[Click eStock] "Daewon Media, Rapid Growth in Japanese Anime... Beneficiary of Anime Craze"

Hyundai Motor Securities

Hyundai Motor Securities on the 24th forecasted that Daewon Media's operating profit for this year will increase more significantly than expected following a surprise first-quarter earnings announcement. No investment opinion or target price was provided. The closing price on the previous trading day was 16,500 KRW.

Daewon Media recorded an operating profit of 8.5 billion KRW in the first quarter, driven by the Slam Dunk effect, leading to an upward revision of its annual guidance to 310 billion KRW in sales and 20 billion KRW in operating profit.

Hyundai Motor Securities analyst Kim Hyun-yong said, "Although it is inevitable that operating profit will return to a typical quarterly level from the second quarter, there is additional potential for stock price gains due to events such as the release of the new Studio Ghibli animated film in theaters in the second half of the year and the sequential release of webtoons produced by subsidiaries."

He added, "The Japanese animation film market has rapidly expanded by 1.6 times, and the domestic anime craze is also likely to continue for some time. We plan to invest considerable resources not only in the domestic distribution of the new Studio Ghibli work but also in securing additional major animated theatrical releases this year."