Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. reported profit that fell just shy of expectations and offered a cautious outlook for this year.
(Bloomberg) — Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. reported profit that fell just shy of expectations and offered a cautious outlook for this year.
The Taiwanese Apple Inc. assembler offered a forecast of slumping consumer electronics demand this year offset by an uptick in expected sales of cloud and networking products, PCs and other components. The flattish full-year outlook is matched by the current quarter, which the company indicated is expected to be in line with market consensus.
It reported net income of NT$40 billion ($1.3 billion) for the last three months of 2022 on sales totaling NT$1.96 trillion. That was down 10% on the same period in the prior year and operating profit also slumped 16%. Analysts had expected slightly higher profit with a consensus average of NT$40.91 billion ahead of the report on Wednesday.
The company, also known as Foxconn, dealt with a coronavirus outbreak at its most important plant in China’s Zhengzhou during most of the period. The effects of virus containment measures and worker protests opposing the restrictions cut into its ability to produce Apple’s most in-demand iPhone Pro models.
Apple and other brands have struggled with tepid consumer spending during a post-pandemic economic downturn, which threatens Foxconn’s already thin margins. Last week’s Silicon Valley Bank collapse has fanned fears of systemic financial risk, further clouding the outlook for the global economy.
Beyond Apple’s range of smartphones and Mac computers, Foxconn assembles high-end electronics for large and small customers and is vulnerable to slumps in consumer or enterprise demand. Demand for the iPhone has already slipped, with Foxconn reporting February sales were 12% lower this year.
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Foxconn is accelerating an expansion into India with a $700 million plant in Karnataka in the works. India is one of the few remaining growth markets for smartphones and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put in place incentives to bring more high-tech manufacturing within its borders.
Foxconn and other Apple partners including assembly peers Pegatron Corp. and Wistron Corp. have been diversifying away from China amid persistent tensions between Beijing and Washington. Hon Hai Chairman Young Liu recently met Modi and committed the company to another manufacturing investment in the southern state of Telangana that’s expected to produce 100,000 jobs. Â
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(Updates with details from Hon Hai presentation)
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