Japan Tobacco Lifts Dividend; Toyota Quartely Net Drops 57%

Nigel Thomas
07 Feb, 2012
New York City

Stocks in Japan traded sideways after Japan Tobacco lifted its annual outlook and Dainippon Screen Manufacturing indicated weak orders in the current quarter. After the close, Toyota Motor reported better than expected unit sales and rising revenues.

[R]8:30 PM Tokyo – Stocks in Japan traded sideways after Japan Tobacco lifted its annual outlook and Dainippon Screen Manufacturing indicated weak orders in the current quarter. After the close, Toyota Motor reported better than expected unit sales and rising revenues.[/R]

Stocks in Japan traded mixed as European leaders haggle to bring a quick resolution to the ongoing debt talks in Greece and Japan Tobacco reported better than expected outlook.

Stocks meandered in the early morning trading but were anchored in consumer stocks and edged slightly higher with the broader Topix Index reached a 5-month peak.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 0.1% to 8,917.52 and the broader Topix index increased 0.4% to 772.77.

After the close, Toyota Motor reported nine month net income declined 57.5% to 162 billion yen or $2.12 billion and revenues fell 10% to 12.88 trillion yen.

The global auto maker also estimated worldwide unit sale of 7.41 million to March, 30,000 units higher than its December forecast and estimated revenues in the full-year period of 18.3 trillion yen.

Stock Movers

Toyota Motor closed unchanged at 2,986 yen and Honda Motor Co. fell 2 yen to 2,764 yen and Nissan Motor Co Ltd increased 1 yen to 756 yen.

After the close, Toyota reported operating profit increased 51% in the quarter to December to 149.7 billion yen or $1.95 billion. For the year ending in March, the company now estimates operating profit to increase to 270 billion yen or $3.5 billion, a decline of 42% from a year ago.

In the quarter, net profit declined 13.5% to 80.9 billion yen and the company estimated annual net profit outlook for the year ending in March to 200 billion yen.

Sony Corp increased 21 yen to 1,513 yen, Panasonic Corp fell 1 yen to 636 yen and Canon Inc closed down 5 yen to 3,395 yen. Nintendo Co. Ltd closed up 210 yen at 10,580 yen.

Olympus Corp fell 17 yen at 1,243 yen and Fujifilm Holdings Corp closed down 12 yen at 1,803 yen.

Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co dropped 7% or 45 yen to 587 yen after the chip equipment maker lowered its net income estimate by 35% to 6.5 billion yen and also weak outlook for the orders in the current quarter.

Nikon decreased 1 yen 2,063 yen, Fanuc Ltd closed down 70 yen to 12,960 yen and Kyocera fell 20 yen at 6,640 yen.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd increased 7 yen to 329 yen, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd closed up 2 yen to 157 yen and Nippon Yusen K.K. closed up at 218 yen.

Shipping companies rebounded after the freight rate index in London traded higher after falling for more than six weeks in a row.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc decreased 1 yen to 198 yen.

Fast Retailing Co. decreased 190 yen to 15,620 yen and J. Front Retailing Co. Ltd closed down 2 yen at 372 yen.

Japan Tobacco Inc rose 5.5% or 21,000 yen to 406,500 yen after the company lifted its annual operating income by 11% to 365 billion yen and revised higher its annual dividend estimate 12.5% to 9,000 yen.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group increased 5 yen to 380 yen and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group closed up 25 yen at 2,542 yen.

Komatsu Ltd decreased 7 yen to 2,198 yen, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co decreased 20 yen to 1,519 yen and Toyo Engineering Corp fell 1 yen to 331 yen.

Softbank Corp closed up 13 yen at 2,160 yen, KDDI Corp closed unchanged at 479,500 yen and NTT DoCoMo, Inc closed up 500 yen to 137,300 yen.