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[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Paul Lee] The operating profit of 201 major listed companies in the second quarter of this year is estimated to have decreased by more than 40% from the same period last year.
According to an analysis of 201 major listed companies with a performance consensus (an average of three or more securities firms) in the second quarter of this year, their operating profit forecast is expected to be KRW 33.5885 trillion, down 44.4% from KRW 60.3946 trillion a year earlier.
In particular, the operating profit of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which are the main players, has dropped sharply by a total of 21 trillion won. Hyundai Motor, on the other hand, seems to have posted record operating profit in the second quarter.
By industry, most industries, except for automobiles and secondary batteries, are expected to be sluggish. Securities firms estimate that SK Hynix, which posted an operating profit of 4.1926 trillion won in the second quarter of last year, lost 2.9 trillion won in the second quarter of this year.
Securities firms estimate that Samsung Electronics will make 3.43 trillion won in operating profit in the third quarter, but the figure is down 68.4 percent from the same period last year. SK Hynix also predicted that it will record operating losses of more than 2 trillion won in the third quarter, although its operating loss will decrease. This is because memory semiconductor DRAM and NAND flash prices continue to weaken as demand recovery is slow due to the economic downturn.
POSCO Holdings recovered 1 trillion won in quarterly operating profit for the first time in a year in the second quarter of this year but will maintain a similar surplus in the third quarter due to slowing steel demand stemming from the sluggish global economy, securities firms say.
Securities firms predict that LG Chem and Lotte Chemical, which have been sluggish, have gradually recovered from the second quarter due to base effects.
On the other hand, automobiles and secondary batteries are likely to continue their growth. Hyundai Motor is estimated to have achieved the highest operating profit in the second quarter following the first quarter.
LG Energy Solution, which posted 611.6 billion won in operating profit in the second quarter as the electric vehicle market grew rapidly, will post 782.5 billion won in operating profit in the third quarter, up 49.9 percent from a year earlier, securities firms predicted.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
