Sharp Net Profit Doubles in 1st Half

Osaka, Nov. 11 (Jiji Press)–Sharp Corp. said Monday that its consolidated net profit nearly doubled to 45.4 billion yen in its fiscal first half through September from a year earlier, driven higher mainly by strong sales of personal computers. Microsoft Corp.’s termination of support for its Windows 10 operating system helped boost PC sales by the Japanese electronics maker. The profit surge is also attributed to extraordinary gains Sharp booked on the sale of a plant in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, that had produced liquid crystal display panels for televisions. Operating profit grew by around 60-fold to 28.9 billion yen, while sales fell 13.3 pct to 950.3 billion yen. Sharp President and CEO Masahiro Okitsu, speaking at an online press conference, reiterated his company’s intention to continue its TV business. “We’ll supply value-added products to differentiate us from others.” For the full year ending in March 2026, the company raised its operating profit projection to 45 billion yen from 30 billion yen and its net profit forecast to 53 billion yen from 32 billion yen. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]