Trio-Tech Posts Profit as Sales Rise in 2nd Quarter

Trio-Tech International ended a recent string of losses by posting an $82,000 profit in its fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 25.

The San Fernando-based maker of semiconductor test equipment, which lost more than $1.5 million in the past 2 1/2 years as the semiconductor industry slumped, previously had said it expected an earnings upturn because of a recent rebound in semiconductor sales.

Trio-Tech’s quarterly profit equaled 3 cents a share and came on a 25% gain in sales to $4.45 million from $3.55 million a year earlier. For the first half of its current fiscal year, Trio-Tech reported a $178,000 loss compared with a $323,000 loss a year earlier. Six-month sales edged up 2% to $8.01 million from $7.89 million.