Beijing - Lenovo Group quarterly profit fell less than expected after
the global personal computer market eked out growth for the first time since
2012.
The world’s second-largest PC maker reported a 41 percent
slide in net income to $107 million in the three months ended March. That
compares with the $97.9 million average of analysts’ estimates compiled by
Bloomberg. Revenue increased 5 percent to $9.6 billion, compared with the $9.65
billion projected.
Lenovo narrowly lost its top position in global PCs to HP. during the quarter but managed to increase market share as industry
shipments grew 0.6 percent, the first time they’ve risen since early 2012
according to IDC. Lenovo’s biggest rival posted better-than-expected
revenue growth on Wednesday as the market stabilized.
Overall demand however remains depressed and Lenovo needs
to tap new sources of growth or turn around an under-performing Smartphone
division. It’s re-enlisted the executive who steered the acquisition of
Motorola to run its Chinese PC arm, shaking up its senior ranks to breathe new
life into a stagnating business. Shares of Lenovo rose 3.7 percent in Hong Kong.
Read also: Lenovo's revenue beats estimates
The PC maker however isn’t out of the woods with investors
till it can stop the bleeding in servers and mobile, according to Chris Yim, an
analyst at Bocom International Holdings. “Component prices are giving Lenovo
near-term pressure,” he said. “The revenue was OK, but operating expenses are
still high.”
Lenovo warned Thursday that the supply of PC components will
remain tight for the industry as a whole, potentially weighing on margins. In
response, it plans to focus on faster-growing markets while continuing to build
branding in Smartphones, an area in which it continues to lag frontrunners like
Samsung Electronics. And Huawei Technologies. It’s now streamlining its product
line and will focus on a narrower selection of devices each year.
The company said it commanded a record 37.1 percent share of
its home PC market, which accounted for just over a quarter of its overall
revenue. Yang has emphasized the importance of China in recent speeches, promising
a clearer strategy for its biggest market. The company is also embracing a
multi-year plan to build new businesses in cloud and data-centres while
maintaining its edge in PCs.
It announced a leadership shuffle last week, bringing back,
Liu Jun, who left in 2015 shortly after the company took over Motorola to
oversee a newly created local PC and smart devices division. He replaces Chen
Xudong, a former rising star and lieutenant of Chief Executive Officer Yang
Yuanqing.
Lenovo also intends to move its Smartphone and datacentre
businesses out of the red, though it said transforming its server division will
take time. The mobile business group, which encompasses both Motorola and
Lenovo phones, posted near-20 percent growth in revenue in the quarter, and
expanded shipments by 17.4 percent to 11.3 million units outside of China. Datacentre
revenue fell 13.7 percent to $850 million.
“Any sign of stabilization of operating performance of
mobile business group should build market confidence in Lenovo’s capability to
achieve a break-even in the second half of fiscal year 2018,” Mark Po, a
China Galaxy International analyst, wrote in a memo ahead of the earnings
release.
BLOOMBERG