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[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Paul Lee] Shares of Naver and Kakao, one of the leading growth stocks in the local stock market, have been in opposition since the beginning of the year.
According to the Korea Exchange on the 10th, Naver's stock price has risen 7.63% since the beginning of the year to 193,200 won. Although it falls short of the KOSPI index, which rose more than 13 percent over the same period, it is a good defense compared to Kakao, which is tied together as a "leading growth stock."
Kakao shares have fallen more than 5% over the same period to 49,850 won. It plunged 30% compared to a year ago. The same goes for the 'Kakao brothers'. Since the beginning of the year, Kakao Bank (-4.14%), Kakao Pay (-13.87%), and Kakao Games (-34.62%) have fallen sharply.
It is a common diagnosis of the stock market that profitability improvement in major business sectors such as Kakao's advertising, commerce and content, which are like holding companies, is being delayed.
On the other hand, the outlook for Naver is relatively positive. "We expect an earnings turnaround with an increase in Forshmark trading volume and the start of a full-fledged advertisement. In addition to our continued cost-efficiency efforts, we will be able to improve our operating profit ratio in the fourth quarter, the peak season of advertising," said Lee Chang-young, a researcher at Yuanta Securities Co.
The second-quarter earnings are estimated to meet market expectations, with sales rising 20 percent on-year to 2.4598 trillion won and operating profit rising 8.6 percent to 365 billion won.
AlphaBIZ 폴 리(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
