Keyence, the Osaka-based maker of factory sensors, machine-vision systems and measurement gear, closed the quarter to June 20 with net sales of ¥346.6bn, up 32.8 percent from a year earlier. Operating profit rose 44.7 percent to ¥187.1bn, and net profit attributable to shareholders climbed 51.0 percent to ¥139.1bn. Earnings per share rose to ¥573.69 from ¥379.82, tracking the same roughly 51 percent gain as net profit, not a doubling.
| Metric | This Quarter | Year-Ago Quarter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net sales | ¥346.6bn | ¥261.1bn | +32.8% |
| Operating profit | ¥187.1bn | ¥129.3bn | +44.7% |
| Ordinary profit | ¥196.8bn | ¥131.5bn | +49.6% |
| Net profit attributable to parent | ¥139.1bn | ¥92.1bn | +51.0% |
Keyence's own account of demand is qualitative rather than a ranked scoreboard. The company said capital spending held up across a wide range of industries in the Americas, that growth in Asia continued centered on the semiconductor and electric-precision sectors, that Europe showed signs of recovery, and that domestic capital spending stayed on a recovery track. The filing does not say which region grew fastest, only that all four kept spending through the quarter.
Comprehensive income, which folds in currency and securities-valuation swings on top of reported profit, came to ¥144.0bn, up 48.8 percent from ¥96.7bn a year earlier, when it had fallen 4.7 percent. Total assets reached ¥3.72tn at quarter-end, up from ¥3.67tn at the start of the fiscal year, driven largely by a rise in investment securities. Net assets rose to ¥3.55tn, and the equity ratio edged up to 95.3 percent from 94.6 percent, a balance sheet with almost no reliance on debt.
Keyence left its annual dividend forecast unchanged at ¥550 per share, split evenly between an interim and a year-end payment of ¥275 each, matching the payout for the year just ended. The company noted that the quarterly financial statements were not reviewed by a certified public accountant or audit firm, a fact stated in the filing without further explanation of standard practice.
The numbers offer one of the earliest reads on global manufacturing capex for the current fiscal year, given Keyence's position selling automation and inspection equipment to factories across electronics, automotive and industrial-machinery supply chains. Whether the pace holds through the rest of the year is a question the company's next quarterly filing, not this one, will have to answer.