Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top memory chip supplier and second-biggest handset maker, said Friday that its third-quarter earnings declined 23 percent from one year ago, hurt by a slow recovery in consumer electronics markets worldwide.

Net profit reached 3.44 trillion won (US$3.09 billion) in the July-September period, compared with a profit of 4.46 trillion won one year ago, Samsung said in a regulatory filing.  The figure beat a median market consensus of 3.24 trillion won, according to 12 analysts polled by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.

Sales rose 3 percent on-year to 41.27 trillion won over the cited period, while operating profit fell 13 percent to 4.25 trillion won, in line with Samsung's earnings guidance released earlier this month. (Yonhap News)