Securities firms picked semiconductor materials-related stocks as promising picks for the first month of the year.
According to the securities industry on the 4th, securities firms said that as the artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industries continue to boom this year, corporations that manufacture related components are expected to deliver strong performance this month.
IBK Securities selected Hansol Chemical as one of its January "top picks."
Byun Jun-ho, an analyst at IBK Securities, projected, "Backed by an improvement in semiconductor market conditions, results are expected to surge sharply quarter over quarter from the bottom in the fourth quarter of last year through the third quarter of this year."
Byun added, "In particular, although this stock is part of the Samsung Electronics value chain, its six-month stock price gap with Samsung Electronics has widened by about minus (-)70 percentage points (p), highlighting its relative price merit."
It also suggested buying Kiwoom Securities, HYBE, Pearl Abyss, and Studio Dragon.
Yuanta Securities Korea also cited semiconductors and shipbuilding as sectors to watch this month. Among semiconductors, it presented HANA Materials, a silicon components producer, and among shipbuilders, it recommended Hanwha Ocean as picks.
In its "2026 research top picks" report, the Yuanta Securities Korea research center noted, "The drivers for memory semiconductor price increases continue to stand out," adding, "Combined operating profit for domestic memory semiconductors in the fourth quarter of last year may exceed market expectations, and this year we can look forward to a second-stage upcycle in which memory semiconductors lead prices and it carries over into a rise in shipments."
On shipbuilding, it said, "Following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, defense expectations through policy consultations related to 'MASGA' could be a factor lifting stock prices, and orders for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from the United States are another positive catalyst to watch."
Shinhan Investment & Securities picked AI and semiconductor stocks as top overseas picks. It cited Alphabet, Micron, and Lam Research, and maintained a top-pick view on Alphabet, saying it "remains cheaper than competitors."
Meanwhile, Daishin Securities Co. selected Seers Technology, Knowmerce, and RF Materials as top picks in new growth industries.
Analyst Park Jang-uk emphasized, "Seers Technology is a rare corporation among medical AI and wearables that simultaneously delivers strong growth and actual profit as of the third quarter of last year," adding, "From now on, the pace of penetration into domestic hospital beds and screenings, and the speed of hospital bed expansion overseas, including the Middle East and the United States, will be the points that reset its valuation."