DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Samsung's memory business will get a lift when AI PCs hit the shelves, advisory firm says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSamsung's memory business will get a lift when AI PCs hit the shelves, advisory firm saysOlivier Blanchard, research director at The Futurum Group, discusses Samsung's results and says the company "had a pretty rough 2023, so it's good to see them climb out of it, and climb out of it pretty quickly."

Persons: Olivier Blanchard

☆ Samsung Electronics' operating profit jumps 932.8% in first quarter, beats expectations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy S24 smartphones during a media preview event in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Here are Samsung's first-quarter results versus LSEG estimates: Revenue: 71.92 trillion Korean won (about $52.3 billion), vs. 71.04 trillion Korean won71.92 trillion Korean won (about $52.3 billion), vs. 71.04 trillion Korean won Operating profit: 6.61 trillion Korean won, vs. 5.94 trillion Korean won Samsung's revenue for the quarter ending March jumped 12.81% from a year ago, while operating profit soared 932.8% in the same period. The figures were in line with the company's guidance earlier this month, where Samsung said operating profit in the January-March quarter likely rose to 6.6 trillion Korean won, up 931% from a year ago. The South Korean electronics giant saw record losses in 2023 as the industry reeled from a post-Covid slump in demand. Operating profit increased to KRW 6.61 trillion as the Memory Business returned to profit by addressing demand for high value-added products," Samsung Electronics said in a statement on Tuesday.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, SK Kim, Kim, TSMC, Biden Organizations: Samsung Electronics Co, Samsung, Bloomberg, Getty, Samsung Electronics, Memory Business, SK, Daiwa, CNBC, Micron, Citi, —, Japan's Rapidus Corporation Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korean, Taiwan, Texas, U.S, Asia

☆ 2 AI beneficiaries that haven't caught up yet, according to top value investor
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Artificial intelligence-adjacent stocks have been the clear leaders of this bull rally, but there may still be some potential beneficiaries of the trend that haven't caught up yet, according to Aaron Dunn. Shares of Micron have rallied 9% so far this year, but Nvidia has gained 77% over the same time period. MU 6M mountain MU 6-month chart Dunn also listed professional services firm Accenture as a potential AI beneficiary. "Businesses will need help in understanding how AI should be used and the eventual implementation of those technologies," he said. ACN 6M mountain ACN 6-month chart Dunn's fund, Eaton Vance's Focused Value Opportunities Fund , has underperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Value Index , so far this year.

Persons: Aaron Dunn, Dunn, Eaton Vance, he's, that's, it's, —, Eaton Organizations: Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Eaton Vance Value, CNBC, Micron, Accenture, U.S, MU, Nvidia, Morningstar

☆ Morgan Stanley just named its 3 favorite chip stocks after hosting a big tech conference
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moore named Nvidia , Western Digital and Microchip Technology as the investment bank's favorite names coming out of the conference. Computer drive maker Western Digital is the firm's top pick. Western Digital announced in late October that it will split its hard disk drive and NAND memory businesses into two separate public companies. "Every semiconductor equipment company that we talked to highlighted that NAND spending will remain at minimal levels through CY24, even as DRAM spending and cutting edge fab spending hit new highs," he said. Western Digital shares are up 17.9% so far this year.

Persons: Morgan, Joseph Moore, Moore, Morgan Stanley's Organizations: Media, Telecom, Nvidia, Western Digital, Technology, Computer, Western, Digital Locations: CY25

☆ Samsung Electronics' operating profit falls 34.57% in the fourth quarter, in line with guidance
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

(Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesSamsung Electronics on Wednesday posted a 34.57% drop in operating profit in the fourth quarter from a year ago, in line with its guidance issued earlier this month. Here are Samsung's fourth-quarter results versus estimates: Revenue: 67.78 trillion Korean won (about $51 billion), vs. 69.27 trillion Korean won expected by LSEG analysts67.78 trillion Korean won (about $51 billion), vs. 69.27 trillion Korean won expected by LSEG analysts Operating profit: 2.82 trillion Korean won, vs. 3.43 trillion Korean won expected by LSEG analysts Samsung's revenue for the quarter ending December fell 3.8% from a year ago, while operating profit dropped 34.57% in the same period. In its earnings guidance earlier this month, Samsung said it expected operating profit for the October-December quarter to be 2.8 trillion South Korean won ($2.13 billion), down 35% from the same period a year ago when the firm reported an operating profit of 4.31 trillion won. Daiwa Capital Markets in a Jan. 9 report said Samsung's revenue and operating profit estimates were "lower than our market estimates." "We aim to establish Samsung as the leading brand in the AI smartphone market," said Samsung.

Persons: Jakub Porzycki, SK Kim, Apple, Bryan Ma, Ma Organizations: Samsung, Getty, Nurphoto, Samsung Electronics, Korean, South Korean, Daiwa, SK, Apple, International Data Corporation, IDC Locations: Krakow, Poland

☆ ‘Substantial upside’: Morgan Stanley portfolio manager loves this memory stock — and it's among analysts' top picks for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

One investor, however, has set his sights on another company offering a "value angle" on both semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Micron makes dynamic random access memory chips and NAND flash memory chips. DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, is a type of semiconductor memory needed for data processing. Micron is the third-largest player in the memory sector, coming after just South Korea's SK Hynix and Samsung , he added. Wolfe Research said Micron will likely benefit from a strong recovery in 2025 in both the DRAM and NAND space.

Persons: Aaron Dunn, CNBC's, Dunn, Morgan Stanley, you've, Goldman Sachs, Wolfe Organizations: Nvidia, Google, Micron Technology, Micron, Morgan, Value, South Korea's SK Hynix, Samsung, MU, UBS, Bank of America, Wolfe Research Locations: Morgan Stanley's

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics on Tuesday reported an annual 34% decline in operating profit for the last quarter as sluggish demands for its TVs and other consumer electronics products offset hard-won gains from a slowly recovering computer chip market. Samsung’s operating profit was measured at 2.8 trillion won ($2.1 billion) for the three months through December, compared to 4.3 trillion ($3.2 billion) from the same period last year. Its operating profit for the full year 2023 was at 6.5 trillion won ($4.8 billion), which marked an 85% decline from 2022 and represented the company’s lowest since 2008, when global markets were weathering a financial crisis. While the company’s semiconductor division posted a loss of 14.9 trillion won ($11 billion) in 2023, the losses narrowed during the fourth quarter, with the DRAM business returning to profit. “In 2024, the memory business expects the market to continue to recover despite various potential obstacles, including interest rate policies and geopolitical issues,” Samsung said in a statement.

Persons: “, ” Samsung Organizations: Samsung Electronics Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Korean

☆ Japan's Kioxia reports Q2 loss, says prices have bottomed out
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Sam Nussey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The result at Bain Capital-backed Kioxia, formerly Toshiba Memory, compares with a loss of 130.8 billion yen three months earlier. Merger talks between Kioxia and Western Digital (WDC.O) have stalled, Reuters reported previously, after Kioxia investor SK Hynix (000660.KS) said it did not back the deal. Selling prices have bottomed out, Kioxia said, pointing to expected higher shipments of smartphones and PCs next year. Revenue fell quarter-on-quarter with Kioxia saying the smaller loss was because of higher average selling prices with a boost from the weaker yen. Separately, Toshiba (6502.T), which holds a stake in Kioxia after selling its chip unit to the Bain-led consortium in 2018, posted a 26.7 billion yen net loss in the second quarter.

