KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 22): Cake and chocolate confectionery maker Apollo Food Holdings Bhd's net profit for the second financial quarter ended Oct 31, 2014 (2QFY15) fell 27% to RM4.81 million from RM6.6 million a year ago, mainly due to higher cost of materials.

Revenue for 2QFY15, however, rose 6.5% to RM51.38 million from RM48.23 million in 2QFY14, thanks to increased demand from both export and local markets. 

Earnings per share (EPS) was lower at 6.01 sen compared with 8.25 sen in 2QFY14.

For the six months period (6MFY15), Apollo Food's net profit fell 40.7% to RM10.26 million from RM17.31 million a year ago, while revenue dropped 2.6% to RM102.99 million from RM105.71 million in 6MFY14. 

EPS for 6MFY15 fell to 13.16 sen from 21.64 sen a year ago. 

As for future prospects, Apollo Food is expecting a "challenging and competitive" operating environment but remains optimistic. 

"The board is optimistic that the performance of the group will continue to remain profitable.

"The group will strive to ensure that it continues to achieve satisfactory results by implementing prudent measures, improving operational efficiency while remaining focused on product and service quality," Apollo Food said in its filling with Bursa Malaysia today.

Shares of Apollo Food closed up 0.93% at RM4.35 today, bringing a market capitalisation of RM336 million.