<9101> Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha 4969 -516

Significantly lower. Today, the three major marine shipping companies have all experienced a sharp decline. The International Longshoremen's Association and the American Maritime Alliance have announced an agreement to temporarily end the strike at major ports on the U.S. East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico that started on October 1. For the major shipping companies, the early end to the strike has dampened excessive expectations, as the anticipated increase in ocean freight rates due to the prolonged strike has not materialized.

<9509> Hokkaido Electric Power Company 1040.5 +70.4

Significantly continued to rise. Today, electrical utility stocks have experienced an overall high. It was reported that Google is considering using electricity sourced from nuclear power plants in datacenters. With the increasing demand for electricity due to the widespread adoption of AI, and in response to environmental issues, the importance of nuclear power has once again been recognized. In addition, in Japan, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Muto, who took office the day before yesterday, commented that the restart of the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is important from the perspectives of electricity prices and decarbonization.

<4927> Pola Orbis Holdings Inc. 1562 +46.5

Significantly continued to rise. Pola Orbis Holdings Inc. has announced the release of a medicinal quasi-drug advanced beauty serum "Wrinkle Shot Medical Serum Duo" on January 1, 2025, following the successful "Wrinkle Shot" series aimed at improving wrinkles. The domestic sales plan is 2.7 billion yen. With a water-soluble beauty serum formula that can be used on the entire face, despite the intensifying competition from numerous competitors, expectations of increased competitiveness are leading the way.

<1911> Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. 6536 -304

Significantly continued to decline. At Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities, the investment rating has been downgraded from "Overweight" to "Equal Weight," with a target stock price of 7,100 yen. Although expectations for the continued strength in the mid-term U.S. single-family housing market due to structural housing shortages remain high, the perceived undervaluation of the P/E ratio has diminished following this year's share price increase. Expectations for the improvement of the housing market due to lower mortgage interest rates are already largely factored in.

<2317> Sysmex 381 +18

Significant rise. Daiwa Securities continues its investment rating of "2" and has raised the target stock price from 330 yen to 400 yen. The operating profit for the fiscal year ending March 2025 has been upwardly revised from the previous 9.84 billion yen to 12 billion yen, expecting to reach the upper limit of the company's planned range. The outlook reflects the recovery in operations centered on "Solution Design," as well as the demand for embedded software development received from EV development and electrification. Furthermore, due to ample available liquidity, there is anticipation for additional share buyback depending on the stock price trend.

<2809> Kewpie 3456 -68

Substantial decline. The previous day, they announced their third-quarter financial results, with a cumulative operating profit of 29.8 billion yen, more than double the same period last year. The profit trend remained high with a 68% increase to 10.9 billion yen in the June-August period, exceeding market expectations by about 2 billion yen. However, the company maintained its full-year forecast of 34 billion yen this time. The operating profit for the September-November period is expected to decline by 34%, taking into account cost timing effects and strategic investments planned for the upcoming period. They are aware of a potential peak-out in profit momentum.

<8016> Onward HD 529 -2

Decline. The company announced its first-half financial results the previous day. The operating profit increased by 4.6% compared to the same period last year, reaching 5.26 billion yen. This represents a turnaround from a 5.7% decrease in the performance of the first quarter, although the figure falls short of the previous forecast of 5.5 billion yen. For the June-August period, the company achieved a profit at all levels for the first time in 17 periods since the February 2008 fiscal year. It seems that the gross profit margin fell due to Onward Kashiyama's efforts to reduce inventory.

<8410> Seven Bank 300 +20.6

Sharp rise. It is reported that Seven & i Holdings is considering selling a portion of the company's shares owned by Seven Bank and removing it from the consolidated financial statements. Seven & i Holdings has received an acquisition proposal from a Canadian company and appears to need to push forward with more structural reforms than before. Currently, Seven & i Holdings is the parent company owning 46.4% of the company's shares. The destination of the sale has not been decided yet, but there are moves speculating on the increase in restructuring premiums.

<3549> Kusuri no Aoki 3487 +207

Sharp continuing rise. The company announced its first-quarter financial results the previous day, with operating profit reaching 7.34 billion yen, a 10.2% increase compared to the same period last year. However, it is noted that a stock-based compensation expense of 0.39 billion yen was recorded, resulting in an increase of 16.1% without this expense. In addition, the company has announced the implementation of a share buyback program involving up to 6 million shares, equivalent to 5.71% of the issued shares, with a maximum amount of 20 billion yen. Some purchases have been made in off-hour trading today at 3280 yen.

<3612> World 2058 +144

Significant gains. The company announced its first half operating profit results the day before, with operating profit at 7.89 billion yen, a 34.4% increase from the same period last year, exceeding the previous estimate of 7.3 billion yen. The significant increase in digital business has been a major contributor to the overperformance. The full-year estimate of 15.5 billion yen remains unchanged, but compared to the previous year's 12-month equivalent, it is only a 2.9% increase, indicating a higher likelihood of outperformance.