What LG Chem Bears Saw Before The Fall

Simply Wall St · 2d ago

If you held LG Chem through the last 12 months, the share price told a very different story to the upbeat forecasts around electrification and green materials. For LG Chem shareholders, the loss over the past year was 44.1%, including dividends. If that decision date was October 2025, with bulls assuming revenue growth of 15.4% and a sharp margin swing by 2028, what crucial risks or timing gaps did that original case miss?

If the move has made LG Chem harder to judge, start where the gap is still open and scan 195 high quality undervalued stocks.

The Two LG Chem Stories Investors Had To Weigh

The shares cost ₩404,500 at the start, and anyone buying LG Chem then had to choose between two very different stories about electrification and decarbonization.

On the optimistic side, the bullish view saw a Fair Value of ₩500,000, a price level implied by its forecasts. That case leaned on assumptions of 15.4% annual revenue growth and a swing from a loss making margin of 3.6% to a 9.5% profit margin by 2028.

The more cautious narrative put Fair Value at ₩344,481 and treated it as the price those expectations pointed to. This view still assumed 11.1% revenue growth and a 4.7% profit margin, but highlighted risks from heavy capital spending and pressure on petrochemical demand.

KOSE:A051910 1-Year Stock Price Chart
KOSE:A051910 1-Year Stock Price Chart

What The Results Changed For The LG Chem Thesis

The clearest new fact was the swing in LG Chem net income from a loss of ₩439,475m in Q2 2025 to a profit of ₩106,646m in Q2 2026. Net margin moved from a loss making 3.7% to a positive 0.8%, which lent some support to both upside and cautious profit recovery stories without yet matching the bullish profitability path.

The lesson is simple. When a thesis leans on margin expansion, track reported net margin each year against the forecast path, not just whether earnings turned positive.

What You Would Be Paying For In LG Chem Today

LG Chem now trades at ₩229,500, and the selected Narrative sees Fair Value above that level based on its view of future business mix and execution. The argument leans on a heavier tilt toward specialty chemicals, battery materials and electronic materials, alongside tighter investment spending.

To treat the past year’s fall as a potential opportunity rather than a warning, a buyer would need to believe LG Chem can deliver that pivot while keeping leverage and capital expenditure in line with the reduced 2026 plan.

"The main thing that has to go right is the execution of LG Chem’s pivot toward high value-added petrochemicals, broader battery materials and electronic materials, while keeping CapEx near the reduced 2026 plan and managing a debt ratio that reached 129.6% in Q2 2026."

One Narrative disagrees with today's price. → See where this Narrative says LG Chem should trade

Which Company Could Surprise You Next?

The next headline does not have to be where your research begins. Go straight to the companies and see whether a contrarian opportunity could be taking shape.

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