Nishimatsuya Co., Ltd. <7545>: ¥2489 (+¥47)

Rebound. The company announced its first-half financial results the previous day, with operating profit reaching ¥7.02 billion, a 4.2% increase year-on-year from the same period last year. It slightly fell short of the previous plan of ¥7.19 billion. The current trend of existing stores seems to be broadly within expectations. The interim dividend has been raised from the previous plan of ¥14 to ¥15. Additionally, with an allotment of 0.24 million 3000 shares, equivalent to 0.4% of the issued shares, the company has announced a share buyback capped at ¥0.5 billion, which is also viewed positively.

Resona Holdings, Inc. <8308>: ¥940.4 (+-¥17.5)

Decline. Today, the banking sector is one of the few industries showing negative performance. The new LDP leader, Ishiba, met with BOJ Governor Ueda the previous day. Following the meeting, he seems to have indicated a recognition that, personally, he does not believe the current environment warrants further interest rate hikes. While Ishiba was previously seen as positive towards monetary policy normalization, his cautious comments on rate hikes this time appear to have eased concerns about additional hikes before the end of the year, which had been increasing recently.

Kanematsu Corporation <8020>: ¥2323 (-¥97)

Significant decline. Announced the implementation of a public offering of 5.71 million 6200 shares, with an overallotment option of 0.85 million 7400 shares. The sellers are each financial institution, which have become major shareholders. The offering price will be determined between October 9th and 16th. They have been working on reducing their policy shareholding continuously, and this is seen as part of that effort. Moves to guard against short-term supply and demand imbalances are taking the lead.

Seibu Holdings Inc. <9024>: ¥3495 (+¥389)

Sharp rebound. It has announced an upward revision of financial estimates from the previous day. Due to the acquisition of NW Corporation shares by a subsidiary, negative goodwill gains and gains related to step acquisitions will be recorded as special profits, significantly raising the first-half net profit from the previous 17 billion yen to 76 billion yen. In addition, there is an upward revision in operating profit from 26 billion yen to 33 billion yen, with revenue plans for hotel and leisure businesses, urban transportation and along-the-line businesses exceeding expectations. This is seen as a positive response to the better-than-expected performance in the core business.

Kasumigaseki Capital <3498>: ¥18680 (+¥3170)

Sharp rebound. The company announced its financial results for the fiscal year ending August 2024, with an operating profit of 854 billion yen, a 92.2% increase from the previous period, landing on the original plan. In addition, the forecast for the fiscal year ending August 2025 is 1.65 billion yen, an increase of 93.3% year-on-year, showing continuous significant growth. Furthermore, the mid-term plan until the fiscal year ending August 2029 was also announced, with a planned net profit target of 50 billion yen, among others. The actual results for the fiscal year ending August 2024 were 500 million yen, indicating a situation where high growth expectations are once again on the rise. Additionally, the annual dividends for the fiscal year ending August 2025 are planned to increase by 70 yen compared to the previous period, reaching 240 yen.

Cloud W <3900>: ¥1294 (+¥3)

Stalemate. Announced business alliance with Ashikaga Bank and aims to solve issues related to promoting regional companies' DX through direct matching service for IT talent 'Tech Direct'. 'Tech Direct' has over 0.02 million freelance IT professionals registered, enabling flexible operation requests within companies' budgets. It is a suitable hiring method for companies that want to advance DX with limited budgets, as it allows them to acquire talent more cost-effectively than through agents.

Collabos <3908>: ¥362 (+¥53)

Sharp rise, hitting a new high for the year. After the close of trading on the 2nd, an upward revision of the earnings forecast for the second quarter and full year of the fiscal year ending March 2025 was announced, which is being viewed positively. Although sales are expected to fall below the previous forecast, the final profit in the cumulative second quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2025 was revised from an initial forecast loss of ¥43 million to a profit of ¥63 million, and the full-year final profit was revised 13 times from the initial forecast profit of ¥10 million to a profit of ¥13.03 billion. The progress made in the cost reduction of outsourcing expenses and the reallocation of appropriate management resources ahead of schedule, as well as gains from the sale of affiliate companies, are contributing factors.

Helios <4593>: ¥233 (+¥20)

Marked recovery. It announced the decision to carry out conditional and time-limited approval application for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in Japan. Based on the favorable results of Phase 2 trials completed in Japan and conducted in the US and UK, as well as the decision to conduct the REVIVE-ARDS trial as a verification trial, it was decided to apply for conditional and time-limited approval in Japan. As a result, the Phase 3 trial in Japan, for which a clinical trial plan application had been submitted, is no longer necessary and is scheduled to be canceled. Preparation for the start of a global Phase 3 trial in the USA is also underway, and details will be disclosed as decisions are made.