[Featured Stock] HPO, KOSDAQ Debut Day 'Decline'... Falls Below IPO Price

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] HPO is trading below its IPO price after declining on its first day listed on KOSDAQ.

As of 9:16 AM on the 14th, HPO was trading at 18,550 KRW, down 7.25% (1,450 KRW) from the opening price of 20,000 KRW. The IPO price was 22,000 KRW.

Founded in 2012, HPO is a health functional food company that operates in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of health supplements based on the global premium brand 'Denps' both domestically and across Asia including China, as well as Europe.

According to separate financial statements, the company has achieved an average annual sales growth rate of 54.3% over the past three years. Last year's sales amounted to 103.8 billion KRW. The operating profit margin was also recorded at 19.2%. In 2020, on a consolidated basis including overseas subsidiaries and manufacturing affiliates, sales were 142.7 billion KRW with an operating profit of 25.6 billion KRW. The operating profit margin was 18%. Additionally, the sales composition by product was 58.8% (approximately 61 billion KRW) from probiotics, 24.1% (approximately 25 billion KRW) from vitamins, and 17.1% (17.7 billion KRW) from others (Omega-3, collagen, etc.).