HTC warns of first ever operating loss 31 July 2013 Last updated at 04:56 Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC has warned it may make an operating loss - its first ever - in the third quarter, sending its shares down sharply. Its shares fell 7% to 159.5 Taiwanese dollars, a near eight-year low. On Tuesday, the firm warned that it may swing to an operating loss as its revenue projections missed analysts forecasts hurting investor morale. It said its margins were hurt by "relatively higher cost structure" as well as the "lack of economy of scale." It said it expects its operating margin in the third quarter to fall to between zero and minus 8% on revenues of between T$50 to T$60bn ($1.7bn-$2bn; £1.1m-£1.3bn) Most analysts had forecasting a margin of between 2-4% and revenues of close to T$72bn. Dwindling fortunes It doesn't seem like the company has any strategy that can turn this around End Quote Daniel Chang Macquarie Securities Once a major global player, HTC has seen its fortunes slide in recent times as it lost market share to rivals such as Samsung and Apple. It net profit dipped 83% in the second quarter, from a year earlier. In an attempt to revive growth, it has launched new products - including the HTC One - the response to which, it said, had been encouraging. "With the help of HTC One, we have regained superphone market share across major markets including China," the company said. It added that it plans to launch a range of innovative and competitive mid-tier products in the coming months, which it expects will help it "regain momentum and market share in these segments" in the coming months. While the company said it expected an improvement in the fourth quarter, some analysts were sceptical if it will be able to turn around things in the near-term. "It doesn't seem like the company has any strategy that can turn this around," said Daniel Chang, an analyst at Macquarie Securities. HTC shares have fallen 44% over the past 12 months and are trading at their lowest level since 2005.