Advantest ups profit outlook on chip demand
TOKYO, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Japan's Advantest Corp, a manufacturer of testing devices for the semiconductor industry, on Thursday became the latest chip-related firm to raise its profit outlook due to brisk demand for chips.
Advantest revised up its group net profit forecast for the year to next March to 45 billion yen from 35 billion yen, citing bullish demand for testing devices for flash memory and advanced DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips, used mainly for high-end computers and cellular phones.
Major chip maker Toshiba Corp in late August revised up its group net profit forecast to 135 billion yen, up more than one-third from a previous estimate.
Toshiba also said it may raise its capital spending target for chip output by 30 percent for this business year to March, responding to brisk global demand for mobile phones and digital electronics.
Other chipmakers that have revised up earnings forecasts include leading chip maker NEC Corp , Tokyo Electron Ltd , a maker of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment, and Fuji Electronics Co Ltd , a trading house specialising in semiconductors.
Shares in Advantest lost 2.83 percent to 20,270 yen on Thursday, along with other major chip companies as Toshiba and NEC, tracking their U.S. counterparts lower.
The Advantest announcement came after the market closed.
biz.yahoo.com |
