Woori's investor gap: Value trap or untapped potential?
Woori's foreign ownership lags KB, Shinhan, Hana as strategic shift stalls
While foreign investors have poured into South Korea's major banking stocks over the past year, Woori Financial Group remains an outlier. Unlike peers KB, Hana, and Shinhan— whose foreign ownership ranges from 60 percent to nearly 80 percent — Woori is the only top-tier financial group with les than 50 percent foreign ownership.
As of Tuesday, foreign investors' total stake in Woori stood at 46 percent, compared to KB Financial Group's 78 percent and Hana's 67 percent. The gap, despite a broad rally in Korean financial stocks, suggests that global investors may view Woori as less attractive than its peers.
One likely reason for Woori's relatively low foreign ownership is its unique shareholder structure, a legacy of its privatization.
To recover 12 trillion won ($8.81 billion) in public funds, the government sold shares to private investors, who would have board nomination rights, provided they held a more than 4 percent stake. Unlike its peers, Woori still has significant stakes held by domestic strategic investors.
Korea Investment & Securities, Fubon Hyundai Life, Kiwoom Securities and Eugene PE collectively hold about 14 percent. The Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation, which held 21 percent, fully exited last year. Woori's employee stock ownership association holds another 8.2 percent.
'Most of these major shareholders are domestic. It's rare for a Korean financial group to have this structure, which effectively keeps foreign ownership low,' said Kim Woo-jin, senior banking analyst at the Korea Institute of Finance. 'What matters more than the headline figure is the share of foreign holdings relative to the actual tradable float.'
While the exact figure wasn't disclosed, a company official noted that Woori's foreign ownership would be higher if measured against the float — the shares freely traded on the market.
This concentrated ownership not only reduces foreign accessibility but also raises overhang concerns — the risk that major shareholders could offload large amounts of shares.
But after another major shareholder IMM PE's recent exit, Woori's CFO said in a February earnings call that no further divestments by major shareholders are expected, adding, 'We believe Woori's overhang risk has been fully resolved.'
Woori's limited business diversification also weighs on sentiment. Over 90 percent of its profit comes from banking, compared to 60 percent at KB and 70 percent at Shinhan. Hana, while similarly reliant on banking, is still supported by more developed and balanced non-bank operations.
'Investors favor banks with diversified income and scalable growth beyond lending,' said Rena Kwok, senior credit analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. 'Woori remains more domestically concentrated and may still be viewed as lagging in strategic clarity, particularly in expanding into non-banking businesses.'
Chairman and CEO Yim Jong-ryong has been trying to change that. Since taking office in March 2023, he has led the integration of Tongyang Life and ABL Life and relaunched Woori's securities business. Once the insurers are officially incorporated in July, the group expects its reliance on banking to decline to 82 percent.
Woori is also working to improve its financial fundamentals. It remains the only major Korean banking group with a Common Equity Tier 1 ratio below 13 percent, posting 12.42 percent in the first quarter. But it logged the largest CET1 gain among peers and aims to reach 12.5 percent this year and 13 percent by 2027.
Return on equity also trails peers. Woori posted just over 9 percent, excluding one-off expenses, compared to KB's 13 percent, Shinhan's 11.3 percent and Hana's 10.6 percent. The firm expects ROE to improve by up to 1 percentage point after the insurance integration.
'The key for Woori isn't short-term performance, but strengthening its earnings structure,' said KFI's Kim. 'It's not about whether non-bank units exist, but whether they generate solid returns. Strong operations, combined with credible leadership, can make Woori more appealing to global investors.'
Kim also noted growing investor confidence in leadership. Since Yim took office, Woori's stock has climbed 90 percent over three years. This year, it ranked among the top 10 most purchased by foreign investors, including a 10 percent gain in June alone.
'Ultimately, investors look at leadership—can the CEO deliver returns?' Kim said. 'Even if earnings are still catching up, investor confidence in leadership can drive capital inflows.'
A local market expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, echoed the sentiment, noting that Yim's combination of bureaucratic experience and successful leadership at NH NongHyup Financial Group has earned him credibility. 'If his leadership gains traction, it could send a strong signal to global investors. And with foreign ownership still low, there's room for additional inflows that could lift the stock.'
Kwok pointed to governance as another area in need of improvement. Woori came under legal scrutiny over alleged improper loans tied to its former chairman, resulting in a downgrade of its regulatory management rating and delaying its non-banking expansion.
