Taiwan's leading smartphone maker HTC said Sunday that it had swung to profit in the three months to December after a quarterly net loss, the first since listing in 2002. The company reported a net profit of Tw$310 million ($10.3 million) in the fourth quarter despite an operating loss of Tw$1.56 billion, buoyed by its non-operating income, it said in a statement without giving details. Analysts say the income was from its decision in September to sell its remaining 24.84 percent stake in US headphone maker Beats Electronics LLC back to the firm for $265 million. The company reported a net loss of Tw$3 billion in the third quarter as it struggled to increase its foothold in the highly competitive smartphone market dominated by rivals Samsung and Apple.



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