KOSPI-Listed Firms Post 110 Trillion Won in First-Half Operating Profit; KOSDAQ at 5.6 Trillion Won

In the first half of this year, KOSPI-listed companies saw improvements in both sales and profitability. In contrast, although KOSDAQ-listed companies experienced an increase in sales, their operating profit grew by only around 1%, and their net profit declined significantly.

Korea Exchange, Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

KOSPI December-closing corporations: First-half operating profit up 8.01% year-on-year

According to the Korea Exchange on August 19, the consolidated sales of December-closing companies listed on the KOSPI for the first half of the year amounted to 1,522.4617 trillion won, a 5.17% increase compared to the same period last year. Operating profit rose by 8.01% to 110.4001 trillion won, and net profit increased by 14.71% to 91.2453 trillion won. The operating margin and net margin improved by 0.19 percentage points and 0.5 percentage points, reaching 7.25% and 5.99%, respectively.

The debt ratio for the first half stood at 110.6%, up 1.4 percentage points from the end of last year.

Of the 636 companies analyzed on a consolidated financial statement basis, 488 companies, or 76.73%, recorded a net profit in the first half. This is a decrease of 16 companies compared to the same period last year. The number of companies in the red was 148, of which 71 turned to a loss.

By industry, sales increased in 15 sectors, including pharmaceuticals and transportation·warehousing, while five sectors, including construction and non-metallics, saw a decrease. Operating profit increased in 11 sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and electricity·gas, but decreased in nine sectors, including non-metallics, metals, and paper·wood.

For the second quarter, sales reached 764.3213 billion won, up 0.82% from the previous quarter, but operating profit fell by 6.37% to 53.3829 trillion won, and net profit dropped by 23.12% to 39.6603 trillion won. The number of companies with a net profit in the second quarter was 468, down by 11 compared to the same period last year.

Among 42 financial companies, consolidated operating profit for the first half decreased by 0.1% year-on-year, while net profit increased by 7.8%. Operating profit for insurance and financial holding companies declined by 9.5% and 0.9%, respectively. Securities companies saw a 30.4% increase in net profit. In the second quarter, both operating profit and net profit increased by 8.0% and 11.8%, respectively, compared to the previous quarter.

KOSDAQ December-closing corporations: First-half operating profit up 1.76% year-on-year

For KOSDAQ-listed December-closing companies, consolidated sales in the first half reached 141.1451 trillion won, a 6.24% increase from the same period last year. Operating profit rose by 1.76% to 5.6685 trillion won, while net profit fell sharply by 35.78% to 2.5531 trillion won. The operating margin was 4.02%, down 0.18 percentage points year-on-year, and the net margin was 1.81%, down 1.18 percentage points.

In the second quarter, sales and operating profit were 73.4340 trillion won and 3.4102 trillion won, respectively, up 8.45% and 51.00% from the previous quarter.

The debt ratio for KOSDAQ-listed companies in the first half was 111.61%, up 6.19 percentage points from the end of last year.

Of the 1,207 consolidated companies, 644 recorded a net profit in the first half, while 563 posted a net loss.

By industry, first-half sales increased year-on-year in 18 sectors, including distribution and pharmaceuticals, while five sectors, including construction, saw a decrease. Operating profit increased in 13 sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and general services, but declined in 10 sectors, including textiles·apparel and electrical·electronics.

Among KOSDAQ 150 index constituents, first-half sales and operating profit increased by 11.08% and 8.24%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. The operating margin for KOSDAQ 150 constituents was 7.14%, which is 4.33 percentage points higher than the 2.81% for non-constituent companies. However, this represents a 0.18 percentage point decrease year-on-year. For companies in the KOSDAQ Global Segment, sales and operating profit decreased by 2.55% and 5.33%, respectively.

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