SEOUL—Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. experienced a substantial surge in its fourth-quarter net profit, reaching 35.3 billion won ($26.5 million), which marks a 509 percent increase from the previous year. Despite the impressive growth in net profit, the company observed a decrease in operating income by 67.3 percent to 8 billion won for the October-December period. However, sales saw a significant rise of 37.3 percent, totaling 918.4 billion won.
According to Yonhap News Agency, these results surpassed market expectations, with the average net profit estimate by analysts being significantly lower at 7.1 billion won, based on a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data arm of Yonhap News Agency. The dramatic increase in net profit against the backdrop of falling operating income highlights a complex financial period for Lotte Chilsung Beverage.