Nomura Raises SK hynix Target Price 21% to 2.34 Million Won

*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an AI-based customized news recommendation and summarization service developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news articles by reader type.

1. "Heading to 2.3 Million Nix"…hynix Sees Rising Expectations on Record Earnings

- Key Summary: Nomura Securities raised its 12-month target price for SK hynix by 21% to 2.34 million won from the previous 1.93 million won. The firm estimated this year's and next year's operating profit at 280 trillion won and 379 trillion won respectively, projecting year-on-year increases of 492% and 36%. In Korea, Daol Investment & Securities (2.1 million won), Korea Investment & Securities (2.05 million won), and KB Securities (2 million won) also forecast "2-Million Nix." Analysis indicates that hynix's weighting capacity in overseas ETFs (19%) exceeds that of Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) (22.6%), giving it an advantage on the supply-demand front. Based on Nomura's target price, upside potential from the current share price (1,222,000 won) reaches 91.5%, suggesting strong momentum for further gains.

2. Foreign Buying Spreads Warmth to Semiconductor Materials and Equipment…KOSDAQ Breaks 1,200

- Key Summary: The KOSDAQ index closed at 1,203.84, up 29.53 points (2.51%) from the previous trading day, surpassing the 1,200 level on a closing basis for the first time in 25 years and 8 months. Foreign investors net purchased 685.7 billion won on the day, with cumulative net KOSDAQ purchases this year reaching 2.40 trillion won. Funds flowed into semiconductor materials and equipment names including Dongjin Semichem (160.1 billion won), Jeju Semiconductor (080220.KQ) (158.6 billion won), and Jusung Engineering (138.4 billion won). Two KOSDAQ active ETFs attracted more than 1.5 trillion won within a month, also serving as a market activation factor. However, experts noted that to secure long-term gains, structural improvements such as more active delisting of penny stocks and enhanced corporate disclosure must be supported.

3. Hyosung Heavy Industries Q1 Operating Profit 152.3 Billion Won…Up 48.8% Year-on-Year

- Key Summary: Hyosung Heavy Industries posted first-quarter revenue of 1.36 trillion won and operating profit of 152.3 billion won, growing 26.2% and 48.8% respectively from the same period last year. First-quarter new orders totaled 4.17 trillion won, setting a quarterly record that significantly exceeded brokerage forecasts. A 787 billion won order for 765kV ultra-high-voltage transformers in February — the largest ever for a domestic power equipment company — and a U.S. transmission grid project drove the sharp earnings growth. With order backlog reaching 15.1 trillion won, analysts project that revenue recognition of high-margin orders will accelerate the profit improvement trend in earnest.

4. BlackRock Buys In…Brokerages Say "Hyundai Rotem Earnings Growth Accelerating"

- Key Summary: Global asset manager BlackRock disclosed holdings of 5,457,602 Hyundai Rotem shares (5.00%), filing a renewed disclosure about two years after April 2024. Analysts interpret the re-inflow of global long-term funds as reflecting heightened mid- to long-term growth visibility, as defense exports including the second batch of Poland orders gain momentum. The average brokerage target price over the past three months is 301,875 won, about 10% higher than last October (274,211 won). With this year's PER at approximately 23 times, lower than the average for global defense companies (29 times), analysts say the valuation appeal stands out in the current range.