KT CORP (KT) SEC Filings

KT Corporation (KT) reported condensed consolidated results for the six months ended June 30, 2026 under Korean IFRS. Operating revenue was ₩13.46 trillion, down from ₩14.27 trillion a year earlier, and operating profit declined to ₩1.13 trillion from ₩1.70 trillion. Profit attributable to owners of the parent fell to ₩792.3 billion from ₩1.23 trillion, with basic EPS decreasing to ₩3,290 from ₩5,014. Despite weaker earnings, total assets rose to ₩44.69 trillion and equity to ₩20.43 trillion, while total borrowings were ₩11.27 trillion. Operating cash flow was strong at ₩2.17 trillion, exceeding investing outflows of ₩1.96 trillion and financing outflows of ₩0.67 trillion, leading to cash and cash equivalents of ₩3.05 trillion at period end.

Wellington Management Group LLP and related entities report beneficial ownership of KT Corporation common stock on an amended Schedule 13G. The group reports beneficial ownership of 19,402,304 shares, representing 8.05% of the outstanding common stock. The shares are held of record by clients of one or more Wellington investment advisers, while Wellington entities report shared voting power over up to 15,462,631 shares and shared dispositive power over up to 19,402,245 shares, with no sole voting or dispositive power. No individual client is reported to hold more than five percent of the class.

KT Corporation outlined its 2026 Corporate Value-Up Plan, reaffirming a mid-to-long-term target to achieve a consolidated ROE of 9%–10% by 2028, compared with 8.3% in 2025 (excluding one-off items). Management estimates the company’s cost of equity at 9%–10%, so the goal is to raise returns above that level.

The plan focuses on four pillars: AX-led growth, profitability, asset optimization, and capital allocation. KT aims to more than double AX revenue by 2028 vs. 2025 by expanding AIDC and submarine cable infrastructure and AX-based services. It targets a consolidated operating profit margin of 9% or higher by 2028 through streamlining low-margin, low-growth businesses and AX-driven cost efficiencies.

KT plans to monetize non-core assets with a book value of KRW 12.3 trillion as of 2Q26 and has scheduled KRW 750 billion of treasury share buybacks and cancellations for 2026–2028. The company notes that ROE, valuation multiples, and shareholder return ratios still trail domestic peers, and states that these targets and actions may change based on market and business conditions.

KT Corporation reported consolidated 2Q26 operating revenue of 6,679.9bn KRW, down 10.1% year over year, mainly due to a prior-year real estate project and lower wireless revenue from a customer appreciation program. Service revenue was 5,922.9bn KRW, up 1.8% year over year.

Operating income was 648.3bn KRW, a 34.3% increase quarter over quarter but down 36.1% year over year, with an operating margin of 9.7%. Net income reached 480.6bn KRW, up 23.7% quarter over quarter and down 34.5% year over year. EBITDA was 1,589.4bn KRW with a margin of 23.8%.

Wireless service revenue declined 1.8% year over year to 1,674.9bn KRW, while 5G handset subscribers rose to 11.147 million and total wireless subscribers to 29.501 million. B2B service revenue was 901.1bn KRW, down 2.3% year over year but up 3.3% sequentially, supported by AX business revenue of 367.8bn KRW, up 22.3% year over year.

Major subsidiaries showed mixed trends: kt cloud revenue grew 19.8% year over year to 265.4bn KRW and kt estate revenue rose 80.1% to 288.9bn KRW, while consolidated CAPEX for 2Q26 was 509.1bn KRW. KT highlighted a transformation strategy toward an AX Platform Company, asset optimization, and additional shareholder return, including a 2Q26 DPS of 600 KRW.

KT Corporation approved the disposal of 3,109 treasury common shares to deliver stock under granted Restricted Stock Units, using an over-the-counter method on July 24, 2026. The estimated disposal amount is KRW 163,844,300, based on a reference share price of KRW 52,700 calculated from the closing price on the day before the board resolution, and may change with the actual closing price on the disposal date.

Before this transaction, KT Corporation held 13,889,877 treasury shares, representing 5.51% of its total shares. The plan for treasury share ownership and disposal was approved on March 31, 2026, and the specific disposal was resolved on July 14, 2026. The company states that its Audit Committee is composed entirely of outside directors.

KT Corporation approved the acquisition of an estimated 3,532 treasury shares for the recovery of previously granted long-term incentive shares. The estimated total acquisition amount is KRW 186,136,400, calculated using the closing market price on the trading day immediately preceding the board resolution.

The acquisition may take place from July 15, 2026 to October 14, 2026 through over-the-counter transactions. KT Corporation states that, because this relates to the cancellation of stock-based compensation, no actual cash expenditure will be incurred. Treasury shares before this decision totaled 13,889,877 shares, or 5.51% of total outstanding shares.

The maximum number of shares that may be purchased per day is 105,332 shares, calculated in accordance with the Regulations on Issuance and Disclosure of Securities. The Audit Committee is composed entirely of outside directors, and the board resolution was adopted on July 14, 2026.

KT Corporation’s board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of KRW 600 per common share, corresponding to a stated dividend yield of 1.09%. Based on 237,631,385 shares eligible for this dividend, the total planned dividend payment is KRW 142,578,831,000.

The record date for shareholders entitled to receive the dividend is July 29, 2026, and the expected payment date is August 13, 2026. KT notes that it has been buying back treasury shares under a trust agreement, so the final total number of dividend-eligible shares and the aggregate dividend amount may differ as of the record date. The decision was approved by the board on July 14, 2026, with 6 outside directors present and 1 absent, and the Audit Committee consists entirely of outside directors.

KT Corporation, a foreign private issuer based in Korea, set July 29, 2026 as the record date to determine shareholders entitled to its quarterly cash dividend under Article 49-2 of its Articles of Incorporation. Shareholders of record will be determined solely based on that date without closing the shareholders' register. The Board of Directors approved this on July 14, 2026, with six outside directors present and one absent, and an Audit Committee composed entirely of outside directors.

KT Corporation outlines a mid-term growth strategy to transform into an AX (AI + telecommunications) platform company. The plan focuses on strengthening core telecom competitiveness, including a Zero Trust cybersecurity and IT framework and improving customer-perceived network quality while securing future network technologies.

KT plans to secure 1GW of AI data center capacity and 90 Tbps of submarine cable capacity over the next five years to support growing AI demand and global traffic. The implementation timeline runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2031, with large-scale investments across cybersecurity, IT systems, network infrastructure, and AX infrastructure.

The company expects these initiatives to help establish an AX hub in Asia and support mid-term growth, while emphasizing that all investment amounts and plans are under review and may change depending on market conditions and the business environment.