Samsung closed the fourth quarter of 2017 with record numbers: net profits +72,9%, to 12.250 billion won (11,4 billion dollars) from 7.080 billion won in the same period of 2016, and operating profits +64,2% , to 15.150 billion. Revenues rose instead by 23,7%, to 65.900 billion.
Looking at the whole of 2017, revenues and operating profits amounted respectively to 239.500 (+18,6%) and 53.650 billion (+83,4%). Samsung Electronics' total 2017 net profits rise to 42.180 billion won (+85,6%).
As far as the semiconductor sector alone is concerned, operating profits amounted to 35.200 billion lire in the fourth quarter, accounting for 65,6% of the figure for the entire group.
The accounts, the South Korean group specifies, benefit from the high demand for chips for data centers, servers, mobile devices and computers. The contribution of the "mobile division" is more limited due to the expenses to promote the Galaxy smartphone range, while TVs and displays have subtle increases.
Profits still appear immune to legal woes for Lee Jae-yong, vice president and last generation of founding family, pending appeal judgment against 5-year prison sentence over massive corruption scandal that led to president's impeachment of the Republic, Park Geun-hyen, lapsed last year.
The group then announced the split of the shares to be submitted to the shareholders' meeting on March 23, with the nominal value destined to go from 5.000 to 100 won. The aim is to increase the number of ordinary shares from 128,3 million to more than 6,41 billion, to encourage the diffusion of shares among the public of retail investors also thanks to the aggressive dividend policy which aims to use 50% of free cash flow.
