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Royal Philips Electronics NV (PHIA.AE) Monday posted a third-quarter net profit, surprising analysts who had forecast a loss and giving the shares a boost, but the electronics maker said its outlook remained cautious.

Net profit for the three months ended Sept. 30 was EUR174 million, up from a net profit of EUR57 million in the same period last year. Analysts had expected a net loss of EUR45 million.

The Amsterdam-based company posted the unexpected net profit as lower sales were partly offset by cost savings, lower-than-guided restructuring charges and an EUR87 million gain as healthcare costs for some retirees in a particular market were lower than expected. Philips declined to provide further details.

However, the company is still confronted with a weak U.S. hospital market, due to uncertainty around U.S. healthcare reform, while declining consumer spending and weak construction and automotive markets have also put pressure on lighting sales.

"While encouraged by the positive developments in sales and profitability during the third quarter, we remain cautious about the short-term outlook in the absence of structural recovery in the majority of our end markets," the company said.

"Philips' 3Q results look excellent," said Petercam analyst Eric de Graaf, who has an add rating. "Cost savings are becoming visible."

Since last year, Philips has accelerated restructuring measures as the economic crisis got a grip on the maker of products such as televisions, shavers, lighting and health-care equipment.

To mitigate the effect of the global downturn, Philips still targets EUR600 million in annual cost savings, Chief Financial Officer Pierre-Jean Sivignon told a conference call.

That program benefited Philips' fixed-cost base by EUR118 million in the third quarter, which is expected to increase to EUR159 million in the fourth quarter.

Apart from cost savings from the restructuring program, Philips has also cut discretionary costs, like spending on consultants and travel. The CFO declined to give details on these savings, but said that "these costs will come back up when sales go back up."

The company booked a lower-than-guided EUR125 million in restructuring charges in the third quarter, a EUR51 million increase from a year earlier, but said it expects another EUR200 million in restructuring- and acquisition-related costs in the fourth quarter.

"We believe that Philips will continue to take as much costs out as needed," De Graaf said.

Despite better cost management, margins were lower on an annual basis for all businesses except consumer lifestyle, where earnings before interest and taxes rose to EUR126 million from EUR59 million a year earlier as the restructuring of its television business led to a EUR50 million improvement in the segment.

EBIT margins before amortization at consumer lifestyle rose 6.2% from 2.4% a year earlier.

However, margins at Philips' lighting division more than halved due to continuing weakness in many end-markets and on restructuring charges. Meanwhile, sales were down 13% on a comparable basis, but improved on a sequential basis, the company said.

At healthcare, margins were down to 9.6% of sales, from 10.4% a year earlier, while declines in North American sales were partly offset by double-digit growth in emerging markets.

Sales at the unit were down 4% on a comparable basis, while order intake declined 7%, mainly caused by a weak North American market for imaging systems such as CT- and MRI-scanners. U.S. Hospital markets have been in a slump for quite some time, with uncertainty about the U.S. healtcare sector putting additional pressure on equipment spending. Philips competes with General Electric Co. (GE) and Siemens AG (SI) in the segment.

Emerging markets now make up 31% of group sales, with healthcare generating 19% of its sales in countries like Brazil, India and China. Philips recently set a goal to generate half of its revenue from emerging countries.

Around 1300 GMT, Philips shares were up 6.1% at EUR18.07, having gained 40% in the past three months, outperforming the AEX, which gained 32% in the same period, as cyclicals outperformed defensive stocks and many analysts upgraded Philips' rating and target price.

-By Robin van Daalen, Dow Jones Newswires; +31 20 571 52 01; robin.vandaalen@dowjones.com