|
Woojungbio Hits Upper Limit... Ongoing Impact of Sale Issue
According to KG Zeroin MP DOCTOR (formerly Market Point), Woojungbio hit the upper limit right from the market open, trading at 3,490 won, up 805 won from the previous day. The rise in Woojungbio's stock price is analyzed to be driven by the news of its acquisition by Kolmar Holdings. Woojungbio has recorded its second upper limit since the sale was announced.
On the 5th, Woojungbio decided to issue 35 billion won worth of third-party allotment convertible bonds (CB) to Kolmar Holdings. When all the CBs are converted, Kolmar Holdings will secure 15,053,863 shares, or 47.22% of the total outstanding shares, thereby becoming the largest shareholder of Woojungbio.
The current largest shareholder, CEO Chun Hee jung holds 2,155,114 shares which equates to a 12.8% stake. However, once this CB conversion is completed the stake will drop to 6.5%. In effect, CEO Chun has handed over the management rights of Woojungbio to Kolmar Holdings.
Kolmar Holdings plans to maintain Woojungbio's existing businesses, such as its non clinical CRO and Lab Cloud and utilize this infrastructure to enhance the group's bio research and development (R&D) capabilities and efficiency. Furthermore, Woojungbio is expected to boost its business capabilities by leveraging the Kolmar Group's network.
Accordingly, it is anticipated that personnel from Kolmar Holdings will join the board of directors through Woojungbio's general shareholders' meeting to be held this month, and will fully exercise their voting rights thereafter.
An official from Woojungbio stated, "There is no new specific reason for the stock price increase," adding, "The stock price seems to be rising due to the ongoing issues related to Kolmar Holdings."
Qurient Surges 25% on News of Highest ETF Weighting
Qurient's stock price recorded 50,900 won, up 25.37% from the previous trading day. The sharp rise in Qurient's shares is interpreted as a result of the news that it was included with the highest weighting in the entire portfolio of the newly listed 'KoAct KOSDAQ Active' ETF by Samsung Active Asset Management.
Samsung Active Asset Management listed 'KoAct KOSDAQ Active' on this day, and Qurient's inclusion weighting was confirmed to be the highest at 8.97%. This inclusion with the maximum ETF weighting implies that the asset management company has recognized Qurient's 'growth potential', signifying it as one of the most noteworthy companies in the bio sector.
Consequently, continuous capital inflow into Qurient is expected going forward. Whenever investments are made into the ETF, the largest proportion of funds will be allocated to Qurient, the top-weighted stock, which is expected to create a stable supply and demand dynamic.
Notably, Qurient had previously been plagued by rumors of being designated as an administrative issue, but this ETF inclusion has completely dispelled such concerns. Recently, rumors circulated online that Qurient was included on a watchlist for administrative designation due to sluggish earnings last year.
According to the rumor, Qurient's preliminary sales last year fell 24% year-on-year to 7 billion won, while its net loss (continuing operations loss before corporate income tax expense) surged 113% to 52.1 billion won, raising fears of an administrative designation.
However, this is not true. According to exchange regulations, a company is designated as an administrative issue if its loss before tax exceeds 50% of its equity more than twice within the last three years.
While Qurient's ratio did exceed 50% last year, it remained below 50% in both 2023 and 2024, meaning there are no grounds for administrative designation. Following the rumor, Qurient reviewed all detailed criteria under the listing regulations and confirmed there were no reasons for such a designation.
A Qurient official remarked "The stock price had been suppressed by the rumors of an administrative designation but it appears to have rebounded significantly following this ETF inclusion."
Seers Technology Rises 10% on Bonus Issue
Seers Technology's stock price closed at 143,900 won, up 10.95% from the previous day. The increase in Seers Technology's stock is attributed to its decision to execute a bonus issue.
Seers Technology, a wearable AI diagnostic monitoring company, announced on this day that it has resolved a 200% bonus issue, allocating two new shares for each existing share, to expand investor accessibility and improve market liquidity. Through this bonus issue, 25,373,160 new shares will be issued, bringing the total number of outstanding shares to 38,059,740 as of March 25. The new shares will be listed on April 13.
This bonus issue is seen as a move to lower the barrier to investment accessibility caused by the recent surge in the stock price and to boost trading liquidity by increasing the number of outstanding shares.
Seers Technology is driving the establishment of a digital healthcare ecosystem that connects in-hospital monitoring to post-discharge patient management, based on its wearable patient monitoring solutions and AI analysis technology. It is also continuously expanding collaborations with medical institutions and partners in overseas markets, including the Middle East.
An official from Seers Technology stated, "We proceeded with the bonus issue to broaden our investor base and stimulate market participation by enhancing investor accessibility and shareholder value in alignment with our business expansion" adding "By securing a stable supply and demand foundation, we aim to build a shareholder structure that matches our future business expansion trajectory."
