Samsung Sees 1Q Handset Shipment Up At Least 10% Vs 4Q

SEOUL -(Dow Jones)- Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE) expects mobile handset shipments in the first quarter to rise at least 10% from the fourth quarter's 21.1 million units, company executives said Friday.

At a press conference in Seoul following the release of fourth-quarter earnings, Woosik Chu, senior vice president of Samsung's investor relations, said marketing costs from the mobile handset division are also expected to fall in the first quarter, leading to an operating margin of around 15%.

Earlier Friday, Samsung said its telecommunications division posted a fourth-quarter operating profit of KRW150 billion on sales of KRW4.32 trillion. The division includes mobile handsets and telecom equipment.

Operating margin for the division in the fourth quarter was 3%.

The company doesn't break down results for its mobile handset operations alone.

At 0519 GMT, shares of Samsung were up 6.2% at KRW471,000 after the company delivered fourth quarter earnings that exceeded analysts' expectations.

-By Yun-Hee Kim, Dow Jones Newswires; 822-732-2165; yun-hee.kim@dowjones.com

-Edited by Marissa Chew

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 14th January 2005