Siliconware Precision Industries' (SPIL) net profits fell 4.2% sequentially to NT$2.69 billion (US$85 million) in the third quarter of 2016 while revenues climbed to a record NT$21.96 billion.

SPIL's EPS for the third quarter came to NT$0.86, compared with NT$0.90 in the prior quarter.

SPIL's profit decrease during the third quarter was caused mainly by appreciation of the NT dollar, according to market watchers. Meanwhile, rising raw materials costs due to the company's increased focus on high-end packaging led to a lower gross margin during the quarter.

SPIL's gross margin slid 0.5pp on quarter and 1.7pp on year to 23% in the third quarter of 2016.

Of SPIL's third-quarter revenues, wafer bumping and flip-chip packaging accounted for a combined 41% followed by substrate-based packaging with 29%, leadframe-based packaging with 18%. The testing segment made up the remaining 12%.

Sales from the communications sector contributed 66% of SPIL's total revenues in the third quarter, down from 68% in the second quarter, while the computing segment as a proportion of company revenues grew to 12% from 10% in the prior quarter. The consumer and memory segments stayed flat at 20% and 2%, respectively.

SPIL posted revenues of NT$62.93 billion for the first three quarters of 2016, up 1.4% from a year earlier, while gross margin fell 3.6pp on year to 22.4%. Net profits for the 9-month period came to NT$7.1 billion, down 20.8% from the same period in 2015, with EPS reaching NT$2.28 compared with NT$2.88 a year ago.