'Scandals in Korea's financial sector tend to have repercussions, and Woori's handling of the fallout has exposed broader governance weaknesses. It evidently needs stronger board independence, better succession planning and tighter internal control systems," she said, adding Woori must also improve transparency in decision-making to align with global standards.
jwc@heraldcorp.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
SK teams up with AWS for Korea's largest W7tr AI data center
Set to launch in 2027, the mega project marks the largest corporate investment since President Lee Jae Myung took office SK Group said Sunday it has signed a partnership agreement with Amazon Web Services to expand cloud infrastructure in Korea by jointly building an artificial intelligence data center in Ulsan. SK plans to invest 7 trillion won ($5.1 billion), including $4 billion raised through investment from AWS. It is scheduled to begin operations by 2027 and generate up to 78,000 direct and indirect jobs as operations expand. Once completed, the facility will be Korea's largest AI infrastructure, powered by 60,000 graphics processing units and with a power capacity of 103 megawatts. SK will lead the construction of the data center while AWS will establish a new AI zone in Ulsan, delivering a broad selection of AWS' leading AI and cloud capabilities to customers in Korea. Ulsan is considered the optimal location for the establishment of the AI zone, as SK possesses a stable gas supply network, advanced energy solutions and ideal sites in the region. Additionally, the city offers a favorable environment for submarine cables and is highly supportive of industrial activities. The AI zone will combine industry-leading capabilities from the two companies through a 15-year partnership to provide top-tier network operations, a semiconductor supply chain and efficient power infrastructure. The partnership is in addition to AWS' long-term $5.88 billion planned investment in Korea through 2027. 'When SK Group's exceptional technical capabilities combine with AWS' comprehensive AI cloud services, we'll empower customers of all sizes, across all industries here in Korea to build and innovate with safe, secure AI technologies,' said Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of infrastructure services at AWS. 'This partnership represents our commitment to Korea's AI future, and I couldn't be more excited about what we'll achieve together.' SK and AWS are expanding their strategic partnership to pursue wide-ranging collaborations that will benefit customers, giving them the ability to meet the growing demand for generative AI with compute, storage, database and edge computing capabilities. The new cloud infrastructure is a part of the AI Infrastructure Superhighway strategy announced last year by SK Telecom, which is involved in AI initiatives within the Group. SK expects to establish a key hub for hyperscale AI infrastructure through the superhighway project. It plans to enhance data sovereignty and strengthen its global competitiveness in AI by processing AI workloads generated in Korea directly within the country. 'We are pleased to combine the technological capabilities of SK Group with AWS, the world's leading cloud provider, to establish a core infrastructure for a Korean AI ecosystem and create a powerful new engine for 'AI highway,'" said Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group. SK and AWS held a signing ceremony to launch a project to build an AI data center on Friday in Ulsan with President Lee Jae Myung in attendance. Lee vowed full-scale support for AI to create a new growth engine. 'The new government will make every effort to actively support Korea in adopting AI as a new national growth engine so that the country can once again leap forward as a dynamic, growing nation,' the president said.
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Eximbank holds workshop to strengthen Korea-Africa ties
The 30th Economic Development Cooperation Fund Workshop, hosted by the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, commenced Tuesday, welcoming a total of 18 government officials from 10 African countries, according to the policy lender on Sunday. The EDCF is an aid loan funded by the Korean government, which offers long-term loans at a low interest rate to developing countries under an official development assistance initiative. Eximbank is in charge of running the fund. Through its annual workshop, the state-run lender invites public officials from the recipient countries, strengthening partnerships for the smooth operation of the financing aid. This year's workshop is a follow-up event to the first Korea-Africa summit held in Seoul last June, under the theme "The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity." The 10 participating countries include Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. 'The workshop provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of EDCF's support strategy and cooperation plans for (countries in) Africa,' Dereje Wodajeneh, head of the bilateral cooperation department at Ethiopia's Ministry of Finance, said. 'It will serve as a stepping stone for strengthening exchanges and cooperation between EDCF and the African continent.' According to Eximbank, African countries account for roughly 25 percent of the total support volume for the EDCF. 'We plan to continue enhancing strategic support and cooperation with Africa, focusing on key areas such as energy transition, digital transformation and supply chain,' an official from the Eximbank said. Through the week-long event, which includes visits to the headquarters of Korea Railroad Corp. and the Global Knowledge Exchange and Development Center, the participating public officials are to broaden their understanding of Korea's official development assistance policy and the EDCF. The workshop is set to end on Wednesday.
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
HD Hyundai partners with Edison Chouest Offshore to build LNG dual-fuel container ships
Korean shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai announced Sunday that it has signed a strategic and comprehensive partnership with US-based Edison Chouest Offshore to jointly build LNG dual-fuel container ships in the United States. This initiative follows HD Hyundai's recent agreements with major US defense firms and academic institutions. The signing ceremony took place on Thursday at ECO's headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana, attended by key officials from both companies. Under the deal, HD Hyundai and ECO plan to jointly construct medium-sized container ships at ECO's shipyards by 2028. HD Hyundai will provide support for ship design, equipment procurement and construction technology. It also plans to produce and supply ship blocks and invest in related technological assets. Both companies are exploring expanded cooperation in additional vessel types and port cranes, which are considered critical for US national security. ECO operates five shipyards across the US and manages a fleet of 300 offshore support vessels, positioning it as a major player in the OSV sector. The partnership follows a sluggish period for US shipbuilding, with domestic firms receiving orders for only three 3,600 twenty-foot equivalent unit container ships from 2022 to 2024, according to shipping market analysis firm Clarkson Research. 'The United States is a strong ally and an important business partner,' an HD Hyundai spokesperson said. 'Through this collaboration, we aim to support the revival of its shipbuilding industry and bolster its national security.'
