Mixed IT results anticipated for third quarter

Korea’s top technology companies are expected to report mixed results for their third-quarter operating profits this month because of narrower margins for flat panels and mobile phones. But robust chip prices may help Samsung Electronics Co. and Hynix Semiconductor Inc. fare better, a stock information provider said yesterday. Samsung Electronics, Asia’s most valuable electronics manufacturer, will likely report a 28-percent rise in quarterly operating profit this month, as strong chip prices are expected to offset slumps in flat panels and mobile phones, FnGuide said in its average forecast of brokerages. Samsung Electronics will probably post 1.8 trillion won ($1.9 billion) in operating profit on sales of 15.3 trillion won, up 8.9 percent from a quarter ago, it said. For the third quarter, Hynix Semiconductor, the nation’s No. 2 chipmaker, will likely see 439.6 billion won in operating profit, up 48 percent from a quarter ago, FnGuide said. LG.Philips LCD Co., the world’s No. 2 flat panel maker, could report a loss at the operating level for the July-September quarter. LG.Phillips will likely report an operating loss of 286.2 billion won for the quarter on sales of 2.3 trillion won. LG Electronics Inc., the nation’s No. 2 electronics maker, may report a 28-percent decline in third-quarter operating profit of 146.9 billion won, it said.