Photo = Yonhap News
It was found that the operating profit of companies listed on the KOSDAQ market last year increased compared to the previous year despite the impact of Corona 19. The performance of non-face-to-face related companies such as software and contents increased, and the distribution and finance industries also quickly recovered from the affected area of Corona 19 in the second half of the year.
On the 4th, the Korea Exchange analyzed the performance of 1003 companies that can analyze consolidated financial statements out of 1115 companies with settlement accounts in December of last year. They increased by 3.44% and 12.10% compared to the previous year, respectively. Net profit also recorded 4.671.7 trillion won, an increase of 3.97% from last year.
The information technology (IT) sectors (366 companies based on consolidated basis) that influence KOSDAQ’s performance were divided by detailed sectors. For IT software, sales, operating profit, and net profit increased by 15.56%, 29.09% and 37.91%, respectively, compared to the previous year. In the hardware sector, sales increased by 2.74%, while operating profit and net profit decreased by 17.93% and 64.85%, respectively.
Even within the non-IT sector (consolidated 637 companies), there was a clear difference between sectors. For distribution, last year’s operating profit increased by 76.02% compared to the previous year. At the beginning of the year, it was hit by the Corona 19 impact, but in the second half of the year, it has successfully rebounded due to the expansion of online channels and non-face-to-face consumption. Finance (44.20%), construction (33.33%), and manufacturing (14.65%) also saw a year-on-year increase in operating profit.
The face-to-face industry was hit hard. In the hospitality and food sector, both operating profit and net profit turned to losses compared to the previous year. The entertainment and cultural sector also saw a 97.73% decline in operating profit. Net profit turned to a deficit.
Although profitability improved, financial stability indicators were shaken. The operating margin of sales of KOSDAQ listed companies was 5.77% on a consolidated basis, an increase of 0.45 percentage points from the previous year. As the external environment worsens due to Corona 19, it is interpreted as a result of companies actively working to protect profitability. It means that investment and various expenditures have been reduced. However, the debt-to-equity ratio was 109.06% as of the end of last year, up 5.05 percentage points from the end of the previous year.
Reporter Go Yoon-sang [email protected]
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