Nokia predicts easing of global semiconductor shortage

Stockholm — Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia said it expects the global semiconductor shortage to ease later this year, as it reported quarterly operating profit that beat market expectations, boosted by solid demand for 5G gear.

The strong performance sent its shares up as much as 7%.

A semiconductor shortage, which began around the height of the pandemic in 2020, has affected a range of industries, including telecom. Nokia said it expects the pressure to ease through the second half of 2022 and the first half of next year.

“The overall direction in the semiconductor industry is positive at the moment, but we did continue to have constraints in the second quarter,” CEO Pekka Lundmark said in an interview.

“Our order book would have enabled a faster growth had there been more components available.”

Supply-chain disruptions also led to increased costs, eroding margins, and forcing companies to increase prices.

Demand for chips is expected to fall later this year as smartphone and PC sales cool, increasing supply to other industries.

While Nokia’s margin fell slightly in the quarter, rival Ericsson’s quarterly core earnings missed expectations.

“Following the margin warning last week from peer Ericsson, we think Nokia is performing well in the face of inflation and supply-chain risks, and we continue to see strong margin expansion opportunities beyond near-term headwinds,” Citi analysts wrote in a research report.

The company affirmed its full-year net sales outlook of between €23.5bn and €24.7bn, and comparable operating margin guidance of 11% to 13.5%.

Nokia’s second-quarter comparable operating profit rose to €714m ($729.71m) from €682m last year, beating the €636.52m mean forecast of 11 analysts polled by Refinitiv.

Lundmark said Nokia is passing on cost increases to all new contracts, but it is hard to do that for existing clients.

Net sales grew 11% in the quarter to €5.87bn, beating estimates of €5.60bn.

The company, which said in April it was pulling out of Russia after the Ukraine invasion, is continuing with its exit process.

“The clear majority of the exit will have been done by the end of the year. We are in discussions now with our customers there on how to do all the practical things, but all our main offices in Russia have delivered notices to our people,” Lundmark said.

Reuters