<8267> AEON 3542 -336

Significant decline. The day before, the company announced its second quarter results, with an operating profit of 50.8 billion yen for the period from June to August, a decrease of 23.2% compared to the same period last year, and it is believed that it fell more than 10 billion yen below market consensus. The first half saw a 16.2% decrease to 98.6 billion yen, raising concerns about not meeting the full-year forecast of 270 billion yen, a 7.6% increase from the previous year. While the financial and developer businesses are strong, the improvement in the retail business is lagging behind, serving as a factor for falling below market expectations.

<4912> Lion 1701.5 +110.5

Significant rise. Japan Activation Capital, which operates investment funds specialized in large companies listed on the stock market, announced that it has run an investment in the company. It appears to have invested hundreds of billions of yen and acquired just under 5% of the issued shares. The fund was launched in April and this is its first investment project. It aims to secure short-term profits and seems to have a policy of holding about 5-10% of the shares of the invested company after discussions with the current management, distinguishing itself from activists.

<4680> Round One 975 -114

Sharp decline. The day before, the company announced the September monthly trends. Domestic same-store sales increased by 12.5% compared to the same month last year, marking four consecutive months of positive growth, with an increasing growth rate. On the other hand, same-store sales in the USA turned negative with a 2.7% decrease. It seems that the USA also fell below the company's plan for the July-September period compared to the previous year. Amid high stock prices, profit-taking sells have become dominant in response to the continuation of underperformance in the USA. It is also observed that there are some downgrades in investment decisions by some foreign securities firms.

<7581> Saizeriya 5450 -270

Significant decline. The day before, the company announced its financial results for the August term of the 24th year. Operating profit doubled to 14.9 billion yen compared to the previous period, exceeding the previous forecast of 13.1 billion yen, but it is now at a level close to the market consensus. On the other hand, for the August term of the 25th year, it is expected to increase by 11.7% to 16.6 billion yen, but the market consensus is showing a downward deviation of just over 1 billion yen. As rapid yen depreciation is being corrected, a negative reaction is taking precedence. It seems that they have factored in increased expenses due to expanding into Asia.

<9861> Yoshinoya HD 3156 +85

Sharp rise. The company announced its first-half results the day before, with operating profit at ¥3.71 billion, a 6.9% decrease from the same period last year, exceeding the previous forecast of ¥3.5 billion. While the profit in the first quarter decreased by 38.6%, the June-August period saw an 11.0% increase, turning into profit. The full-year forecast remains at ¥7 billion, with room for an upward revision from the 12.2% decrease in the previous year. The June-August period saw continued profit growth of "Hanamaru" and improved earnings of "Yoshinoya."

<3543> Komeda HD 2826 +109

Marked rise. The company's pre-tax profit for the first half of the year was ¥4.46 billion, up 3.1% from the same period last year. From ¥2.11 billion in the first quarter, a 6.4% decrease, the company turned to double-digit profit growth in the June-August period with ¥2.35 billion, a 13.5% increase. Existing store sales to FC-affiliated stores have been solid, and the increase in sales due to the effects of new store openings is also believed to have contributed. The full-year forecast of ¥9.35 billion, an increase of 7.3% from the previous year, remains unchanged.

<6183> Veru Inc. 24 1390 -90

Significant decline. The company announced its second quarter financial results the previous day, with operating profit for the June-August period at 2.21 billion yen, a 7.5% decrease from the same period last year. Although the decrease rate has narrowed from the 37.2% decline in the first quarter, it falls short of the market estimate of around 3 billion yen. The slowdown in sales centered on core operations, along with increased upfront costs for expanding subsidiaries, are believed to be contributing factors. The first half amounted to 4.81 billion yen, a 26.3% decrease, raising concerns of a worsening trend towards the full-year forecast remaining at 12.5 billion yen, an 8.9% increase from the previous period.

<4343> Aeon Fan 2071 -199

Sharp decline. The company released its first-half financial results the previous day, with operating profit at 2.87 billion yen, a 41.8% increase from the same period last year and nearly at the Consensus level. However, there were some expectations of a further increase due to domestic monthly trends. Concerns in the stock market about the company's Chinese operations persist due to the segment continuing to incur losses from delayed revenue recovery. Additionally, the recognition of exchange losses has led to a significant decrease in ordinary income, which is seen as a selling point.

Reso Education 275 +15

Marked rebound. The company announced its first-half operating profit of 146 billion yen, a 39.9% increase from the same period last year. The period from June to August also showed a 17.2% increase to 165 billion yen, continuing the expansion trend, leading to expectations of an upward revision from the maintained full-year financial estimates of 267 billion yen. It is believed that the number of students and course participants at the advanced individual coaching school 'TOMAS' and the school-based individual coaching 'School TOMAS' are steadily increasing, and cost reduction through efficient expense management has also progressed.

Sanko Synthesis 614 +38

Marked rebound. The operating profit for the first quarter was announced the day before, reaching 102 billion yen, which is 2.7 times higher than the same period last year. The full-year plan remains at 480 billion yen, a 16.2% increase from the previous year, and is seen as a significant upward trend considering seasonality. The improvement in profitability in the European and North American segments is leading to a substantial increase in profit. It seems that there is a strong positive impact from a higher-than-expected performance change rate.