Posco Tipped to Return to 4Q Net Profit After Year-Earlier Loss -- Earnings Preview

Dow Jones
Jan 28
 

By Kwanwoo Jun

 

Posco Holdings is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter results on Thursday. Here's what you need to know:

 

NET PROFIT FORECAST: The South Korean steelmaker is expected to swing to a net profit of 159.26 billion won, equivalent to $111.3 million, for the October-December quarter, from a loss in the same period a year earlier, according to a FactSet-compiled consensus forecast. The forecast represents a 62% decline from the previous quarter.

 

REVENUE FORECAST: The consensus forecast is for revenue to have fallen 3.4% from a year earlier to 18.198 trillion won for the December quarter, with operating profit likely to have more than quadrupled to 449.43 billion won.

Shares in the company have risen 17% so far this year. The stock rose 20% in 2025, underperforming the benchmark Kospi's 76% gain.

 

WHAT TO WATCH:

--STEEL DEMAND: Investors may focus on whether Posco returned to a net profit after reporting a loss a year earlier, amid weak domestic demand for steel and a tough global trade environment during the December quarter. The E.U. and Canada recently moved to curb imports to protect domestic steel producers after the U.S. doubled duties on foreign steel and aluminum to 50% in June.

--BATTERY: The earnings report from the company's battery-material unit, which is due to be issued before Posco's results, will also be under scrutiny. Posco Future M likely continued to incur losses as its fixed costs rose, according to KB Securities analyst Choi Yong-hyun in a recent note.

--CONSTRUCTION: Some analysts expect the company's construction unit, Posco E&C, to post weak profit after safety issues caused accidents that led to the suspension of work in South Korea.

 

Write to Kwanwoo Jun at kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 27, 2026 21:30 ET (02:30 GMT)

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