BGF Retail stock falls as owner family cuts stake despite strong earnings

Published on 09/18/2026 at 17:58 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

BGF Retail stock dropped 4.67 percent to KRW 136,800 on September 18, 2026 after members of the owner family sold around 1 million shares. The company reported Q2 2026 revenue of KRW 2.43 trillion and operating profit up 22.3 percent year on year.

BGF Retail, KR7282330000, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

BGF Retail stock (ISIN KR7282330000) was trading at 136,800 won on the Korea Exchange on September 18, 2026, down 4.67 percent from the previous session as investors reacted to large share sales by members of the owner family.

Owner family sell-down triggers pressure on the stock

According to Seoul Economic Daily on September 18, 2026, BGF Retail shares declined nearly 5 percent intraday to 136,800 won as of 3:09 p.m. local time, following disclosures that relatives of BGF Group chairman Hong Seok-jo had sold a combined 99,8580 shares this year, equivalent to about 5.8 percent of the company’s outstanding shares.

As Asia Economy reported on September 18, 2026, the sell-down involved four special related parties, including Hong Seok-jun, chairman of Boryung Venture Investment, his daughter Hong Seung-yeon, and Central Holdings chairman Hong Seok-hyun with his spouse, who collectively disposed of about 1 million BGF Retail shares in the market over roughly nine months.

Asia Economy noted that Hong Seok-jun sold 150,000 shares in February 2026 and the remaining 141,521 shares in May 2026, fully exiting his direct stake in BGF Retail, while Hong Seung-yeon gradually sold 251,893 shares between early 2026 and September 2026, also reducing her BGF Retail holdings to zero.

According to Asia Economy, these disposals reduced the broader owner group’s combined stake in BGF Retail from more than 50 percent at the start of 2026 to the mid-45 percent range by late summer, although the family maintained their holdings in parent company BGF, which owns 30 percent of BGF Retail.

Earnings growth supports fundamentals

Despite the supply overhang from insider selling, BGF Retail’s operating performance has strengthened in 2026. Asia Economy reported that in the second quarter of 2026, BGF Retail generated consolidated revenue of 2,426.8 billion won and operating profit of 84.9 billion won, representing year-on-year increases of 6.0 percent and 22.3 percent respectively, with operating profit coming in more than 10 percent above market expectations.

According to Asia Economy, cumulative revenue for the first half of 2026 reached 4,547.2 billion won, up 5.6 percent year on year, while cumulative operating profit rose 33.7 percent to 123.0 billion won, reflecting a shift toward higher-margin product categories and a lower share of low-margin sales in the convenience store mix.

In its analysis dated September 15, 2026, Seoul Economic Daily cited a report from Heungkuk Securities in which the brokerage raised its target price for BGF Retail to 200,000 won, highlighting the structural tailwind from growth in one to two person households and increasing spending by inbound foreign visitors as drivers of robust earnings in the second half of 2026.

Seoul Economic Daily also relayed Heungkuk Securities’ forecast that BGF Retail’s third-quarter 2026 consolidated revenue will reach approximately 2,600.0 billion won and operating profit about 108.0 billion won, implying expected year-on-year growth of around 4 percent in sales and a double-digit increase in operating profit as convenience store traffic and basket size expand.

Asia Economy added that consensus projections compiled by financial data provider FnGuide point to third-quarter 2026 revenue of 2,559.4 billion won and operating profit of 113.4 billion won, representing expected growth of roughly 4 percent and 16 percent respectively compared with the same period a year earlier, underscoring continued momentum beyond the strong first half.

Share price move and valuation context

BGF Retail’s share price decline on September 18, 2026 came after a strong rebound earlier in the year. Asia Economy reported that the stock, which had traded around the 100,000 won level near the start of 2026, climbed in tandem with improving same-store sales and profit expectations, reaching an intraday high of 156,600 won on August 11, 2026 before retreating to the mid-130,000 won range in mid-September.

At 136,800 won on September 18, 2026, the stock was trading about 12.6 percent below its August 11, 2026 intraday peak of 156,600 won, highlighting how supply from owner family share sales has tempered the earlier rally even as earnings forecasts remain favorable.

Seoul Economic Daily noted that Heungkuk Securities expects full-year 2026 consolidated revenue of approximately 9,500.0 billion won and operating profit around 306.7 billion won for BGF Retail, which would mark a solid advance from the prior year and reflect continued margin improvement from a richer product mix.

For investors, the combination of insider selling and earnings upgrades creates a nuanced picture: the reduction in the owner family’s direct stake and concentration of sales near the share price high could be perceived as profit-taking risk, yet analysts emphasize that the company is still in a virtuous cycle of profit growth as higher-margin items gain share in its CU convenience store network.

Stock price as of the latest session

Per data cited by Seoul Economic Daily, BGF Retail stock closed the session on the Korea Exchange at 136,800 won on September 18, 2026, representing a decline of 4.67 percent from the previous day’s close and positioning the shares well below the 156,600 won intraday high recorded on August 11, 2026.