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Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Seoul, June 3 — South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), one of the world’s largest pension funds, has increased its equity holdings in several major domestic companies, including GS Engineering & Construction, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, Hotel Shilla, and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).
According to recent filings disclosed through the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure system, the NPS raised its stake in these listed firms by over 1 percentage point each for general investment purposes. Under Korea’s Capital Markets Act, institutional investors holding over 5% in a listed firm must disclose any change in shareholding of 1 percentage point or more.
Key shareholding changes include:
GS E&C: Stake increased from 8.47% to 9.49% as of May 14, through the acquisition of approximately 867,000 shares (valued at KRW 16.5 billion at that day’s closing price of KRW 19,050). Since then, GS E&C shares have surged approximately 18%, closing at KRW 22,550, driven by market optimism over housing supply and infrastructure spending post-election.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical: Stake raised from 10.43% to 11.53% via the purchase of around 140,000 shares.
Hotel Shilla: On May 26, NPS bought about 790,000 shares, increasing its stake from 5.01% to 7.02%.
KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation): Purchased over 6.53 million shares, increasing its stake from 6.88% to 7.90%, with an estimated investment of KRW 202.5 billion based on the reporting date’s closing price.
These transactions signal NPS’s continued active role in Korea’s capital markets and suggest a strategic positioning in key sectors such as construction, healthcare, energy, and consumer services.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
