Chinese top-tier chipmaker HuaHong Semiconductor's net profit plummets 86 percent in the third quarter

(JW Insights) Nov 17 -- Hua Hong Semiconductor's net profit plummeted 86 percent in the third quarter from the same period last year as the Chinese semiconductor manufacturer trims prices to an all-time low amid a downturn in the consumer electronics sector, reported Yicai Global on November 16.

Hua Hong logged net profit of $14 million in the three months ended September 30, while revenue slumped 9.7 percent year on year to $568.5 million, according to the Shanghai-based company's latest earning report released on November 15.

Hua Hong has been slashing prices for some time now to adapt to market conditions, and this has had a big impact on its recent financial performance, reported Yicai Global.

The firm's gross profit margin slumped 11.6 percentage point in the third quarter from the previous quarter and 21.1 percentage point from a year earlier to 16.1 percent, it said. And in the fourth quarter it is expected to contract sharply quarter on quarter to between 2 percent and 5 percent, it said.

The market remains weak and it usually takes half a year for an uptick in the consumer market to reach the wafer foundry, said the source.

Hua Hong hopes to stabilize prices, which are already at a record low, before the end of the year or by the first quarter next year. This quarter should be the last quarter of price cuts, it said, according to the Yicai Global report.

(Li PP / Gao J)