Persons: Kioxia, Bain, Sam Nussey, Tom Hogue Organizations: Taipei, REUTERS, Rights, Bain Capital, Toshiba, Western, Reuters, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, Revenue, Japan Industrial Partners, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Kioxia, KS

☆ The world's two largest memory chipmakers signal demand weakness may have bottomed out
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The recent earnings calls of the world's two largest memory chipmakers signaled that weak demand may have finally bottomed out. This followed a 85.15% drop in first quarter operating profit from the previous quarter and a small 4.68% improvement in second-quarter operating profit from the first quarter. Such memory chips are found in consumer devices such as laptops and smartphones. During the pandemic, companies stockpiled memory chips to meet record electronics demand, but were left with excess inventory when that pressure eased. Inflation has caused consumers to rein in spending and cut back on purchases of consumer devices, driving down demand and prices for memory chips.

Persons: James Lim, Lim, Samsung Organizations: SK Hynix, Dalton Investments, CNBC, South, U.S, Micron

☆ Japan Inc is only winner in nixed chip deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But this failed tie-up does have a winner of sorts: Japan Inc.That’s precious little consolation for the others involved. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe nixed deal also complicates Bain Capital’s exit strategy from Kioxia. Yet Western Digital was set to be the majority partner in the proposed deal. The Nikkei business daily also said that Kioxia and Western Digital were unable to agree on conditions with top Kioxia shareholder Bain Capital. The news sent Western Digital shares down 9%.

Persons: Elliot, Bain, Nobuo Hayasaka, –, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Japan Inc, Western Digital, Elliot Investment Management, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Toshiba, SK Hynix, Western Digital’s, Development Bank of Japan, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, –, Western, South Korea's SK Hynix, U.S, Nikkei, Bain Capital, Thomson Locations: HYDERABAD, India, Japan, Tokyo

☆ Western Digital and Japan's Kioxia call off merger talks - Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Ann/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) and Japan's Kioxia Holdings have broken off talks to create one of the world's biggest chipmakers, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday. The companies were also unable to agree on conditions with top Kioxia shareholder Bain Capital, the report added. Western Digital, Kioxia and Bain Capital did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Shares of Western Digital sank 12% on the news. Kioxia and Western Digital have held merger talks since 2021 but the negotiations have often stalled over a series of issues, including valuation discrepancies.

Persons: David Dolan, Aditya Soni, Juby Babu, Chavi Mehta, Shweta Agarwal Organizations: Taipei, REUTERS, Rights, Western Digital Corp, Japan's Kioxia Holdings, Nikkei, SK Hynix, Bain Capital, Samsung Electronics, South Korean SK Hynix, Kioxia, Western Digital, Western, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, U.S, Kioxia, Bengaluru

☆ Kioxia has reached out to JIC to invest in merger with Western Digital - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Japanese chipmaker Kioxia's products are displayed at its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, September 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Kioxia Holdings has reached out to state-backed Japan Industrial Partners (JIC) to invest in a planned merger of its flash memory business with that of Western Digital, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Japan's top banks are set to commit to 1.9 trillion yen ($12.67 billion) in financing to support the merger, Reuters reported on Thursday. read more($1 = 149.9400 yen)Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Rocky Swift, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kioxia Holdings, Japan Industrial Partners, Western Digital, Bloomberg, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Japan's top banks are set to commit to 1.9 trillion yen ($12.7 billion) financing to support the merger of Kioxia Holdings and Western Digital's flash memory business, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Several tech deals have been scuppered in recent years due to delays in regulatory approvals or rejections by China. 2 player in NAND flash memory chips - and Western Digital's fourth-ranked flash business, would control a third of the global NAND flash market, on par with top player Samsung Electronics (005930.KS). Kioxia and Western Digital have held merger talks since 2021 but the negotiations have often stalled over a series of issues including valuation discrepancies. In Japan, the two companies jointly produce NAND flash memory chips, which are widely used in smartphones, personal computers and other devices to store digital data.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Bain, Nobuo Hayasaka, Makiko Yamazaki, Miho Uranaka, Maki Shiraki, Miyoung Kim, Tomasz Janowwski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kioxia Holdings, Reuters, Intel Corp, China ., Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Development Bank of Japan, SK Hynix, Toshiba Corp, Samsung Electronics, Nasdaq, Western, Mitsubishi, Mizuho, Sumitomo Mitsui, Western Digital, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, Kioxia

