[Market Focus] KOSEN Surges Over 7% on Expectations for Entry into Semiconductor Equipment Market

The stock price of KOSEN, a company expected to enter the semiconductor equipment market, is showing strong performance.

As of 9:34 a.m. on March 17, KOSEN was trading at 14,140 won, up 7.12% from the previous trading day.

KOSEN is a company that develops and manufactures nano-analysis equipment based on scanning electron microscopes. Recently, the company has been pursuing a new equipment business targeting the semiconductor back-end process and industrial analysis equipment markets.

On this day, Daishin Securities researcher Kim Ahyoung predicted that KOSEN would undergo a stock price re-rating this year as it enters the phase of commercializing its equipment from research-use to industrial-use equipment.

Researcher Kim analyzed, "The new equipment business based on ion gun modules and atmospheric pressure scanning electron microscopes (SEM) will be fully launched," and added, "There is a possibility of a valuation re-rating (stock price level relative to performance) due to the commercialization of new equipment."

In terms of performance, KOSEN is expected to enter a full-fledged growth phase starting this year. Last year, the company posted sales of 13.4 billion won and an operating loss of 1.5 billion won, turning to a deficit compared to the previous year. However, from next year, the company is expected to see improved profitability due to a better product mix, as stable growth of the existing research-use SEM is supplemented by sales of new equipment.

Researcher Kim added, "In the past, Park Systems experienced a sharp rise in its stock price as it was re-evaluated as a semiconductor process inspection equipment company following the commercialization of its atomic force microscope (AFM) equipment. Likewise, as KOSEN's expansion into the industrial analysis equipment market becomes more visible, it is highly likely to follow a similar growth trajectory."