Will NC, Whose Pride Was Hurt, Regain Its Throne as the Emperor Stock?

Recovery to the High 800,000 KRW Range Just Before Breaking 800,000 KRW
Expectations for Performance Rebound with New Releases Like TricksterM and Blade & Soul 2

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] NCSoft's stock price, which had fallen just short of breaking below 800,000 KRW, has rebounded to the high 800,000 KRW range. Attention is focused on whether it will regain its 'emperor stock' status, having soared well above 1,000,000 KRW at the beginning of the year thanks to the release of new titles.

As of 9:04 AM on the 2nd, NCSoft's stock price recorded 879,000 KRW, up 0.80% from the previous day. It recovered to the 870,000 KRW range for the first time in about a month since the 10th of last month. Compared to the annual low of 801,000 KRW recorded on the 6th of last month, it rose approximately 9.7%. After hitting an all-time intraday high of 1,048,000 KRW on February 8th, the stock price steadily declined but is now showing signs of a gradual rebound.

The release of TricksterM on the 20th of last month, which secured the 3rd place in Google Play sales, is interpreted as having raised expectations for performance. It is analyzed that the game is achieving box office success exceeding market expectations, with an estimated average daily sales of around 1 billion KRW. There is also a forecast that the somewhat sluggish sales of Lineage M, which faced even a boycott movement, could rebound through the 4th anniversary update expected to take place as early as the end of the second quarter. Previously, during the 3rd anniversary update of Lineage M last year, daily sales increased by about 900 million KRW, from an average of 1.76 billion KRW in the second quarter to 2.67 billion KRW in the third quarter.

Expectations have also grown due to the possibility that this year's most anticipated title, Blade & Soul 2, could be released as early as the end of this month. Hyoyoon Jung, a researcher at Korea Investment & Securities, said, "Since it is scheduled to be released by early next month at the latest, significant revenue growth is expected to begin in the third quarter," and added, "The estimated average daily sales for the first six months after the release of Blade & Soul 2 is about 2.35 billion KRW."

Amid these expectations, securities firms still maintain target stock prices in the 1,000,000 KRW range. According to financial information provider FnGuide, the consensus target price for NCSoft is 1,168,095 KRW. Although Mirae Asset Securities lowered its target price by 9.7%, it still suggested 1,580,000 KRW. KTB Securities, which lowered its target price by 7.14% on the 31st of last month, set it at 1,300,000 KRW. Hyundai Motor Securities, which estimated the most conservative target price, set it at 1,020,000 KRW.

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