Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday that its operating profit likely fell some 53 percent last year. 

According to the world's largest memory chip maker, its operating profit was estimated at 27-point-71 trillion won last year, down 52-point-95 percent from a year earlier.
 
The tech firm's annual sales were estimated at 229-point-52 trillion won last year, down five-point-85 percent on-year to post the lowest figure since 2016.

Operating profit for the fourth quarter of last year slipped 34-point-26 percent on-year to seven-point-one trillion won. 

Sales came to 59 trillion won in the fourth quarter, down point-46 percent from a year earlier and down four-point-84 percent from the previous quarter.