February 2, 2008

Sharp's profit edges higher

TOKYO - Sharp Corp. saw net profit grow 3.8 percent in the October-December quarter owing to increased profits in its liquid crystal display and chip businesses, the major manufacturer of LCD televisions said Friday.

Net income rose 29.60 billion yen ($278.2 million) for the fiscal third quarter, up from 28.51 billion yen the same period the previous year, the Osaka-based company said in a release.

Sales rose 12.3 percent for the period to 921 billion yen ($8.66 million) from 820 billion yen, it said.

Sales of LSIs — sophisticated chips increasingly used in digital consumer goods — rose 33 percent, while liquid crystal display sales climbed 34 percent during the third quarter, the company said. That offset a 9 percent decline in revenue from other electronics components such as solar cells.

Consumer and information products such as LCD color TVs and mobile phones posted a 8.3 percent sales rise as well, said Sharp, known for its Aquos brand of flat-panel LCD TVs.

The company left unchanged its forecast for the full business year through March at 105 billion yen ($987 million) net profit on sales of 3.4 trillion yen ($31.95 billion).

Sharp's share price fell 0.7 percent to $17.16. It announced the results after the close of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The company was the world's third-largest LCD TV maker in 2006 behind Sony Corp. and South Korea's Samsung Electronics, according to a survey by market researcher DisplaySearch.

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