The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Expectations for earnings to normalize upon recovery of casino accessibility amid discussions on endemic transition are rising. Variables related to Macau’s tightening of junket regulations still e
Global manufacturers supplying products from China are continuing to be affected as COVID-19-related shutdowns are continuing in a number of regions in China.The Bank of Korea said in its report on Feb. 20 that the Chinese government is still sticking to its zero-infection policy and this is leading
The authors are analysts of Shinhan Investment Corp. They can be reached at jhwon@shinhan.com and shawn1225@shinhan.com, respectively. -- Ed. Strong 4Q21 results driven by brisk demand for COVID-19 test kitsSeegene posted consolidated sales of KRW410bn (-7.2% YoY) and operating profit of KRW199.9bn
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at hwdoh@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Semicon supply/demand may be impacted by interruptions in the production of gases such as neon and argon due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Ukraine accounts for 70% of global neon gas production.Neon
SK Hynix was the only DRAM maker that posted a sales increase in the fourth quarter of 2021 amid a decline in global DRAM semiconductor sales.Global DRAM sales in the fourth quarter of 2021 stood at US$25.3 billion (about 30 trillion won), down 6 percent from the previous quarter, said market resear
The authors are analysts of Shinhan Investment Corp. They can be reached at doyeon@shinhan.com and hyon@shinhan.com, respectively. – Ed. 4Q21 OP reported at KRW138.2bn (+16.1% QoQ)DB HiTek delivered another record-high in quarterly earnings. Operating profit far exceeded the consensus estimate of KR
Yonsei University professor Park Byung-ho and his research team developed a technique for improving the performance of a catalyst producing hydrogen from water. The catalyst developed by the team is made of tin and aerogel that has micro holes.“In terms of surface area, 99 percent and 1 percent of a
Oracle and Microsoft has launched their cloud interconnection service in South Korea.The two companies formed a partnership for the purpose in 2019. They have interconnected data centers in major cities since then. Recently, the interconnection service was launched in Phoenix as well as Seoul. The s
MedPacto, Inc., a genome-based drug discovery and clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced on Feb. 14 that it has entered into a clinical trial agreement with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in the United States to pursue an investigator-initiated clinical trial in patients with
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Investment Corp. He can be reached at sanghoonpure.cho@shinhan.com. – Ed. 4Q21 results in line with market consensusHiteJinro posted sales of KRW544.9bn (+5.5% YoY) and operating profit of KRW33.7bn (+41.2% YoY) for 4Q21, meeting the market consensus. Although det
The author is an analyst of KB Securities. He can be reached at drlee@kbfg.com. -- Ed. Maintain BUY but cut target price to KRW130,000 We maintain BUY on Kakao but cut our TP to KRW130,000 (-18.8%). Derived using the DCF model, our TP represents 73.0x implied P/E. Despite our expectation that 2022 r
Hyundai Motor Group dispatched executives to Phoenix, Arizona, earlier this week. As the number of COVID-19 cases surged in Korea and around the world, Hyundai Motor Group imposed its own business trip restrictions. But as the semiconductor supply situation in the United States worsened, the Korean
AItheNutrigene is expected to enter the North American market with its NINA, the world’s first paper-microfluidic chip-based COVID-19 test kit.The company recently signed an exclusive supply contract with AOD. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of South Korea is clinically testing the kit and the
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at ys.jung@nhqv.com -- Ed. Demand in January came in strong mainly on domestic routes due to base effect and the New Year holidays. Expectations for a recovery in international passenger demand are rising, but there is still t
Samsung Electronics posted the highest sales among global semiconductor companies in 2021, while TSMC enjoyed the highest profitability. Samsung's semiconductor sales reached 94.16 trillion won, while Taiwan’s TSMC posted an operating margin of 40.9 percent.Samsung also made the largest investme
The World Wide Fund for Nature, Hikvision and Intel are tracking Siberian tigers in Russia and China using artificial intelligence. Hikvision takes a picture with its remote control camera, and then Intel’s artificial intelligence distinguishes the individual using its data.At present, the number of
The European Commission has proposed a new bill, EU Chips Act, for a considerable increase in semiconductor supply in Europe.According to the bill, the ratio of semiconductor production in Europe to the global total is to be raised from 9 percent to 20 percent by 2030 at an investment of 43 billion
The author is an analyst of KB Securities. He can be reached at jeff.kim@kbfg.com. -- Ed. Maintain BUY, target price at KRW500,000; earnings surprise expected We maintain BUY and TP of KRW500,000 on LG Innotek. We expect an earnings surprise in 1Q22 (low-demand season), on par with 3Q earnings (high
Hyundai Steel is set to enter the ultra-high strength cold-rolled steel sheet market for vehicles, which has been monopolized by European and American steelmakers.The company has recently completed the development of a 1.5-gigapascal martensite (GPa MS) steel plate. Gigapascal is a unit that measure
Naver is planning to open an in-house hospital next month. According to the company, the hospital will be a paperless hospital and a test bed for its healthcare business expansion. The company is also planning to acquire 10 percent of ezCaretech by investing 30 billion won. ezCaretech provides elect