KOSPI Operating Profit Surged by 61% Last Year
KOSDAQ Down 2.71%... KONEX Remains in the Red
Last year, the profitability of KOSPI-listed companies significantly improved. The consolidated operating profit of December fiscal year-end companies in the Korea Exchange increased by 61.68% year-on-year, and net profit rose by 81.59%. In contrast, the KOSDAQ market saw a decline in operating profit compared to the previous year.
KOSPI December Fiscal Year-End Companies Show Significant Increase in Both Operating and Net Profit Last Year
According to the Korea Exchange on the 2nd, the consolidated sales of December fiscal year-end companies in the Korea Exchange market amounted to KRW 2,918.3719 trillion, up 5.43% from the same period last year. Operating profit increased by 61.68% to KRW 196.8161 trillion, and net profit rose by 81.59% to KRW 142.8091 trillion. Operating profit margin and net profit margin improved by 2.34 percentage points and 2.05 percentage points, respectively, to 6.74% and 4.89%.
Last year, the debt ratio was 112.77%, up 1.05 percentage points from the previous year.
Among the 614 companies analyzed based on consolidated financial statements, 477 companies, or 77.69%, recorded net profits. This is an increase of 21 companies compared to the previous year. There were 137 companies with losses, of which 45 companies turned to losses.
By industry, sales increased in 15 sectors including electric and electronics, transportation and warehousing, and IT services, while sales decreased in 5 sectors including real estate. Operating profit increased in 10 sectors such as electric and electronics and transportation and warehousing, but decreased in 10 sectors including construction and real estate.
The consolidated operating profit and net profit of 43 financial companies increased by 14.29% and 12.51%, respectively, compared to the previous year. In particular, the securities industry showed significant improvement with operating profit up 51.10% and net profit up 60.83%.
KOSDAQ December Fiscal Year-End Companies: Sales Increased but Operating and Net Profit Decreased
The consolidated sales of December fiscal year-end companies in the KOSDAQ market amounted to KRW 273.3467 trillion, up 4.48% year-on-year, but operating profit decreased by 2.71% to KRW 9.6403 trillion. Net profit fell by 13.45% to KRW 3.4817 trillion.
At the end of last year, the debt ratio of KOSDAQ-listed companies was 104.93%, down 0.33 percentage points from the end of the previous year.
Sales and operating profit of companies included in the KOSDAQ150 index increased by 3.25% and 17.81%, respectively. The operating profit margin of KOSDAQ150 companies was 6.49%, which is 4.1 percentage points higher than the 2.39% of non-included companies. Sales of companies in the KOSDAQ Global segment decreased by 4.56%, but operating profit increased by 6.4%.
Among 1,203 consolidated companies, 692 companies recorded net profits, while 511 companies posted losses.
By industry, sales increased in transportation and warehousing (16.14%) and IT services (14.53%) compared to the previous year, while construction decreased by 11.96%. Operating profit significantly increased in distribution (57.49%) and machinery and equipment (20.86%) sectors.
More Than 60% of KONEX December Fiscal Year-End Companies Posted Losses
December fiscal year-end companies in the KONEX market recorded sales of KRW 2.0645 trillion, up 2.1% year-on-year, but operating loss of KRW 308.4 billion and net loss of KRW 383.5 billion continued. Among 103 companies analyzed, 37 posted profits while 66 posted losses.
By industry, sales increased the most in manufacturing by 9.0%, and IT sector sales rose by 3.1%. In contrast, bio (-4.2%) and others (-6.2%) declined. Operating profit and net profit recorded losses across all industries.
A Korea Exchange official explained, "It is analyzed that the overall performance of the KONEX market was affected by worsening business conditions such as intensified global competition and sluggish domestic demand, as well as poor performance of major companies."
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