In a sharp downturn, South Korea’s electronics giant Samsung has observed a staggering 96 percent dip in Q2 profits, down to $459 million. This recent slump is the most considerable since the first quarter of 2009, extending the impact felt in Q1 as the global need for memory chips dwindled through January to March, indicating a persistent oversupply in the market.
Continued Oversupply Challenges Drag Samsung’s Q2 Earnings Down
Samsung’s Q2 earnings reveal the company’s lowest profitability in nearly 14 years, a reflection of the protracted oversupply issue. Despite reducing memory chip production to adapt to the current global economic slowdown and inflation, the impact has been significant on the company’s earnings.
As a leading manufacturer of memory chips and smartphones, this period has seen Samsung’s Q2 profits shrink dramatically from the previous year’s 14.1 trillion won to a mere 600 billion won ($459 million).
While the oversupply issue endures, some relief may come with an incremental rise in the sales of DRAM chips, essential for PCs, mobile devices, and servers. After Q1 hit the chip division with a loss of 4.58 trillion won due to depreciating inventory values, a slight uptick in DRAM chip sales is anticipated.
With estimates originally aligned at 555 billion won, the current decline in Samsung’s earnings nears 22 percent. Shares of the tech behemoth also took a hit, slightly underperforming with a 0.6 percent drop after an initial 1.4 percent fall in early trade.
“Despite the decline in memory chip prices, the decrease was not as steep as many had feared. With the upcoming full earnings disclosure, shareholders’ eyes will be on the potential for recovery in the third quarter – the extent of impact from the reduced production, signs of demand resurgence, and prospects for higher-end DRAM and high bandwidth memory (HBM) products to enhance Samsung’s profit structure.”
Samsung is set to present a comprehensive financial report on July 27.
Anticipated Recovery from Samsung’s Chip Surplus Woes
Market observers believe Samsung might start shaking off the excess chip supply effects by Q3, although it is projected to be a modest rebound. The tech leader will need to demonstrate resilience during these tough economic times to preserve its renowned market standing.
“Expectations are that DRAM memory prices will begin a significant recovery from Q4 onward, with the potential for double-digit growth rates quarter-over-quarter starting in the second half of 2024.”
While other companies might have scaled back investments under such conditions, Samsung is poised to persevere, a strategy that could translate into greater market presence come 2025.
Showing a proactive stance, Samsung is preparing to introduce its new range of foldable smartphones in Seoul well ahead of its customary timeline. This strategic move aims to seize a lengthier period in the high-end market before Apple’s iPhone release in September.
Moreover, while Samsung’s smartphone sector displayed mixed results in Q3, the overarching industry outlook is tentative as global consumer spending in the smartphone market remains somewhat subdued despite some economic recovery signs.
