Samsung Electronics says that it posted an operating profit of nine-point-nine trillion won, or nearly eight-point-seven billion U.S. dollars, in the first quarter of this year.
 
The figure is the largest to be recorded in a first quarter when the demand for semiconductors typically dwindles.
 
It is also the second largest quarterly operating profit for the electronics giant, following ten-point-16 trillion won in the third quarter of 2013.
 
The first-quarter performance is up more than seven percent from the previous quarter and over 48 percent from the same period last year.
 
The ratio of operating profit to sale also jumped six-point-five percentage points year-on-year to 19-point-eight percent.
  
Securities companies predicted that Samsung’s business performance will further improve in the second quarter, noting that its smartphone sector is regaining vitality with the launch of the Galaxy S8 in late March, overcoming the fiasco of Galaxy Note 7 recalls last year.