[IT168 News] Beijing time on September 16 news, according to foreign media reports, after Foxconn shares Sharp, Samsung Electronics has sold all of the shares held by Sharp. Samsung holds approximately 35.8 million Sharp shares through its Japanese subsidiary, which holds a 0.7% stake. According to Sharp's closing price on Wednesday, the value of this portion of the stock is approximately 4.6 billion yen (approximately US$45 million).
Samsung initially invested Sharp 10.4 billion yen in Sharp in March 2013 and obtained approximately 3% of its shares, becoming Sharp's fifth largest shareholder.
Samsung has been divesting non-core businesses and announced on Monday that it will sell the printer business to HP. The divestiture of Sharp's investment may be another measure to restructure its business.
Sharp and Foxconn jointly established an LCD panel factory in Osaka City, Osaka, and the factory's largest TV panel customer is Samsung. If Samsung is satisfied with the purchase price, the partnership between the two parties is likely to continue. But if the relationship deteriorates, Sharp's recovery efforts may suffer.
Foxconn invested 388.8 billion yen in Sharp in August this year. Qualcomm had invested a total of 10.9 billion yen in Sharp from 2012 to 2013 and has sold all of its shares this year. Since Foxconn’s share purchase, Sharp’s shareholding structure has changed significantly.
Foxconn seems to be hoping to use the Japanese-Taiwan Vendor Alliance to contend with South Korean manufacturers. Foxconn has a close relationship with Apple, which is Samsung's main rival in the smart machine market. Samsung tried to acquire Sharp's copier business, but negotiations eventually broke down.