Acer Inc (宏碁) on Thursday posted a net profit of NT$1.39 billion (US$43.86 million) for the second quarter, up 170.2 percent from a quarter earlier, with earnings per share of NT$0.46, compared with NT$0.17 in the first quarter, with analysts saying rush orders had led to a rebound in demand.
The company’s gross margin — the difference between revenue and the cost of goods sold — rose to 10.7 percent in the second quarter from 10.2 percent in the first quarter.
Its consolidated sales were also up 11.1 percent from the same period last year to NT$58.26 billion, it said.
Photo: Vanessa Cho, Taipei Times
“The company has weathered the post-pandemic industry stress test. Acer’s computer business bottomed out around May this year, while new graphic cards and connectivity products have reached markets,” Acer said in a statement.
“Acer’s computers, displays and most of the other businesses have all contributed toward revenues and profitability,” the statement said.
Acer said it has diversified its business by adding 10 subsidiaries, and more are expected, including a planned initial public offering of Acerpure, an air purifier brand.
In addition, Acer’s board approved a plan to invest in C-Life Technologies Inc (長利科技), a maker of lithium iron phosphate battery cells, that would expand the company’s foothold in the energy storage sector.
Acer said it is planning to acquire up to 13 million C-Life Technologies shares, or an about 11 percent stake in the company, at NT$30 per share.
Founded in 2009, C-Life Technologies is experienced in developing and manufacturing lithium iron phosphate battery cells and continues to develop new products such as battery energy storage systems and products for electric vehicles, the company said.
C-Life Technologies completed its second-generation battery energy storage system design last year, and successfully installed a 1 megawatt energy storage system in its factory in January, it said.
“Through our long-term strategic investment in C-Life Technologies, we hope to expand our foothold in the energy storage industry, providing solutions from manufacturing to applications,” Acer chairman and chief executive officer Jason Chen (陳俊聖) said.
Meanwhile, in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Thursday, Acer said it had disposed of 2.707 million Wistron Corp (緯創) shares at an average price of NT$103.05 for a total of NT$279 million from July 5 to Aug. 3.
Shares of contract electronics maker Wistron have surged in the past month because of an artificial intelligence boom on the local stock market before a technical pullback earlier this week.
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