Panasonic raises profit outlook as restructuring kicks in

[TOKYO] Panasonic Corp raised its full-year operating profit outlook by 13 per cent and returned to a net cash positive position for the first time in five years after a drastic restructuring chopped unprofitable product lines in smartphones, plasma TVs and semiconductor chips.

The Japanese electronics firm also logged a 15 per cent rise in July-September operating profit to 94.7 billion yen (US$851 million) on Friday, compared with the average estimate of 79 billion yen from five analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters StarMine.

Panasonic raised its operating profit forecast for the year to next March to 350 billion yen from its prior estimate of 310 billion yen issued in July. The new figure would mark a 15 per cent rise from last year.