Krafton’s shares surged past the ₩300,000 mark in early trading on the 4th. The 13.96% jump from the previous day reflects the market’s positive response to the company’s first-quarter earnings, which surpassed expectations.
In the last month, Krafton reported Q1 revenue of ₩1.3714 trillion and an operating profit of ₩561.6 billion. These numbers show a 56.9% increase in revenue and a 22.8% rise in operating profit compared to the previous year, with revenue hitting a record high for the quarter.
The success was largely driven by the PUBG IP. PC revenue in Q1 reached ₩363.8–₩363.9 billion, up 12% year-on-year, while mobile revenue soared over 30% to ₩702.7 billion. Analysts credit this growth to various promotions, such as the reintroduction of Aston Martin skins, the Apollo supercar skin, and the 9th-anniversary event.
Several securities firms have raised their target prices for Krafton’s stock.
NH Investment & Securities increased its target price by 14.28% and maintained a ‘buy’ rating. Analyst Ahn Jae-min predicted continued high revenue for the year, drawing parallels to the first quarter of 2024 when traffic levels spiked significantly in 2026.
Hana Securities also kept a ‘buy’ rating, raising its target price from ₩420,000 to ₩460,000. Analyst Lee Jun-ho highlighted that PUBG PC’s average concurrent users in April surpassed 350,000, the highest since the game became free-to-play.
The company’s future plans are generating interest. Krafton announced the introduction of the ‘PAYDAY’ mode on the 13th and aims to promote platformization through a UGC mode in the latter half of the year. PUBG Mobile reportedly achieved its highest revenue ever following the ‘X-SUIT’ update in April.
Krafton is also enhancing shareholder returns. In Q1, the company initiated a ₩200 billion share buyback and a ₩99.6 billion capital reduction dividend; furthermore, it intends to repurchase an additional ₩100 billion in shares in Q2.
Additionally, Krafton disclosed its participation in the establishment of ‘APEX Mobility’ on the 30th of last month, a ₩150 billion project for an autonomous driving entity led by Socar. By contributing to a ₩65 billion capital increase by Socar, Krafton will become a significant shareholder and also plans to make separate investments in the new entity.
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