☆ Kioxia's banks to refinance $13.5 bln loan for Western Digital merger -Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T) and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T) intend to submit a commitment letter for the refinancing next month, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. Part of the loan will be used to pay special dividends to Kioxia's shareholders, Bloomberg said. Of the 2 trillion yen loan, 400 billion yen will likely be funded through loan commitments and the Development Bank of Japan will provide a loan of 300 billion yen. The rest will likely be equally split between the three megabanks, Bloomberg reported. Kioxia and Western Digital are speeding up merger talks and nailing down a deal structure, Reuters reported in May, amid a slump in the market for flash memory.

Persons: Kioxia, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Sam Nussey, Makiko Yamazaki, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Taipei, REUTERS, Rights, Western, Bloomberg, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Kioxia, Mizuho, MUFG, Development Bank of Japan, Western Digital, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Boeing, Alphabet, Okta, Costco, Dick's, Tesla & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Bank of America reiterates Morgan Stanley as buy Bank of America said the investment bank is "best-in-class." "Initiate at Buy with a Street-high target price of USD72; we like Monster for its market positioning and growth opportunity." "While we turned more optimistic on MOS ahead of this year's crop season, we now see minor downside from current share price levels." Bank of America adds Boeing to the US1 list Bank of America added the stock to its top picks list. Bank of America reiterates Alphabet as buy Bank of America said it remains "constructive" on Alphabet's AI-driven ad products.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Parsons, Tesla, Evercore, Morgan Stanley, it's, JPMorgan, Dick's, Bernstein, Marriott, Telsey, Ulta, Eli Lilly, Stifel Organizations: Teledyne, Bank of America, underperform Bank of America, PSN, U.S, Infrastructure, EU, " Bank of America, Nvidia, HSBC, Barclays, Target, JPMorgan, Hilton, Sports, UBS, Walmart, Base, Costco, Mosaic, Boeing, Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp, Citi, Urban Outfitters Locations: U.S, LLY

"Production cuts across the industry are likely to continue in the second half, and demand is expected to gradually recover as clients continue to destock their (chip) inventory," Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker, said in a statement. It had reported a 9.98 trillion won profit a year earlier. Samsung said it spent 14.5 trillion won in capital expenditures during the second quarter, of which 13.5 trillion won was spent on chips. Operating profit fell to 669 billion won ($527 million) in April-June, from 14.1 trillion won a year earlier. Samsung's mobile business reported a 3.04 trillion won profit in the June quarter, up from 2.62 trillion won a year earlier.

Persons: Jaejune Kim, Taiwan's TSMC, Apple's, 1,269.2200, Joyce Lee, Miyoung Kim, Jamie Freed Organizations: Samsung, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, South, SK Hynix's, Qualcomm, Revenue, Thomson Locations: SEOUL

☆ Samsung's premium smartphones could offset the damage from its memory business, IDC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSamsung's premium smartphones could offset the damage from its memory business, IDC saysBryan Ma of the International Data Corporation says "Samsung's been rather proud about how this premium part of the smartphone market has done quite well for them."

Persons: Bryan Ma, Samsung's Organizations: IDC, International Data Corporation

☆ Samsung reports 95% drop in profit, but expects global demand to recover in second half of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 smartphone, left, a Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphone during the Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Both DRAM and NAND flash memory chips also saw "more limited price drops" which improved second-quarter performance, compared with the first quarter, Samsung said. Weak electronics demandSamsung said that overall mobile phone market demand declined from the first quarter due to continued macroeconomic challenges such as inflation. Inflation has led to consumers cutting back on purchases of these goods, driving down prices for memory chips. Focus on premium foldable phonesSamsung said it will focus on the newly launched high-end Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 series to cement its leading position in the global foldable smartphone market.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, Nabila Popal, Bryan Ma Organizations: Samsung, Galaxy, Apple Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, International Data Corporation, Micron, SK Hynix, IDC Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China

