42 cent Gewinn statt wie erwartet 27 cent und guter Ausblick
SanDisk profits surprise
Shares jump 18 percent after hours
By Scott Banerjee, MarketWatch
Last Update: 5:26 PM ET Jan. 27, 2005
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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- SanDisk reported a fourth-quarter profit that was down from the same period a year earlier, yet its sales were markedly higher.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based flash storage maker (SNDK: news, chart, profile) said net income was to $78 million, or 42 cents per share, compared with $88 million or 47 cents a share a year earlier.
The company was expected to post a profit of 27 cents a share, according to a Thomson First Call survey.
Sales surged to $549 million from $389.3 million, ahead of the expected forecast of $505.3 million.
SanDisk said the company's fourth-quarter net income reflected a 37 percent tax rate, compared with last year's 20 percent rate. Fully diluted earnings for 2004 were $1.44 per share, compared with $1.02 a share in 2003.
Shares jumped $4.03 to $26.28 in late trading after the results were released. The company ended the regular session down 80 cents at $22.25.
The positive results came amid skepticism on the health of the flash memory market.
On Wednesday, CIBC World Markets downgraded SanDisk's stock. Analyst Daniel Gelbtuch cut his rating to "sector performer" from "sector outperformer" and removed his $28 price target. See full story.
SanDisk's rival, Lexar Media Inc. (LEXR: news, chart, profile) , saw its shares lose a third of their value Wednesday after the company said it expected to post a fourth-quarter loss. Analysts had been expecting a modest profit for the quarter. See full story.
Eli Harari, chief executive of SanDisk, said this quarter's results were a reflection of the strong demand for flash memory products in digital cameras, USB flash drives, mobile handsets and the company's new line of flash digital audio products.
He offered an optimistic outlook for 2005, citing continued growth in consumer markets and brand building, as well as in transitioning the company's production efforts.