LG Display Q2 net surges on TV sales, tight supply

SEOUL, July 9 (Reuters) - South Korean flat screen maker LG Display Co Ltd (034220.KS) reported on Wednesday its net profit more than trebled thanks to strong demand for flat-screen televisions and tight supplies of PC panels.

LG Display (LPL.N), the world's No. 2 maker of large-sized liquid crystal displays (LCDs), posted a 759 billion won ($738.3 million) net profit in the second quarter to June 30, compared with 228 billion won earned in the year-earlier period and 717 billion won in the January-March quarter.

The result was in line with a forecast for 752 billion won from ten analysts surveyed by Reuters.

But concerns are growing about the liquid crystal display (LCD) industry's outlook as a global economic slowdown threatens to depress consumer spending while falling panel prices are set to hurt margins.

Analysts had widely expected a downturn to hit the sector at the end of the year, but they say that slowdown could come sooner and lead to a longer-than-expected slump.

Shares in LG Display, worth about $12 billion in market value, fell 11.8 percent in the second quarter against a 1.7 percent loss in the broader market as the industry's outlook dimmed.

($1=1028.0 Won) (Reporting by Rhee So-eui; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner and Louise Heavens)