[Click eStock] "Mr. Blue, Possible Record High Performance This Year"

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] There is an analysis suggesting the possibility of a stock price rebound for Mr. Blue, considering its solid third-quarter performance, reduced technical burdens, and webtoon growth potential.

Mr. Blue reported consolidated sales of 29.8 billion KRW for the third quarter of this year, a 19% increase compared to the same period last year, while operating profit decreased by 21% to 7.4 billion KRW. Dongha Kim, a researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities, stated in a report on the 3rd, “Although operating profit declined year-on-year due to increased expenses in the game segment such as marketing costs, the improvement trend in the comic content segment continued, and considering the enhanced profit capacity from successful overseas expansion and recovery in the game segment, the results are favorable.”

This year, sales are expected to reach a record high of 89.4 billion KRW, a 40% increase from last year, and operating profit is projected to grow by 45% to 20 billion KRW. Researcher Kim explained, “Performance improvement seems possible in the fourth quarter as well, due to continued improvement in the comic content segment, the Southeast Asia launch of EOS Red, and limited profit decline in the game segment from reduced marketing expenses.”

He added, “Although there are concerns about performance decline next year due to the aging of EOS Red, webtoon growth is expected to continue with the expansion of in-house webtoon genres (fantasy), an increase in cumulative in-house webtoon and overseas service titles, and the expansion of EOS Red’s overseas markets such as Japan and North America, so careful observation is needed.”

It is evaluated that corporate value enhancement is expected through the continuous growth of the comic content segment. Researcher Kim said, “Although the stock price has been weak recently, the favorable external environment (growth of the upstream market and the possibility of large platform companies going public) and the continued growth of the comic content segment due to strengthened in-house webtoon production are ongoing,” adding, “Considering the confirmation of overseas expansion potential through the success of EOS Red in Taiwan, corporate value is expected to improve in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.