Taiwanese LED Makers Report High Earnings for First Quarter

Taiwanese LED makers are expected to clean up shining earnings for the first quarter, although it is normally a slack season of a year.

Industry watchers expect Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. to become the largest earner of all Taiwan`s LED makers last quarter, with estimated pre-tax earnings of NT$1.5 per share or so and gross margin of more than 30 percent.

Everlight raked in revenue of NT$1.96 billion ($59 million at $1:NT$33) last quarter alone, up 17 percent year-on-year. The company ascribes the hefty increase mostly to its beginning shipments of LED backlight modules for notebook computers and mainland China`s booming demands for LED lightings.

Institutional investors estimated the company`s earnings for this year at NT$8 per share or so based on its better-than-expected revenue of NT$730 million ($22 million) for last quarter. Also, optimistic forecast of the company`s shipments of LED backlights for small LCD panels and LED auto lamps.

Bright LED Electronics Corp. will likely see its gross margin for last quarter increase four percentage points from a quarter earlier and make over NT$0.75 per share pre tax last quarter alone. The company`s executives pointed out that the company`s gross margin for last quarter was 23 percent, better than 19 percent in the fourth quarter last year.

Source: Taiwan Economic News