Next month, 180.78 million shares of 45 listed companies will be released from lockup in the domestic stock market. In the main board, NH Investment & Securities, APR, and SK IE Technology are among those to be unlocked, while on KOSDAQ, Samyang Comtech and FADU will see shares released.
Korea Securities Depository (KSD) said on the 31st that 180,776,879 shares from 45 companies under lockup will be released in Aug.
The lockup registration system requires controlling shareholders and institutional investors to register their shares with the depository so they cannot be sold for a set period. It is used to prevent a sharp price drop caused by a large volume hitting the market right after listing and to protect retail investors.
By market, 63,984,465 shares from four companies will be released on the main board. On KOSDAQ, 116,792,414 shares from 41 companies will come off lockup. About 65% of the total unlocked volume is concentrated on KOSDAQ.
By stock, NH Investment & Securities has the largest release at 32,258,064 shares. It is followed by Samyang Comtech with 24,002,540 shares, APR with 12,350,970 shares, SK IE Technology with 10,489,508 shares, and FADU with 10,238,000 shares.
Compared with the number of shares outstanding, Samyang Comtech has the highest release ratio at 58%. On KOSDAQ, K3I will unlock 46% of its shares outstanding, and Rolling Stone will release 39% from lockup.
On the main board, APR's unlocked shares account for 33% of its shares outstanding. Daehan Shipbuilding will unlock 8,885,923 shares, or 23% of its shares outstanding; SK IE Technology will release 13%, and NH Investment & Securities will unlock 9%.
By reason for lockup, the largest volume—79.9 million shares—was tied to KOSDAQ listing rules. Shares locked under the rules on issuance and disclosure of securities totaled 79.64 million, while 21.24 million shares were subject to the main board listing rules.