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☆ Apple supplier Foxconn sees strong 2024 as Q4 beats forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The outlook has turned rosier since Foxconn Chairman Young Liu said in November the world's largest contract electronics maker had "relatively conservative and neutral" expectations for 2024. The profit beat a T$43.52 billion LSEG SmartEstimate, which gives greater weight to forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. In the fourth quarter, consumer electronics including smartphones accounted for 58% of revenue while cloud and networking products, including servers, contributed 20%. Foxconn said it expects revenue for the first quarter to slightly decline from a year earlier, with revenue for smart computer electronics also likely to drop in the period. Apple last month reported sales and profit that beat Wall Street estimates, powered by growth in its iPhone business though its China sales missed analysts' targets.

Persons: 20JUL16 SCMP, Nora Tam, Foxconn, Young Liu Organizations: South China Morning, Getty, Foxconn, Hai Precision Industry Co, Apple, Wall Locations: Foxconn, Longhua, Shenzhen, 20JUL16, South, China

☆ SK Hynix swings to fourth-quarter profit on strong AI chip demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The SK Hynix Inc. logo is displayed on a glass door at the company's office in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2014. SK Hynix aims to select a U.S. site for its advanced chip packaging plant and break ground there around the first quarter of next year. South Korea's SK Hynix on Thursday posted its first quarterly profit in a year on robust demand for high-end chips used in artificial intelligence and restocking orders from Chinese mobile clients. The results compared with expectations for a 192 billion won operating loss, according to 23 analysts' views compiled by LSEG SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts who are more consistently accurate. SK Hynix last posted an operating profit in the third quarter of 2022.

Persons: LSEG SmartEstimate Organizations: SK Hynix Inc, SK Hynix, South Korea's SK Hynix, Revenue Locations: Seoul, South Korea, U.S

☆ Hyundai Motor's fourth-quarter net profit rises 31%, misses forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hyundai Motor, the world's No.3 automaker by sales with its affiliate Kia Corp, reported a net profit of 2.2 trillion won ($1.65 billion) for the October-December period versus a profit of 1.7 trillion won a year earlier. That compared with a 2.9 trillion won average forecast by LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted towards estimates from analysts who are more consistently accurate. It expects a 4.9% jump in North American vehicle sales but a 3.7% drop and 0.6% fall in vehicle sales in China and Europe, respectively. "Hyundai Motor expects the business environment will remain difficult to predict, due to macro uncertainties centered on emerging markets and a downturn in the real economy," Hyundai Motor said in a statement. Shares in Hyundai Motor were trading up 2.0% after it reported its earnings, outperforming 0.1 rise for the benchmark Kospi.

Persons: Hyundai, LSEG SmartEstimate, Lee Jae, Lee Organizations: Hyundai, Hyundai Motor, Kia Corp, Eugene Investment, Securities Locations: San, San Leandro , California, South, Russia, China, Europe

☆ TSMC posts flat fourth-quarter revenue but beats expectations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Taiwan chipmaker TSMC reported a largely flat fourth-quarter revenue on Wednesday, but that still beat both the company's and market's expectations. Revenue in the final three months of last year came in at T$625.5 billion ($20.10 billion), according to Reuters calculations, compared with $19.93 billion in the year-ago period. That beat Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's, or TSMC, previous prediction for fourth-quarter revenue being in a range of between $18.8-19.6 billion, and also beat an LSEG SmartEstimate of T$617.1 billion drawn from 21 analysts. For December alone, TSMC reported that revenue fell 8.4% year-on-year to T$176.3 billion, which was down 14.4% compared with the previous month. TSMC, Asia's most valuable publicly listed company with a market capitalization of $491 billion, did not provide any details or forward guidance in its brief revenue statement.

Persons: Taiwan chipmaker TSMC, SmartEstimates, TSMC Organizations: Apple, Nvidia, Revenue, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, TSMC's Locations: Taiwan, TSMC's Taipei

☆ SK Hynix says AI boom will drive profits after third-quarter loss narrows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SK Hynix logo displayed on a phone screen as seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on January 30, 2023. South Korea's SK Hynix said a boom in artificial intelligence will drive chip profits after posting a sharply narrower third quarter loss than it did in the previous quarter. Strong demand for advanced chips used in AI helped ease the impact of a prolonged slowdown in demand for commodity chips used in smartphones and computers in the three months to the end of September, the world's second-biggest memory chipmaker said on Thursday. SK Hynix said it swung to a 1.8 trillion won, or $1.33 billion, third-quarter operating loss from a profit of 1.7 trillion won a year earlier. It was its fourth consecutive quarterly loss, but improved from a trough of a 3.4 trillion won loss in the first quarter and a 2.9 trillion won loss in the second quarter.

