[Click eStock] "KT to Pursue Aggressive Dividends and Governance Restructuring After CEO Reappointment"

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] Hana Securities announced on the 23rd that it maintains a 'Buy' investment rating on KT and a 12-month target price of 45,000 KRW. They believe that the stock price has sufficiently reflected the weak performance in the fourth quarter of this year, and with CEO Koo Hyun-mo's reappointment highly likely, they expect aggressive dividend policies and corporate governance restructuring next year.

KT is currently experiencing delays in deciding the next CEO. Kim Hong-sik, an analyst at Hana Securities, stated, "Despite the CEO election process, it is virtually certain that the current CEO Koo will be reappointed, so there is no need for concern," adding, "If the reappointment is confirmed, positive outcomes related to dividends and corporate governance restructuring are expected, meeting investors' expectations."

Additionally, he cited positive factors such as maintaining a 50% dividend payout ratio and calculating dividends based on a shareholder-first policy, prioritizing the telecommunications division and keeping it unlisted, actively pursuing IPOs for non-telecom subsidiaries, and enhancing corporate value by converting the headquarters into a leasing business.

Currently, KT's stock price remains around 35,000 KRW. Analyst Kim said, "After the ex-dividend date on the 28th, with a dividend of over 2,000 KRW, KT's stock price is expected to drop to around 33,000 KRW," and added, "Considering that the stock price is likely to be maintained at least above 36,000 KRW after the ex-dividend date, investing at this point would allow securing the dividend payment."

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