Despite Beats sale, HTC posts second consecutive operating loss

HTC just posted another operating loss of NT$1.56 billion ($52 million), but managed a small net profit of NT$310 million ($10.3 million) selling its remaining shares of Beats. Though the Taiwanese company trimmed last quarter’s operating loss of NT$2.97 billion ($101 million), total revenue actually fell a touch to NT$42.9 billion ($1.6 billion).

HTC Corp. (2498) posted its second consecutive quarterly operating loss as a continued decline in sales dragged down earnings at the Taiwanese smartphone maker. Fourth-quarter operating loss was NT$1.56 billion ($52 million), the Taoyuan, Taiwan-based company said in a statement today, compared with the NT$1.72 billion average of 19 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Net income, boosted by the sale of its remaining stake in Beats Electronics LLC, was NT$310 million, missing the NT$694 million average of analysts’ estimates.