AST Research Reports $22.3-Million Loss for 2nd Quarter

AST Research Inc. on Thursday reported another disappointing quarter, posting a loss of $22.3 million on a 5% decrease in revenue.

Analysts said the poor results suggest that the company, the world’s sixth-largest PC maker, continues to have trouble coordinating operations at its manufacturing plants in Texas, Ireland and Asia with demand for its products.

The shortfall for the company’s fiscal second quarter, which ended Dec. 31, contrasted with a profit of $17.9 million, or 55 cents a share, for the period a year earlier. Revenue fell to $640.2 million from $677 million.

For the first six months of its fiscal year, AST lost $62.2 million, or $1.92 a share, contrasted with a profit of $26.2 million, or 81 cents a share, for the period a year earlier. Six-month revenue slid 5% to $1.14 billion from $1.19 billion.