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Investing.com - JPMorgan has downgraded S-Oil Corporation (KS:010950) (OTC:SOOCY) from Neutral to Underweight, while reducing its price target to KRW52,000 from KRW60,000.
The downgrade follows S-Oil’s second-quarter operating loss of KRW344 billion, which missed consensus estimates by 95%, despite a KRW1.5/bbl quarter-over-quarter improvement in gross refining margins and a 23% share price recovery since late May.
JPMorgan has cut its fiscal year 2025-2027 earnings per share estimates by an average of 43% to reflect delayed earnings contribution from the Shaheen project, higher August Arab Light official selling prices, and larger-than-expected second-quarter refining losses.
The investment bank’s earnings estimates for S-Oil now stand 27-155% below consensus for the fiscal years 2025-2027, supporting the 13% reduction in price target and the downgrade to Underweight.
In its Korea sector outlook for the second half of 2025, JPMorgan ranks LG Chem and Kumho as Overweight, followed by LG Energy Solution (also Overweight), while placing Lotte Chemical and S-Oil at Underweight, noting that PetroChina remains its preferred regional oil exposure.
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