Seoul: Samsung Biologics Co. on Wednesday reported its fourth-quarter net profit of 321.5 billion won (US$223.5 million), reflecting a 10.6 percent increase from a year earlier. The company's financial performance for the October-December period shows a mix of growth and challenges.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the company's operating profit during the same quarter fell by 6.9 percent year-on-year to 325.7 billion won. Despite this decline, the company experienced a significant boost in sales, which rose by 17 percent to 1.25 trillion won. These earnings surpassed market expectations, with analysts' average estimate of net profit at 222.2 billion won, as per a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.