PC brand Acer Inc (宏碁) yesterday reported that its net profit last year rose 12.31 percent year-on-year to NT$5.54 billion (US$168 million), the highest in three years, as its revenue increased 9.69 percent and operating profit — or net income derived from its core businesses — gained 15.41 percent from the previous year.
Earnings per share (EPS) last year grew to NT$1.84, from NT$1.64 the previous year, Acer said in a statement.
The announcement came as the firm released its financial results for the final quarter of last year, which showed that net profit came in at NT$1.43 billion, compared with NT$1.02 billion during the same period a year earlier. EPS rose to NT$0.47 in the quarter, from NT$0.34 the previous year, Acer said.
Photo: Sam Yeh / AFP
With last year’s net profit reaching a three-year high, the company’s board of directors proposed distributing a cash dividend of NT$1.7 per share, Acer said.
If approved by shareholders on May 29, the planned cash dividend would represent a payout ratio of 92.39 percent.
Acer’s revenue last year totaled NT$264.68 billion, compared with NT$241.31 billion the previous year, thanks to recovering demand for desktop PCs, notebook computers and consumer electronics amid an end to inventory adjustment, despite no notable benefits yet from artificial intelligence (AI) PC products.
Operating profit increased to NT$4.88 billion from NT$4.23 billion a year ago, which the company attributed partly to contributions from its subsidiaries, while operating margin improved to 1.84 percent from 1.75 percent.
Acer has in recent years continued to diversify its business and set up more subsidiaries to generate new earnings sources. The company has 13 listed subsidiaries so far, it said.
“Businesses other than personal computers and displays contributed 37.4 percent of the operating income and 28.3 percent of the revenue in 2024,” Acer said in the statement.
Acer’s subsidiaries span various fields, including cybersecurity, beverages, apparel, home appliances, AI-assisted cloud services, medical solutions, gaming software and hardware, and charging piles.
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