Shares fall as Nokia's operating profit declined below expectations in Q2 2018

The recently announced Nokia X6. Image: Nokia China[/caption]Compared with the same period in 2017, Nokia's operating profit (non-IFRS) stood at 334 million euros, falling by 42 percent, while its net sales was 5.32 billion euros, down by 6 percent, Xinhua reported.The slump in profitability was mainly attributed to the poor performance by Nokia's Networks business, the company's mainstay.The operating profit (Non-IFRS) of Networks business slipped by 83 percent and its net sales dropped by 6 percent.Nokia Technologies, another section of the company, performed preferably in its operating profit, with 27 percent growth from 230 million euros in the second quarter of 2017 to 292 million euros in the same period this year.The company's profitability was lower than expectations. Analysts had forecasted that from April to June this year, Nokia's operating profit would be 373 million euros, 35 percent less from a year earlier, according to a poll.The market reacted negatively to Nokia's results. The company's share price declined by 9.1 percent in the Helsinki Stock Market on 26 July morning.The company management maintained this year's anticipations unchanged, and said that the upcoming commercial 5G networks would bring brighter prospects to its revenues."Nokia's Q2 2018 results were consistent with our view that the first half of the year would be weak followed by an increasingly robust second half," said Rajeev Suri, President and CEO of Nokia.He added that Nokia expects market conditions to improve further in the second half, the company's seasonally strongest quarter, and as 5G accelerates significantly.