Persons: South Korea's SK Hynix, chipmaker, SK Hynix, LSEG SmartEstimate Organizations: SK Hynix, South Korea's SK, SK, Revenue Locations: Krakow, Poland

A Hyundai Elantra N is displayed at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai, China April 18, 2023. Hyundai reported a net profit of 3.2 trillion won ($2.36 billion) for the July-September period, up from 1.3 trillion in profit a year earlier. That exceeded an estimate of 2.9 trillion won from 19 analysts compiled by LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Revenue rose 8.7% year-on-year to 41 trillion won. Shares of Hyundai Motor were trading down 0.2% as of 0451 GMT, versus benchmark KOSPI's (.KS11) 2.4% fall.

Persons: Aly, LSEG SmartEstimate, 1,358.3200, Heekyong Yang, Joyce Lee, Clarence Fernandez, Jamie Freed Organizations: Hyundai, Auto, REUTERS, Rights, General Motors, EV, Hyundai Motor, Thomson Locations: Auto Shanghai, Shanghai, China, Rights SEOUL, KS

The logo of SK Hynix is seen at its headquarters in Seongnam, South Korea, April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) said a boom in artificial intelligence will drive chip profits after posting a sharply narrower third quarter loss than it did in the previous quarter. SK Hynix said it swung to a 1.8 trillion won ($1.33 billion) third-quarter operating loss from a profit of 1.7 trillion won a year earlier. It was its fourth consecutive quarterly loss, but improved from a trough of a 3.4 trillion won loss in the first quarter and a 2.9 trillion won loss in the second quarter. SK Hynix was ahead of rivals in developing HBM3 chips and securing AI-chip leader Nvidia (NVDA.O) as a client.

Persons: Kim Hong, chipmaker, SK Hynix, LSEG SmartEstimate, 1,351.6200, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam, Jamie Freed Organizations: SK Hynix, REUTERS, Rights, Korea's SK Hynix, SK, Revenue, Samsung Electronics, Analysts, SK Hynix's, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, KS

☆ TSMC Q3 profit falls 24.9%, beats expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A smartphone with a displayed TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. The forecast-beating results by the world's most advanced chipmaker follows better-than-expected quarterly profit from rival Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) earlier this month. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) , the world's largest contract chipmaker and a major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) supplier, saw July-September net profit fall to T$211 billion from T$280.9 billion a year earlier. The profit beat a T$195.5 billion LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Capital expenditure in the third quarter was $7.1 billion, TSMC said, compared with $8.17 billion in the previous quarter.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, TSMC, TW, Sarah Wu, Yimou Lee, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, REUTERS, Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Apple Inc, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, U.S, China, Taipei

A logo of Taiwanse chip giant TSMC can be seen in Tainan, Taiwan December 29, 2022. The likely decline in profit also reflects a strong performance last year, when the company was still riding high on pent-up post-pandemic demand. The world's largest contract chipmaker is set to report net profit of T$195.9 billion ($6 billion) for July-September - its second straight quarter of profit decline, according to an LSEG SmartEstimate drawn from 19 analysts. Given that, much of Thursday's focus will be on TSMC's outlook for the fourth quarter and beyond. Fubon Securities expects a slow start to next year for TSMC, with 10% growth in the first quarter, predicting order cancellations towards the year end and mild restocking demand.

Persons: Ann Wang, SmartEstimates, Morgan Stanley, SmartEstimate, TSMC, Sarah Wu, Ben Blanchard, Emily Chan, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Revenue, TAIPEI, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, TSMC's, Fubon Securities, TSMC, Apple, Thomson Locations: Tainan, Taiwan, Asia's, TSMC's Taipei

Samsung shares opened 3.3% higher versus a 1.4% rise in the wider market (.KS11), as analysts said memory chip prices likely bottomed in the third quarter, with some types starting to rebound. The world's largest memory chip and smartphone maker estimated its operating profit fell to 2.4 trillion won ($1.79 billion) in July-September, from 10.85 trillion won a year earlier in a short preliminary earnings statement. The profit beat a 2.1 trillion won LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. The company reported losses of 4.58 trillion won and 4.36 trillion in its chip business in the first and second quarter respectively, as memory chip prices plunged and its inventory values were slashed. Samsung's said its revenue likely fell 13% from the same period a year earlier to 67 trillion won.

