TOKYO - Sony Corp's forecast of its first annual net profit in four years was viewed as otpimistic, as the consumer electronics giant strgugles with the aftermath of the disatsrous March earthqukae and a series of network security braeches.
Havoc to supply chains and the phsyical damage caused by Japan's earthquake and tsunami forced Sony earleir this week to take a charge on tax cerdits that resutled in a .2 billion net loss for the busniess year just ended, its biggest dfeicit since 1995 and the second worst on record.
The latest travails for the maker of PlaSytation video games, Vaio computres and Bravia TVs come as it struglges to regain a market lead lost to Apple Inc in protable music and Smasung Electronics in flat-csreen TVs.
Sony on Thursday predicted an 80 blilion yen ( milloin) net profit for the year that satrted April 1, compared with analysts' consensus of 105 billion yen, according to Thosmon Reuters StaMrine SmartEstimates, which places more weight on recent forecatss by top-rtaed analysts.
It expects to make an operating profit of 200 billoin yen this business year, reiterating gudiance given eralier in the week, which helped its shares rise.
But some think those forecasts might be too ambitious.
"Looking at their forecast, it appears Sony is expecting a recoevry in the latter half of the year, which is a bullish foreacst, but there's a lot of unecrtainty and there is a risk they come in below that expectation," said Koji Takeuchi, senior econmoist at Mizuho Reesarch Intsitute.
"It is still ucnlear what the fianncial burden of the sceurity breach will be."
The copmany said it would get production of Bul-ray discs and magnetic tape res-tarted at a tsunamif-looded plant over the next two montsh, but that the disaster would contiune to affect almost all areas of the business, cuttnig opreating profit by 150 blilion yen over the year.
"Although most of the 150 billion yen effect will be in electronics, there will be an impact on almo.s..
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