[Market Focus] APR Rises on Expectations of Record Earnings

APR is continuing its upward trend in early trading, buoyed by strong performance forecasts from securities firms.

As of 10:05 a.m. on February 2, APR was trading at 279,250 won on the Korea Exchange, up 3.43% (9,250 won) from the previous session.

Earlier, securities firms expressed optimism about APR's fourth-quarter results for the previous year in their reports released on this day. Daishin Securities raised its target price for APR by 7% to 320,000 won and maintained its 'buy' rating. The firm estimated fourth-quarter sales at 473.3 billion won and operating profit at 116.7 billion won, representing increases of 94% and 194%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

Hansong Hyup, a researcher at Daishin Securities, explained, "Growth was driven by the United States. Thanks to the special demand during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) season and the spread of hit products, APR achieved the top quarterly sales in the Amazon skincare category. The demand confirmed online has now entered a phase where it leads to greater brand recognition."

He went on to forecast APR's sales for this year at 2.0236 trillion won and operating profit at 492.3 billion won. He added, "The key to growth is expansion in the U.S. market. With the current low penetration rate, there is additional growth potential as the product strength proven online expands to offline and B2B channels."

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