[Featured Stock] KT Hits 52-Week High... Soars with 'Triple Play' of Performance, Shareholder Returns, and Defensive Stock

Q3 Earnings 'Surprise'... Positive Outlook from MS Partnership
Share Buyback and Non-Core Asset Securitization Plans to Enhance Shareholder Value
Increased Value as Defensive Stock... Strong Performance Expected for Telecom Stocks

KT has reached a 52-week high. This appears to be due to its 'surprise' earnings, shareholder return policy, and its appeal as a 'defensive stock.'

As of 2:30 PM on the 11th, KT is trading at 44,150 KRW, up 7.42% (3,050 KRW) from the previous trading day. During the session, it hit a high of 44,950 KRW, surpassing the 52-week high of 44,500 KRW recorded on the 1st. Since touching the 40,000 KRW mark in September after 7 months, KT has shown an upward trend.

According to Mirae Asset Securities, KT's consolidated revenue for the third quarter was 6.6546 trillion KRW, with an operating profit of 464.1 billion KRW, exceeding market expectations. The partnership announced in October with Microsoft is expected to generate new sales worth 600 billion KRW over the next five years, and the expanding demand for artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to lead to growth in data centers and cloud services. Additionally, KT revealed plans to enhance shareholder value by tripling AI and IT sales, achieving a consolidated operating profit margin of 9%, liquidating non-core assets, and repurchasing and canceling treasury shares worth 1 trillion KRW by 2028.

Amid the domestic stock market slump following Trump's election, KT, as a telecommunications stock, is gaining appeal as a 'defensive stock.' Traditionally, in volatile markets driven by recession concerns, sectors that are essential and consumed regardless of economic downturns tend to perform well. Telecommunications and convenience store-related stocks are representative examples.