Persons: Yves Herman, LSEG, Ko Yeongmin, chipmakers, Ko, Samsung's, 1,342.1900, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Jamie Freed Organizations: Samsung, REUTERS, Samsung Electronics, Daol Investment, Securities, Apple, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, SEOUL

The world's largest memory chip and smartphone maker estimated its operating profit fell to 2.4 trillion won ($1.79 billion) in July-September, from 10.85 trillion won a year earlier in a short preliminary earnings statement. The profit beat a 2.1 trillion won LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Although down sharply from last year, Samsung's third quarter profit is higher than the first quarter's 640 billion won and the second quarter's 670 billion won. Rival Micron Technology (MU.O) also forecast a quarterly loss last month, triggering concerns of a sluggish recovery in the memory chip maker's end markets such as data centres. Samsung's revenue likely fell 13% from the same period a year earlier to 67 trillion won, Samsung said in the statement.

Persons: Yves Herman, LSEG, Samsung's, chipmakers, 1,342.1900, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Jamie Freed Organizations: Samsung, REUTERS, Rights, Samsung Electronics Co, Micron Technology, Apple, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, Rights SEOUL, KS, Korean

☆ Samsung Q3 profit set to slump 80% as chip losses persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view shows Samsung Electronics' chip production plant at Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on September 7, 2022. The world's biggest maker of memory chips, smartphones and televisions will announce its third-quarter preliminary earnings results on Wednesday. It compares with an operating profit of 10.85 trillion won in the September quarter last year. Analysts said Samsung's cuts to chip production also hurt economies of scale, lifting the costs of making chips. Rival Micron Technology (MU.O) forecast a quarterly loss last month, triggering concerns of a sluggish recovery in the memory chip maker's end markets such as data centres.

Persons: 1,347.1300, Joyce Lee, Jamie Freed Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Analysts, Samsung, Micron Technology, KB Securities, SK Hynix, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Korean, American

SEOUL, July 28 (Reuters) - SK Innovation Co Ltd (096770.KS), owner of South Korea's top refiner SK Energy, said on Friday it expects refining margins to gradually improve in the second half thanks to favourable market conditions backed by solid travel season demand. Analysts said SK Innovation's refining business had been hit by declines in refining margins and oil prices, while its battery business had continued generating losses due to costs related to its newly set up U.S. battery plants. SK Innovation's battery unit SK On, which was split off last year, accounted for about 20% of the company's revenue in the second quarter. SK Innovation said it expects its battery unit's profitability to improve in the second half thanks to the U.S. tax subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act. Shares of SK Innovation were trading down 0.9%, versus benchmark KOSPI's (.KS11) 0.5% fall at 0210 GMT.

Persons: Refinitiv SmartEstimate, Kim Kyunghoon, 1,282.8300, Heekyong Yang, Joyce Lee, Jamie Freed, Kim Coghill Organizations: SK Innovation Co, refiner SK Energy, Analysts, SK Innovation's, SK, SK Innovation, Ford Motor, Hyundai Motor, Chief, SK On's, LG Energy, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North America, Europe

☆ LG Energy Solution Q2 profit jumps 136% on strong demand for EV batteries
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, July 27 (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd (373220.KS) on Thursday posted a 136% jump in quarterly profit, helped by rising demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The company, which supplies General Motors Co (GM.N), Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), and others, reported an operating profit of 461 billion won ($362.68 million) for the April-June period, versus 196 billion won a year earlier. That compared with the company's estimate of 612 billion won announced earlier this month and an average analyst forecast of 641 billion won compiled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate. LGES said it had reflected one-off cost of 151 billion won for General Motors' Bolt electric vehicle recall. Revenue for the quarter rose 73% to 8.8 trillion won, LG Energy said in a regulatory filing.

Persons: Refinitiv SmartEstimate, LGES, 1,271.1000, Heekyong Yang, Jihoon Lee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Korea's LG Energy Solution, General Motors Co, Tesla Inc, General Motors, Revenue, LG Energy, Thomson Locations: SEOUL

The company, which supplies General Motors Co (GM.N), Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and others, warned it faces weaker EV demand in Europe and China than previously expected. The U.S. is the only market where demand forecasts have not been cut, the company said. LGES reported an operating profit of 461 billion won ($363 million) for the April-June period, up from 196 billion won a year earlier, but that was far below the company's estimate of 612 billion won and an average analyst forecast of 641 billion won compiled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate. "LGES' comment on sluggish EV demand in Europe, where it has major customers like Volkswagen and Renault, seems to be affecting the company's share price," said Kang Dong-jin, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities. Revenue for the quarter rose 73% to 8.8 trillion won, LG Energy said in a regulatory filing.

