Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 1.33, read 2026-11-05
Ethical passes the values gate
Price18.38 USD
Fair value26.00
Ethical score70.0/100
Value readUndervaluedas of 5 Nov 2026
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-28Read Distribution18.78-2.1% to today ✓Markdown gives way to Distribution
2026-10-02Read Markdown18.71-1.8% to today ✓Accumulation gives way to Markdown first Markdown read since July
2026-09-03Read Accumulation19.23-4.4% to today Distribution gives way to Accumulation
2026-08-04Read Distribution18.48-0.5% to today ✓Markdown gives way to Distribution
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
KT Corporation holds its Distribution at $18.38. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 8 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-11-05
Phase
Distribution · caution
Quantitative state
The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 8 days
Price at the screen
$18.38
Valuation
10.03 trailing · 4.94 forward price to earnings
Values screen
PASS· score 70.0
Beta
0.15
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Full pass across all five screens. This security clears the Titan Ethical Standard: its business and its balance sheet both stay inside the lines.
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
25.05%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 25.1% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
7.81%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 7.8% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
14.97%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 15.0% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.92%
Below 5%
Only 0.9% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Clears, in Plain English
KT clears all five screens. Its business is in a permissible area, its interest-bearing debt is about 25%, inside the ~33% line, and almost none of its income is interest, so it passes.
Read as at 2026-11-05. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
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Get an email when KT's ethical verdict changes
Today KT passes the screen. If new figures move it to a fail, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
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What the Numbers Say It Is Worth
The Fair Value Range
Our analysis reads Undervalued vs our fair value, as of 5 Nov 2026: it trades at roughly a 29% discount to our $26.00 fair value.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-11-05 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 29.3% discount to the base estimate.
Where our models see it going: fair-value estimate $26.00, with a range of $26.00 to $36.76, dated to the 2026-11-05 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Korean telecom trades cheap but delivers little growth
Picture a South Korean household paying the phone bill each month. KT collects steady cash from those connections yet revenue is slipping one percent a year and the company turns only five percent of sales into profit. Return on equity sits at nine percent, a modest reward for the capital tied up in networks and spectrum. Our screen gives it a clean ethical pass, yet the opportunity rating stays at none because the business shows no clear path to faster expansion or wider margins.
The forward multiple of 4.4 times earnings looks attractive next to a fair value thirty percent above the current price, and four analysts lean buy with a twenty-three dollar median target. Still, unknown competitive protection and flat-to-down top-line trends outweigh the headline discount. Without visible catalysts, the low multiple simply reflects limited prospects rather than hidden value.
Currency moves, regulatory caps on mobile pricing, and rising capital needs for 5G upgrades add real downside. Even a patient holder could wait years for earnings to lift the share price meaningfully. Analysis, not advice.
Another profit measure, before interest, tax and non-cash costs: EBITDA.
The risks · The things to watch: its business and earnings are exposed to South Korea and to currency swings.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
KT trades on the NYSE (the company is based in South Korea). As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-11-04Distribution$17.69-5.8%Entry 10
The analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 5.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
The framework has shifted from markdown to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
2026-10-21Markdown$18.78+2.6%Entry 8
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved up 2.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
2026-10-14Markdown$18.30-2.2%Entry 7
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 2.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 12% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
2026-10-02Markdown · changed$18.71-2.7%Entry 6
The framework has shifted from accumulation to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 2.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 12% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
The framework has shifted from distribution to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 4.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 12% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
The framework has shifted from markdown to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 12% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
2026-07-18Markdown$18.51+0.0%Entry 3
Our analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 12% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are down 5%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $23.
2026-07-03Markdown$18.51+0.0%Entry 2
Our analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markdown$18.51Entry 1
Our analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
