AUO Corporation ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) today held its investor conference and announced its unaudited consolidated financial results for the third quarter of 2015(1).
Consolidated revenues in the third quarter of 2015 were NT$89.30 billion, down 3.3% from the previous quarter. Gross profit was NT$9.15 billion, with a gross margin of 10.2%. Operating profit was NT$3.39 billion, with an operating margin of 3.8%. AUO's net profit for the third quarter of 2015 was NT$3.38 billion. Net profit attributable to owners of the Company was NT$3.46 billion, with a basic EPS(2) of NT$0.36.
For the first nine months of 2015, AUO reported consolidated revenues of NT$276.90 billion. Net profit was NT$13.08 billion, with a basic EPS(2) of NT$1.36.
In the third quarter of 2015, large-sized panel(3) shipments exceeded 26.34 million units, up by 5.8% quarter-over-quarter. Shipments of small-and-medium-sized panels in the same quarter were around 48.71 million units, an increase of 1.4% quarter-over-quarter.
AUO's unaudited consolidated results for the third quarter of 2015 were highlighted as below：
Looking back to the third quarter, AUO's revenue declined by 3.3% quarter-over-quarter due to decline of panel prices. AUO has proactively responded to the challenges with diversified product portfolios, and has dynamically adjusted its capacity allocation. As a result, AUO's operating profit margin and EBITDA margin still achieved 3.8% and 16.7%, respectively. In addition, the Company continues to strengthen AUO's financial structure to counter industry fluctuations. As a result, the Company's net debt to equity ratio was further lowered to 19.7%, the lowest since 2009.
Stepping into the fourth quarter, AUO faces the challenges from both the traditional slow season for the display panel industry and the macroeconomic uncertainties. AUO will accelerate the development of new products for next year, and lay a foundation for its ability to capture orders and for its manufacturing capabilities next year. AUO expects to bring in fresh momentum through the organizational structure optimization and the brand new management arrangements. At the same time, AUO hopes the new management team can lead the Company to surpass scale competition in the industry, aiming to build long-term competitiveness in value-creation.
(1) All financial information was unaudited and was prepared by the Company in accordance with Taiwan IFRS.
(2) Basic EPS in the third quarter of 2015 and the first nine months of 2015 were calculated based on the weighted average outstanding shares of the first nine months of 2015 (9,624 million shares).
(3) Large size refers to panels that are 10 inches and above in diagonal measurement.
(4) EBITDA = Operating Profit + D&A, that is, operating profit before depreciation and amortization.