[Edaily Reporter Kwon Oh Seok ] HEUNGKUK METALTECH CO.,LTD. announced on the 4th that it is maintaining its “Buy” rating on LX INTERNATIONAL CORP.(001120)but lowering its target price from the previous 71,000 won to 53,000 won.

Park Jong-ryeol, an analyst at HEUNGKUK METALTECH CO.,LTD., predicted, “In 2026, the company is expected to return to a trend of annual operating profit growth through improved profitability across all sectors—trading, new growth areas, logistics, and resources,” adding, “The company will focus on securing new growth drivers, including overseas mines such as nickel and bauxite.”
On a consolidated basis, second-quarter revenue reached 4.8 trillion won (+24.7%), and operating profit stood at 117.8 billion won (+114.0%), significantly exceeding initial forecasts. This was due to robust profitability across all divisions—Trading & New Growth, Logistics, and Resources—contrary to initial concerns.
Analyst Park explained, “In the Trading & New Growth segment, we saw robust profit generation driven by rising market conditions for key trading commodities such as methanol and Australian coal, along with a reduction in losses at LX Glass and expanded profits at Posung Green Power and AKP.” He added, “In the Logistics segment, both revenue and operating profit increased year-over-year due to rising cargo volumes and higher ocean freight rates. In the Resources segment, operating profit increased due to strong performance in the palm oil business and higher profits in the coal segment,” he explained.
The company has revised its full-year consolidated revenue forecast upward to 18.9 trillion won (+13.0%) and its operating profit forecast to 470.8 billion won (+61.1%). He predicted, “In the Trading and New Growth segments, operating profit is expected to increase due to solid performance in the Trading segment and improved results in the New Growth segment,” adding, “In the Logistics segment, profit growth is likely due to the rapid recovery of the freight rate index amid the U.S.-Iran conflict, coupled with improved performance in the land transportation (CL) segment.”
He added, “In the Resources segment, profitability is expected to improve gradually due to the recovery in coal prices and favorable conditions in the palm oil market,” noting, “Overseas mining investments that have been postponed are likely to gain momentum in the future, and we believe the company will take proactive steps to secure growth drivers.”