To: waverider who wrote (87902 ) 11/20/2000 7:52:18 PM From: T L Comiskey Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 152472 Rick....Off Continent News... Kyocera posts sharp profit gain on strong sales TOKYO, Nov. 20 (Kyodo) -- Kyocera Corp. said Monday it chalked up a consolidated net profit of 53.15 billion yen in the April-September first half of fiscal 2000, up 148.4% over a year earlier. Profit per share grew from 112.68 yen to 281.12 yen. Kyocera attributed the steep profit gain to increased sales of fine ceramics parts and electronic devices to makers of mobile phones and optical communications equipment. Consolidated pretax profit grew 145.3% to 100.85 billion yen on a 56.7% rise in group sales to 604.62 billion yen. Total sales included 170.38 billion yen in sales of fine ceramics, up 36.4%, and 190.52 billion yen in sales of electronic devices, up 51.7%. Sales of communications and information equipment, such as printers, increase 102.2% to 214.46 billion yen as Kyocera Mita Corp., previously Mita Industrial Co. under court-mandated rehabilitation, joined the Kyocera group as a wholly owned subsidiary. Kyocera said the total sales and net profit would have been larger by some 32 billion yen and 16 billion yen without the yen's appreciation. On a parent company basis, Kyocera reported a pretax profit of 45.77 billion yen, up 45.4% from a year earlier, but a net loss of 11.66 billion yen, down from a profit of 17.92 billion yen, on a 23.8% rise in sales to 309.90 billion yen. The net loss was due to an extraordinary loss of 66.29 billion yen for write-off of reserve shortages for the payment of retirement allowances. For fiscal 2000 which ends next March, Kyocera expects a consolidated net profit of 115 billion yen and a pretax profit of 217 billion yen on sales of 1,280 billion yen. The company plans to peg its annual dividend at 60 yen per share for fiscal 2000, including an interim dividend of 30 yen. 2000 Kyodo News (c) Established 1945