<5830> Iyo Bank Holdings Co., Ltd. 1415.5 +30

Surged significantly. After the market closed on the 24th, the performance forecast for the second quarter (April-September) of the fiscal year 2024 was revised upward, with operating profit increasing from 33 billion yen to 42.5 billion yen, and net profit from 23 billion yen to 29.5 billion yen. The profits were boosted by the securities trading gains of its subsidiary Iyo Bank. The full-year performance forecast remained unchanged, but upward revisions are expected to be announced along with the earnings release on November 8, with increased dividends expected due to the profit growth background. The gradual interest rate hike speculation by the Bank of Japan may also provide support.

<2471> Espol Co., Ltd. 347 +11

Continued significant rise. At SBI Securities, the investment rating remains 'buy', with the target stock price raised from 460 yen to 510 yen. This is due to the decreased risk of underperformance in the fiscal year ending November 2024 and the increasing possibility of a trend change to performance recovery and expansion from the fiscal year ending November 2025 onwards. Barrier employee support for employment of persons with disabilities has been steadily progressing due to the effect of the legally required employment rate increase, and signs of a stop in the decline in human resources outsourcing are also becoming evident.

<7522> Watami Co., Ltd. 960 +36

Continued significant rise. Announced the start of expanding franchised stores for the world's leading sandwich chain 'SUBWAY'. In addition to signing a contract to expand franchised stores with US Subway in Japan, it has also acquired the Japanese subsidiary of US Subway. While it has mainly focused on delivering meals and izakaya restaurants so far, there is a move to evaluate the expansion of the revenue base by adding fast food. However, concerns about the undisclosed acquisition amount and the increase in financial burden have led to some hesitation in the buying trend after the initial surge.

<7970> Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd. 1500 +47

Struggling with limited growth. It announced the first-half earnings the previous day, with operating profit reaching 6.92 billion yen, a 17.7% year-on-year increase, which marks a double-digit profit growth. It has also raised the planned annual dividend from 48 yen to 50 yen, and announced the implementation of the repurchase of treasury stock equivalent to 0.61% of the issued shares, totaling 0.5 million shares and up to 0.9 billion yen. However, due to the first quarter earnings exceeding market expectations and having a strong impact on the stock price, the reaction to this earnings announcement and shareholder returns is also limited.

<268A> Rigaku 1130

Today, a new listing on the main board market. It opened at 1205 yen, 4.4% below the public offering price of 1260 yen, and then continued to be dominated by selling pressure. Among this year's IPO stocks, it became the second large listing following the Tokyo Metro in terms of market capitalization. It is a manufacturer of analytical equipment under the Carlyle Group. The initial buying interest seems to have been limited due to factors such as the large amount absorbed from the market, being an exit case for funds, and the recent calming down of semiconductor-related popularity.

<6744> Nomex Bousai 3075 +274

Surged sharply to update the high on September 30. The day before, it announced an upward revision of financial estimates. The operating profit for the first half is raised from the previous estimate of 2.1 billion yen to 3.6 billion yen, an increase of 71.4% year-on-year. For the full year, it is raised from 12.1 billion yen to 14 billion yen, an increase of 20.0% compared to the previous year. The market environment progressed more solidly than expected, and there were also effects of price revisions. While the upward revision from the first quarter results is in line with expectations, the magnitude of the upward revision for the first half is considered better than expected.

<7383> NetPro HD 319 -32

Sharp decline. It has been reported that the Financial Services Agency is considering regulations for a service called BNPL, which stands for Buy Now Pay Later. This is due to reported incidents of excessive indebtedness and fraudulent transactions, leading experts to believe that regulation is necessary. BNPL is a service where online retailers temporarily advance the purchase price to users without using credit cards, etc., and then bill the users for the amount by a certain deadline. The company is considered a pioneer in BNPL, and concerns about its impact seem to have intensified.

<6755> Fujitsu ZE 1775 -174.5

Sharp decline. The company announced its second-quarter earnings the previous day, with an operating profit for July-September of 2.29 billion yen, a 17.9% increase from the same period last year, falling below the market forecast of around 3 billion yen. Additionally, the full-year outlook has been revised downward from the previous 12 billion yen to 10 billion yen. The consensus was slightly above the previous company plan. Although revenue has been revised upward, costs, such as those associated with refrigerant conversion in North America, are expanding beyond expectations. The announcement of a new mid-term plan has been postponed this time.

<7646> PLANT 1559 0

Gradually erasing gains in the morning and falling into negative territory in the afternoon. The company announced its fiscal results for September 2024 the previous day. Operating profit increased by 35.6% year-on-year to 2.13 billion yen, exceeding the previous estimate of 2 billion yen. For the fiscal year ending September 2025, a profit of 2.45 billion yen is expected, representing a 15.1% increase, anticipating strong performance in existing store sales. Based on a policy with a total shareholder return ratio of over 30%, the annual dividend is planned to be increased by 25 yen from the previous period to 75 yen. In the previous period, the company had a high level of share buybacks, resulting in a total shareholder return ratio of over 100%.

<7751> Canon 4959 -80

Significant decline. The day before, the company announced its third quarter financial results. The operating profit for the July-September period was 98.2 billion yen, up 18.8% from the same period last year, falling short of the market expectation of around 110 billion yen. As a result, the full-year forecast was revised downward from the previous 465 billion yen to 455.5 billion yen due to a reassessment towards a stronger yen assumption. While the market consensus of around 450 billion yen still exceeds this level, negative sentiment prevails in the overall market environment with stock prices at high levels, leading to a predominant view of negative factors.