Samsung Electronics expects Q2 operating profit of up to 2.6 tln won

SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of
computer memory chips, said Monday it expects operating profit for the April-June
quarter to range from 2.2 trillion won (US$1.7 billion) to 2.6 trillion won.

It was the first time Samsung has offered earnings guidance ahead of its
quarterly earnings release. Samsung is scheduled to announce results of its
second-quarter earnings on July 24.
"Samsung expects that providing earnings guidance would help not only minimize
speculation in the market but also help enhance company transparency and provide
investors with a more accurate expectation of the earnings," the company said in
a statement.
Samsung also predicted sales for the second-quarter to total between 31 trillion
won and 33 trillion won, without providing information on its outlook for net
profit.
Samsung, which is also the world's largest maker of liquid crystal displays and
the second-largest maker of mobile phones, has been hit hard by the global
economic slump.
In the first-quarter of this year, Samsung's net profit plunged 72 percent from a
year ago to 619 billion won on sales of 18.5 trillion won.
First-quarter operating profit stood at 148 billion won, according to the company.
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