Kakao (035720)
카카오 · KOSPI · Messaging platform building consumer AI
KOSPI · Price as of · Delayed Quote · Converted at ₩1342 per dollar
- Code035720
- ExchangeKOSPI
- Korean name카카오
- Quoted inKorean won
- US listingNone
- Run byChung Shin-a
- Analysts25
- Implied upside+59.3%
- Target range₩40,000 to ₩87,000
- Target in dollars$40.94
Reported fundamentals
There is no stock score on this page. The score is computed from audited XBRL filings on SEC EDGAR and includes a 20-point insider component built from Form 4s, and a Korean company files neither, so a grade here would be measuring something different from the same letter on a US hub. These are the reported figures instead.
| Revenue | ₩8.1T ($6.0B) | +3.0% against the prior year |
| Net income | ₩491.5B ($366.1M) | 6.1% net margin |
| Capital spending | ₩614.4B | 7.6% of revenue |
| Shares outstanding | 279,386,513 | -36.0% 2022 to 2025, buybacks |
| Cash | ₩14.2T ($10.6B) | Current ratio 1.5 |
| Total debt | ₩3.1T ($2.3B) | Debt to equity 20.7 |
| Forward P/E | 18.1 | On analyst estimates, not on reported earnings |
Kakao closed at ₩34,500 on Sep 11, down 12.8% since Aug 12. Daily closes on the KOSPI, in won. Source: Yahoo Finance.
What Kakao does
Kakao runs KakaoTalk, the messaging app almost everyone in Korea uses, and a set of businesses attached to it covering payments, taxis, commerce, games and entertainment. The company's reach into Korean daily life is its asset, and its revenue comes from advertising and transactions across that surface.
Its AI work is about putting assistant features in front of that user base rather than selling models to enterprises. A distribution-first approach means the question is not whether the technology is good enough in the abstract but whether it changes how people use an app they already open constantly. The business also carries a governance history that has weighed on the shares, which is a separate matter from the AI question and does not go away because of it.
Kakao is run by Chung Shin-a (정신아), CEO, since March 2024.
Kakao has no US listing. Buying the shares means buying the Seoul line, which most US brokerage accounts cannot do directly.
Kakao coverage
Korea's Kakao rose 3.48% on a rumor it would split in two. It fell 7.49% when the terms landed.
Kakao's board approved splitting the company into Kakao AI and Kakao X on August 21, 2026, and shareholders vote on it December 17. The market's first answer was to sell: Kakao closed down 7.49% at 35,800 won after a 30-minute trading halt.
Naver posts record revenue, but AI spending squeezes profits and sends shares down 7%.
Naver’s revenue hit a record, but AI Factory spending squeezed profit and sent the stock down 7.1% anyway, even after a trillion-won buyback. Kakao had the opposite week.
Other Korean AI listings
| Company | Code | Board | What it makes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SK Hynix | 000660 | KOSPI | HBM memory for AI accelerators |
| Samsung Electronics | 005930 | KOSPI | Memory, foundry and the broader electronics business |
| Hanmi Semiconductor | 042700 | KOSPI | Thermal compression bonders for HBM stacking |
| HPSP | 403870 | KOSDAQ | High-pressure annealing equipment |
| Wonik IPS | 240810 | KOSDAQ | Deposition and etch equipment for memory |
| Leeno Industrial | 058470 | KOSDAQ | Test probes and probe cards |
| Samsung Electro-Mechanics | 009150 | KOSPI | FC-BGA package substrates and MLCCs |
| Naver | 035420 | KOSPI | Korea's search platform and HyperCLOVA X |
| LG Innotek | 011070 | KOSPI | Camera modules and package substrates |
| Simmtech | 222800 | KOSDAQ | Package substrates for memory |
| Techwing | 089030 | KOSDAQ | Memory test handlers |
| Hana Micron | 067310 | KOSDAQ | Semiconductor packaging and test |
| ISC | 095340 | KOSDAQ | Test sockets |
| Jusung Engineering | 036930 | KOSDAQ | Atomic layer deposition equipment |
| Soulbrain | 357780 | KOSDAQ | Process chemicals for chipmaking |
| Samsung SDS | 018260 | KOSPI | IT services, cloud and data centers |
| SK Square | 402340 | KOSPI | Holding company whose main asset is SK Hynix |
| HD Hyundai Electric | 267260 | KOSPI | Transformers and switchgear |
| LS Electric | 010120 | KOSPI | Power distribution and automation |
| Hyosung Heavy Industries | 298040 | KOSPI | Transformers and heavy electrical equipment |
| Doosan Enerbility | 034020 | KOSPI | Power plant equipment, turbines and nuclear components |
Frequently asked questions
What is Kakao's stock code?
Kakao trades on the KOSPI in Seoul under the code 035720. Data providers usually write it as 035720.KS. The company has no US listing, so the Seoul line is the only place the shares trade.
Why is Kakao an AI stock?
Kakao runs KakaoTalk, the messaging app almost everyone in Korea uses, and a set of businesses attached to it covering payments, taxis, commerce, games and entertainment. The company's reach into Korean daily life is its asset, and its revenue comes from advertising and transactions across that surface.
What do analysts expect for Kakao?
25 analysts covering Kakao have an average price target of ₩54,960 (about $40.94), which is +59.3% against the last close. Coverage of Korean listings is overwhelmingly domestic, so these are Korean brokerage estimates rather than the US sell-side names that cover an American chip stock.
Does Kakao file with the SEC?
No. Kakao is a Korean company listed in Seoul, so it reports to the Korea Exchange and the Financial Supervisory Service, not the SEC. That is why this page has no filings, Form 4 insider or congressional trading sections: those are built from EDGAR, which has nothing on a company that does not file there.