KOSDAQ No.2 Ecopro Surge... Market Cap Jumps from 103rd to 17th in 6 Months

CXO Research Institute Mid-Year Market Cap Ranking Changes
Over 30 Stocks Join the '1 Trillion Won Club'
EcoPro Enters Top 20 by Market Cap

EcoPro, the second largest by market capitalization on KOSDAQ, saw its market cap ranking skyrocket from 103rd at the beginning of the year to 17th by the end of last month. Samsung Electronics, ranked first, increased its market cap by about 100 trillion KRW in the first half of the year.

Former Chairman Dong-chae Lee, the major shareholder of Ecopro, is seen speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Ecopro Global's Hungary plant held in Debrecen, Hungary, on April 21 (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 13th, CXO Research Institute, a corporate analysis specialist, released a report titled "Analysis of Changes in Domestic Stock Market Capitalization in the First Half of the Year." The analysis covered 2,599 stocks excluding preferred shares.

The total market capitalization of the domestic stock market rose from 2,011 trillion KRW at the start of the year to 2,388 trillion KRW by the end of last month, an increase of 377 trillion KRW (18.7%). Among the stocks, 1,769 (68.1%) saw an increase, while 798 (30.7%) decreased. The number of stocks joining the "1 trillion KRW club" increased by 28 (12.3%), from 228 to 256.

Among the top 10 by market capitalization, SK Hynix (4th to 3rd), Kia (9th to 8th), and POSCO Holdings (11th to 9th) rose in ranking, while Samsung Biologics (3rd to 4th), Naver (8th to 10th), and Kakao (10th to 15th) dropped. Samsung Electronics’ market cap increased from 331.3229 trillion KRW at the start of the year to 431.0183 trillion KRW by the end of last month, a rise of 99.6954 trillion KRW (30.1%). SK Hynix grew from 55.1097 trillion KRW to 83.8658 trillion KRW, an increase of 28.7561 trillion KRW (52.2%). LG Energy Solution, ranked second, also rose from 104.364 trillion KRW to 129.402 trillion KRW, up 25.038 trillion KRW (24%).

Among the top 20 by market cap, only five stocks?Samsung Electronics, LG Energy Solution, LG Chem (5th), Samsung SDI (6th), and Hyundai Motor (7th)?maintained their rankings. SK Innovation (18th to 21st) and Samsung Life Insurance (20th to 23rd), which were in the top 20 at the start of the year, fell out of the group.

There were also significant changes in the top 100 market cap rankings. Eleven new stocks entered the top 100. Along with EcoPro, notable rank increases were seen by Cosmo Advanced Materials (160th to 64th) and Hanwha Ocean (formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, 137th to 46th). Other stocks entering the top 100 included Kumyang (178th to 100th), POSCO International (105th to 53rd), JYP Entertainment (117th to 75th), Hanjin KAL (118th to 99th), Hyundai AutoEver (107th to 88th), and Pearl Abyss (108th to 94th).

EcoPro’s market cap growth rate in the first half was 624%, the highest among the 256 stocks in the 1 trillion KRW club. Its market cap surged more than sixfold from 2.773 trillion KRW to 20.0772 trillion KRW. The stock wealth of the company’s largest shareholder, Lee Dong-chae, Standing Advisor, increased from 535.8 billion KRW to 3.7834 trillion KRW during the same period. As of the end of last month, this was higher than the stock valuations of Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun (3.6533 trillion KRW), LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo (2.2085 trillion KRW), and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (1.9314 trillion KRW).

Oilseon Oh, Director of CXO Research Institute, said, "Stocks in the electric, automotive, and chemical sectors rose significantly in the first half." He added, "Looking at the market cap trends in the first half, it is clear that factors beyond earnings, such as corporate-related issues and future value, play a complex role in market cap increases." He further explained, "While companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix saw market cap growth despite operating profits being weaker than in the first half of last year, Hyundai Motor and Kia experienced increases in both earnings and market cap."

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