FUJI (TSE: 6134), the maker of electronics-assembly mounters, raised its full-year forecast on Thursday's interim results, citing AI-server and semiconductor equipment demand. It now expects operating profit of ¥65.5bn for the year to March 2027, against ¥60bn in its August 3 forecast. Sales are guided to ¥254bn, up from ¥244bn, and net profit to ¥48.2bn, up from ¥44bn.
The interim numbers
For April to September, sales rose 60.7% to ¥127.8bn and operating profit rose 250.6% to ¥33.6bn. FUJI's results presentation puts the operating margin at 26.3%. The Robot Solutions segment drove the result: sales of ¥123.5bn, up 68.1%, and segment operating profit of ¥36.1bn. FUJI said demand for AI-server and semiconductor-related equipment grew in Asia, led by Thailand, China, Vietnam and Malaysia. It also reported higher demand in North America from communications infrastructure, AI servers and automotive.
The company says the upgrade rests on that demand staying high, chiefly in Robot Solutions. The forecast is a company projection, and FUJI notes that actual results may differ.
The weak spot
Machine tools, a much smaller unit, moved the other way. FUJI said automotive-related equipment demand was weak in every region. Segment sales fell 45.3% to ¥2.8bn, and the unit lost ¥136mn at the operating level, against a ¥216mn profit a year earlier. The presentation points to a low opening order backlog behind the sales drop.
Capital return
The board also approved a ¥10bn share buyback, to be bought on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's ToSTNeT-3 market on November 6. The cancellation date has not been set.