Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, is expected to suffer another earnings shock in the third quarter, mainly due to weak demand for its new products and stiff competition from rivals.
Local brokerages initially forecast operating profits for the July-September period to be in the 6 trillion won (US$5.8 billion) range, but some like IBK Securities Co. marked down their assessment to around 5 trillion won with a corresponding dip in sales after the five-day Chuseok holiday in early September.
If operating profits fall into the 5 trillion won range, it will mark the lowest ebb since the 5.7 trillion won tallied for the first quarter of 2012.