Sharp Fiscal Q3 CE Group Sales Increase 26.8%

Osaka, Japan— Fiscal third quarter demand for flat-panel televisions, including LCD types and plasma displays, pushed up sales in Sharp's Audio-Visual and Communication Equipment product group by 26.8 percent, to $1.9 billion. Operating income for this consumer electronics group soared 63.4 percent, reaching $84.7 million in the three months ended Dec. 31.

Sharp said sales of LCD televisions climbed above $482.4 million for the nine months, leading the company to believe it would top $682 million in sales of LCD sets for the full year.

Cellphone sales for the nine months rose above $1.6 billion, with the 12-month sales target set at $1.8 billion. In the previous fiscal year, cellphone sales hit $1.3 billion. Sharp also reported healthy demand for camera-equipped mobile phones.

For the nine months, sales in Sharp's Audio-Visual and Communication Equipment product group increased 13.7 percent, reaching $4.9 billion. Operating income for this group jumped 33.9 percent, to $171.5 million, in the nine months.

Consolidated net sales at Sharp in the third quarter climbed 12.7 percent, to $4.4 billion. Consolidated operating income for the three months soared 94.2 percent, hitting $242.9 million, while net income jumped 209 percent, to $116.2 percent.

For the nine months, Sharp consolidated sales moved up 12.7 percent, to $12.5 billion. Operating income increased 30.9 percent, hitting $649.5 million and net income climbed 77.1 percent, reaching $306.6 million.