New Delhi, Apr 30: IT company Moser Baer today reported a 36.73 per cent rise in its net profit to Rs 324.43 crore for the year ended March 2004 over the previous fiscal. The company`s total income increased by 46.07 per cent during the year, touching Rs 1585.69 crore on a year-on-year basis.

However, during the fourth quarter ended March 2004, its net profit declined by 13.57 per cent to Rs 73.44 crore. But the total income during the quarter increased to Rs 369.97 crore from Rs 356.25 crore in the same period last fiscal, Ratul Puri, Executive Director, Moser Baer India, said in a statement.

The company also announced it will no longer provide the annual earnings guidance and instead will provide a medium term -- three year -- revenue growth guidance.

Over the next three years, Moser Baer expects to grow its revenue at an annual compounded growth rate (CAGR) of 25-35 per cent on the back of expected growth in the sales of DVD segment. In its short term Capex guidance, it said the company plans to invest 135 million dollar for acquisition of fixed assets during the year 2004-05 and this will allow it to grow its optical media capacity to 2.4 billion dollar.

During Q4, the company added 1661 employees taking the total strength to 3882 as on March 2004.

Bureau Report