☆ South Korea wants to be a top A.I. hub — its chip dominance could be an advantage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty ImagesSouth Korea's dominance in the memory chip market and a robust artificial intelligence ecosystem gives it an advantage in the global AI chip race, said industry observers. South Korea dominating in the memory market is definitely an advantage," said James Lim, senior research analyst at Dalton Investments. "South Korea seeks to emerge as a prominent player in rapidly growing and promising areas such as AI semiconductors," said Lee. "South Korea has a robust local AI ecosystem, capable of competing with global tech giants," said Sung Nako, executive for large scale AI development at South Korean internet giant Naver. ChatGPT maker OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman had urged South Korea to lead AI chip production during his meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in June.

Persons: Jung Yeon, James Lim, Lee, Dylan Patel, SemiAnalysis, ., TrendForce, Sung Nako, Sam Altman, Yoon Suk, Altman, Dalton's Lim, Geoffrey Cain Organizations: Getty, Dalton Investments, CNBC, Samsung, SK Hynix South, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Science, Micron, South, South Korean, Nvidia, Intel Locations: Seoul, Korea, South Korea, China, U.S

Japan's Kioxia and U.S. chipmaker Western Digital have been hit hard by plunging market demand and oversupply. Combining their flash memory businesses could boost competitiveness against rivals like South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS). Western Digital did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Kioxia, previously Toshiba Memory, was sold by Toshiba Corp (6502.T) in 2018 to a consortium led by Bain Capital for $18 billion. Kioxia and Western Digital were in merger talks in 2021 before the negotiations stalled over a series of issues including valuation discrepancies.

☆ Micron Revives Some of Its Worst Memories
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Even during sharp downturns, chip makers can’t fully shut down all their fabrication facilities. Micron Technology Inc.’s latest results give new meaning to the phrase “darkest before the dawn.”The memory-chip maker said late Tuesday that fiscal second-quarter revenue plunged 53% from a year earlier to about $3.7 billion. That follows a 47% drop the previous quarter, and the company projected a 57% slide for the current period that ends in May. The memory business has long been one of volatile swings, but Micron hasn’t seen a sustained sales downturn of the same degree since the industry was reeling from the dot-com crash in 2001, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Operating losses were also $2.3 billion—the most Micron has ever lost in a single quarter.

☆ Samsung Expects Sluggish Demand to Drag On as Profit Slides
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL— Samsung Electronics Co. expects demand for semiconductors and smartphones to remain sluggish as macroeconomic challenges and fears of a recession continue to hurt sales, but it said a recovery could be possible in the second half. Economic uncertainties are weakening momentum for any short-term rebound in demand for memory chips, Samsung’s main cash cow, said Kim Jae-june, executive vice president for global sales and marketing at the company’s memory business, in an earnings call on Tuesday.

☆ Samsung Expects Sluggish Demand to Continue After Posting 69% Drop in Profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The dismal profit estimate by the world's largest memory chip, smartphone and TV maker - a bellwether for global consumer demand - sets a weak tone for other technology firms' quarterly results. Samsung's profits are expected to shrink again in the current quarter, analysts said, after the South Korean company announced its October-December operating profit likely fell 69% to 4.3 trillion won ($3.37 billion) from 13.87 trillion won a year earlier. It was Samsung's smallest quarterly profit since the third quarter of 2014 and fell short of a 5.9 trillion won Refinitiv SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Quarterly revenue likely fell 9% from the same period a year earlier to 70 trillion won, Samsung said in a short preliminary earnings statement. Shares of rival memory chip maker SK Hynix (000660.KS) rose 2.1%.

Search resuls for: "Memory Business"

25 mentions found