Infineon Warns of Slower Sales Growth on Low Personal Electronics Demand
15 November 2023 - 10:22PM
Dow Jones News
By David Sachs and Mauro Orru
Infineon Technologies said sales would continue to grow in its
new fiscal year, albeit at a slower pace than in fiscal 2023, as
the company grapples with weakening demand for chips in personal
electronics such as computers and smartphones.
The German chip maker is aiming for around 17 billion euros
($18.50 billion) in revenue for the year ending September 2024, up
from EUR16.31 billion that Infineon reported for fiscal 2023. Its
segment result margin--a key profitability metric--is expected at
roughly 24%, below 27% reported for fiscal 2023.
Citi and UBS analysts wrote in research notes that Infineon's
guidance is in line with expectations, as the company continues to
see good demand for semiconductors from the automotive industry and
its push for electric vehicles.
"Structural semiconductor growth in the areas of renewable
energy, electromobility - especially in China - and
microcontrollers for the automotive industry remains unabated,"
said Chief Executive Jochen Hanebeck. "In contrast, consumer,
communication, computing and IoT applications are experiencing a
temporary period of low demand."
Infineon on Wednesday posted revenue of EUR4.15 billion for the
three months to the end of September, compared with EUR4.14 billion
in last year's fiscal fourth quarter. Its Automotive division
contributed EUR2.16 billion to sales, up 12% on year. However,
revenue at its Power & Sensor Systems contracted 22% to EUR912
million.
"Automotive remains the standout division and, so far,
continuing to demonstrate that automotive power semis remain
resilient," Citi analysts said. Last month, peer chip maker
STMicroelectronics also posted higher revenue led by growth at its
automotive division despite weaker sales at its personal
electronics business.
Infineon's net profit climbed to EUR753 million from EUR735
million, while its segment result slipped to EUR1.04 billion from
EUR1.06 billion, generating a 25.2% margin.
Analysts had forecast revenue of EUR4.04 billion on a net profit
of EUR674.8 million and a segment result of EUR1.01 billion,
according to FactSet. Infineon had expected quarterly revenue of
around EUR4 billion and a segment result margin of around 25%.
The group hit its annual targets for revenue and segment result
margin in fiscal 2023 and proposed a dividend of EUR0.35 per share,
up from EUR0.32 in fiscal 2022. Infineon shares climbed more than
6.5% in mid-morning trading.
Write to David Sachs at david.sachs@wsj.com and Mauro Orru at
mauro.orru@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 15, 2023 06:07 ET (11:07 GMT)
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