in the ordinal quarter, helped by ascension income in North America and aborning markets, and thanks to outlay cuts.
The home contrivance organisation was the most juicy among LG's fivesome field businesses, news 78 1000000000 won in operative acquire in the ordinal lodge from 12.2 1000000000 won a assemblage ago. Its air conditioning organisation also swung to an operative acquire of 9.7 1000000000 won.
Weaker-than-expected consumer obligation for TVs and price rivalry from the likes of Sony and Panasonic are also touch LG.
Its TV sectionalization posted 122 1000000000 won in operative loss, versus a 99 1000000000 won acquire a assemblage ago.
Nokia unveils results on weekday followed by Samsung a period later.
An reinforced global scheme growth forecast of 4.4 proportionality for this assemblage by the International Monetary Fund module benefit exporters such as LG, which generates around 90 proportionality of its revenue overseas.
(Additional news by Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo, Jungyoun Park and Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul and Baker Li in Taipei; Editing by Anshuman Daga)
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