Persons: bln, Lee Chang, LGES, Refinitiv SmartEstimate, Jang Seungkwon, Kang Dong, 1,271.1000, Heekyong Yang, Jihoon Lee, Hyunsu Yim, Shri Navaratnam, Sonali Paul Organizations: GM Bolt, Korea's LG Energy Solution, General Motors, General Motors Co, Tesla Inc, sil, Volkswagen, Renault, Hyundai Motor Securities, Revenue, LG Energy, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Europe, China, U.S

[1/2] A Hyundai Kona vehicle is unveiled at the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. PERFORMANCEHyundai said vehicle sales rose 8.5% to 1.06 million units in the second quarter, with EV sales soaring 47% to nearly 78,000 units. In the United States, Hyundai's biggest market, sales of green energy cars that include EVs and plug-in hybrids more than doubled to 46,000 units. Overall vehicle sales in the U.S. grew 14% to 225,000 units, led by sedans, while in South Korea, its second-biggest market, sales rose 13% to 206,000 units. Hyundai said last month it planned to boost EV production in the United States to three-quarters of its total production there by 2030 from just 0.7% now.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Elon Musk, Kim Jinwoo, Zayong Koo, Refinitiv SmartEstimate, 1,279.1700, Heekyong Yang, Miyoung Kim, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Hyundai, New York, REUTERS, Kia Corp, Korea Investment & Securities, EV, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, SEOUL, KS, United States, North America, South Korea

LG Display expects "a rise in demand for panels" as stockpiles of display panels have fallen during the first half of the year, CFO Sung-hyun Kim said. The second-quarter result was in line with a forecast of an 889 billion won loss from 16 analysts polled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts that are more consistently accurate. Factory run-rates for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays used in high-end televisions remained relatively low due to weak sales in Europe, resulting in the poor performance in the second quarter, analysts said. Mobile display panel orders are concentrated in the second half of the year, ahead of the holiday season. However, the initial supply volume is unlikely to significantly impact the company's financials in the third quarter, analysts said.

Persons: Sung, Kim, Refinitiv SmartEstimate, Joyce Lee, Tom Hogue Organizations: LG, Apple Inc, Revenue, LG Display, Apple, Samsung Electronics, Reuters, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, KS, Europe

SEOUL, July 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) on Wednesday posted a worse-than-expected quarterly operating loss on weak memory chip pricing and demand, but said the market was beginning to recover from a deep downturn. In particular, memory chip demand from corporate buyers and gaming personal computers is expected to increase in the second half of the year versus the first, the world's second-biggest memory chip maker said in a statement. This compared with expectations for a 2.7 trillion won operating loss, according to 22 analyst views compiled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts that are more consistently accurate. SK Hynix has reported losses each quarter since the fourth quarter of 2022, although the June quarter loss narrowed from a record of 3.4 trillion won loss in the March quarter. A boom in artificial intelligence, however, helped SK Hynix boost sales of high-end DRAM chips in the second quarter and narrow losses from the previous quarter.

Persons: Refinitiv SmartEstimate, 1,274.1300, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korea's SK Hynix, SK Hynix, Revenue, Thomson Locations: SEOUL

The world's largest memory chip and smartphone maker estimated its operating profit fell to 600 billion won ($459 million) in April-June, from 14.1 trillion won a year earlier in a short preliminary earnings statement. It would be Samsung's lowest profit for any quarter since a 590 billion won profit in the first quarter of 2009, according to company data. Shares in Samsung fell 1.4% in early morning trade, underperforming a 0.6% drop in the wider market (.KS11). In the January-March quarter, the company reported a whopping 4.58 trillion won loss in its chip business as memory chip prices fell further and its inventory values were slashed. Revenue in April to June likely fell 22% from the same period a year earlier to 60 trillion won, Samsung said in the statement.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Refinitiv, Greg Roh, 1,307.6700, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam, Sonali Paul Organizations: Samsung Electronics, REUTERS, Samsung Electronics Co, Samsung, Hyundai Motor Securities, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, SEOUL, KS

☆ Samsung estimates profits plunged 96% in the second quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Samsung Electronics said it expects a 96% profit plunge in the second quarter of 2023 as weak demand for memory chips persists. The world's largest dynamic random-access chip maker estimates operating profit in the quarter from April to June to be 600 billion Korean won ($459 million), down from 14.1 trillion Korean won in the same period last year. This would be the company's lowest quarterly profit since the 590 billion won recorded in the first quarter of 2009, according to the company's past earnings data. The second-quarter profit forecast is largely in line with analysts' expectations for 555 billion Korean won, Reuters reported, citing a Refinitiv SmartEstimate. Samsung also estimated revenue in the second quarter to be 63.75 trillion Korean won, down 17.4% from 77.2 trillion Korean won a year ago.

