[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is expected to post a record profit in the fourth quarter of the year on its strong chip business, a market tracker said on Dec. 7.

FnGuide said a consensus market forecast of Samsung’s operating income amounts to 16.3 trillion won (US$14.90 billion) for the October-December period, up 77.2 percent from a year earlier.

The figure also hovers far above the company’s operating profit of 14.5 trillion won for the previous quarter.

The consensus forecast of Samsung’s sales for the current quarter stands at 66.1 trillion won, up nearly 28 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Among local brokerages, Hanwha Investment & Securities has forecast the largest operating income of 16.9 trillion won, according to FnGuide.

Analysts predicted Samsung’s chip division to drive the company earnings for the fourth quarter on strong global demand, with its operating income exceeding the 10 trillion-won mark for the first time.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)