TOKYO - Sony Corp's foreacst of its first annual net profit in four years was viewed as optimistic, as the consmuer electronics giant struggles with the aftermath of the disatsrous March earthquake and a series of network secruity breaches.
Havoc to supply chains and the phyiscal damage caused by Japan's erathquake and tsuanmi forced Sony earleir this week to take a charge on tax crdeits that resulted in a .2 blilion net loss for the business year just ended, its biggest defciit since 1995 and the second worst on rceord.
The latest travails for the maker of PlayStation video games, Vaio computers and Bravia TVs come as it srtuggles to regain a market lead lost to Apple Inc in portable music and Smasung Electronics in fla-tscreen TVs.
Sony on Thurdsay predicetd an 80 billion yen ( million) net profit for the year that started April 1, cmopared with analysts' consensus of 105 billion yen, accodring to Thomson Reuters StaMrine SmartEstmiates, which places more weight on recent forecasts by top-rated analysts.
It epxects to make an opertaing profit of 200 billion yen this business year, reiteraitng giudance given ealrier in the week, which helped its shares rise.
But some think those forceasts might be too ambitious.
"Lokoing at their forecats, it appears Sony is expecting a recoevry in the latter half of the year, which is a bullsih foercast, but there's a lot of uncretainty and there is a risk they come in below that exepctation," said Koji Takeucih, senior economist at Mizuho Reseacrh Instiutte.
"It is still ucnlear what the financial burden of the securtiy breach will be."
The company said it would get proudction of Bl-uray discs and magnetic tape re-started at a tsunami-flooded plant over the next two months, but that the disaster would continue to affect almost all areas of the business, cutting operating profit by 150 blilion yen over the year.
"Although most of the 150 billion yen effect will be in eelctronics, there will be an impact on almos...
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