Organizations: Samsung, Samsung Electronics, Reuters Locations: Seoul

☆ Samsung flags 96% drop in quarterly profit as chip glut drags on
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It would be Samsung’s lowest profit for any quarter since a 590 billion won profit in the first quarter of 2009, according to company data. Shares in Samsung (SSNLF) fell 1.4% in early morning trade, underperforming a 0.6% drop in the wider market. In the January to March quarter, the company reported a whopping 4.58 trillion won loss in its chip business as memory chip prices fell further and its inventory values were slashed. But in the second quarter, losses in Samsung’s memory chip business likely shrank due to more sales of DRAM chips — used in PCs, mobile phones and servers — analysts said. Revenue in April to June likely fell 22% from the same period a year earlier to 60 trillion won, Samsung said in the statement.

Persons: Refinitiv, ”, Kang, Greg Roh Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Samsung, Daishin Securities, Hyundai Motor Securities, ”, Apple Locations: Seoul

☆ Samsung profit likely lowest in more than 14 years as chip glut persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 6 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) June-quarter profit is expected to plunge 96% on-year to the lowest for any quarter in more than 14 years, as a chip glut continues to drive large losses in the tech giant's cash cow business despite a supply cut. If so, it would be Samsung's lowest profit since the fourth quarter of 2008, when Samsung Electronics reported a consolidated operating loss of about 740 billion won. It compares with an operating profit of 14.1 trillion won in the April-June quarter last year. This is because its chip division, traditionally its biggest earner, likely reported quarterly losses of around 3 trillion to 4 trillion won as memory chip prices fell further and its inventory values were slashed. Despite the current downturn, Samsung is working to increase its share of chip demand from the exploding field of artificial intelligence (AI), such as with high bandwidth memory (HBM) and chip contract manufacturing, they said.

Persons: 1,298.7800, Joyce Lee, Sonali Paul Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Samsung, Apple, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, KS, Seoul

☆ Volkswagen sees growing competition ahead as revenue jumps on Europe, US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Next is debuted at an event ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show, in Shanghai, China April 17, 2023. "Competition will intensify with more chips and more availability," Antlitz said on a media call after the results. Volkswagen's revenue for the quarter was 76 billion euros ($84.22 billion). Operating profit fell to 5.7 billion euros from 8 billion last year, but still beat expectations of five analysts polled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate for 5.48 billion. Excluding the valuation effect from commodity hedging, operating profit rose by 35% to 7.1 billion euros, yielding a margin of 9.3%.

☆ Volkswagen revenue jumps on growth in Europe, North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Aly SongBERLIN, May 4 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) posted a 21.5% gain in first-quarter revenue on Thursday, boosted by higher prices and strong growth in Europe and North America, but operating profit declined from last year when the period benefited from commodity hedging. Revenue for the quarter was 76 billion euros ($84.22 billion). Operating profit fell to 5.7 billion euros from 8 billion euros last year, but still beat expectations of five analysts polled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate of 5.48 billion euros. Excluding the valuation effect from commodity hedging, operating profit rose by 35% to 7.1 billion euros, yielding a margin of 9.3%. Volkswagen attributed the rise in group revenue largely to strong growth in Europe and North America, and said its order book in western Europe totalled 1.8 million vehicles, including 260,000 battery-electric cars.

The company did not specify how much it expects its second-quarter refining margin, a key profit metric for refiners, to be. The company posted operating profit of 375 billion won ($281.6 million) for the first quarter ended March, versus 1.6 trillion won a year earlier. In March, Ford Motor, which uses batteries from SK On, recalled 18 electric trucks due to a battery cell manufacturing defect. SK On currently has battery joint ventures with Ford and Hyundai Motor Group in the United States. Shares of SK Innovation were trading up 0.5% in morning trade, versus a 0.3% fall in the broader KOSPI index (.KS11).

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