Securities firms face doubts about the credibility of their earnings forecasts for listed companies, as the gap between actual and estimated earnings for several companies was significantly larger than expected in the second quarter.
According to data from market tracker FnGuide, 13 corporations listed on either the benchmark KOSPI or secondary Kosdaq posted losses from April to June in contrast to the prediction of various brokerages that had forecasted profits.
During the same period, seven other listed companies reported profits instead of the expected losses.
What was more serious about such inaccurate forecasting was that the disparity between actual and estimated earnings was as wide as 142.8 billion won ($105 million) in the most extreme cases, FnGuide noted.
“It is possible for brokerage houses to make errors in estimated earnings, but even so, the level of inaccuracy should not be excessive to inflict losses on investors,” said Kim Kyu-shik, chairman of the Korean Corporate Governance Forum, an advocacy for retail investors.
Citing FnGuide, Kim pointed out that KOSPI-listed SK Innovation logged an operating loss of 45.8 billion won in the second quarter after securities firms projected that it would rake in 97 billion won in operating profit.
Accordingly, the discrepancy between actual and estimated earnings for SK Innovation, an energy subsidiary of SK Group, amounted to 142.8 billion won.
“The brokerage houses’ estimation was too misleading for investors to make a correct judgment on whether to buy or unload shares in SK Innovation,” Kim said.
Among other KOSPI-listed companies, cosmetics giant Amorepacific posted a 4.2 billion won operating profit, significantly below the estimated 69.5 billion won.
YG Entertainment, a K-pop powerhouse listed on the Kosdaq, logged an operating loss of 11 billion after it was expected to record a 3.5 billion won operating profit.
HD Hyundai Mipo, an affiliate of shipbuilding conglomerate HD Hyundai, surprised the market as it earned 17.4 billion won in operating profit following a gloomy forecast that suggested that it would suffer a 5.5 billion won operating loss.
EcoPro BM, a cathode materials manufacturer, posted 토토 an operating profit of 3.9 billion won, beating expectations that it would post a 13.5 billion won operating loss.
NC SOFT, a major video game developer, achieved an 8.8 billion won operating profit, surpassing the forecasted operating loss of 1.4 billion won.
Some small investors called on the financial authorities to closely monitor securities firms to ensure they perform their duties responsibly.
“Who would subscribe to analysts’ reports if they continue to make errors in earnings forecasts?” a Naver user commented.
Another user suspected collusion involving larger, fraudulent investors to be the cause, asking for “a thorough probe into a possible cartel within the stock market.”