Samsung's earnings growth may slow in Q3: analysts

Samsung Electronics Co., which has been posting robust earnings for past quarters, may see its earnings growth slow for the third quarter of the year, analysts said Thursday.

According to data compiled by industry tracker FnGuide, Samsung Electronics is expected to post an operating income of 14.8 trillion won ($13 billion) in the July-September period, sharply up from 5.2 trillion won posted a year earlier. For the April-June period, Samsung's operating profit came to 14.1 trillion won, also up 72.7 percent from 8.14 trillion won posted last year.

But on a quarterly basis, the tech giant's earnings growth may slow.

Leading Investment & Securities Co. said Samsung is expected to post an operating profit of 13.9 trillion won for the July-September period, marking an on-quarter drop due to lackluster returns from the display business.

"Due to the falling price of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, its profitability for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products will deteriorate," the brokerage house said.

Shinhan Investment Corp. estimated an operating profit of 13.8 trillion won, citing the display sector, although the chip segment is expected to continue to deliver robust earnings.

SK Securities Co. expected Samsung to post an operating profit below the 14 trillion-won mark, also citing dull returns from the Chinese market. (Yonhap)