Aimedbio Charges Higher on KOSDAQ 150 Boost[K-Bio Pulse]

This article was released as Pharm Edaily Premium Content on March 3, 2026, at 10:31 AM.

[NA Eun-kyung, Edaily Reporter] Shares of Vatech, Kukjeon Pharmaceutical and Gencurix closed at their daily upper limits on Feb. 27, drawing strong investor attention across the pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare sectors.

Aimedbio, which was newly added to the KOSDAQ 150 index a day earlier, jumped 18.50 percent to close at 61,500 won.

Employees of Kukjeon Pharmaceutical celebrate the completion of a new electronic materials plant at the company’s Eumseong facility in North Chungcheong Province in August 2023. (Source: Kukjeon Pharmaceutical)

Kukjeon Rallies on Semiconductor Materials Momentum

Kukjeon Pharmaceutical surged 29.94 percent to 4,145 won, hitting the daily price ceiling. The stock began to spike around 10 a.m. and quickly locked at the upper limit.

The rally was driven by news that materials related to high bandwidth memory, a key component in artificial intelligence semiconductors, passed a process line evaluation at a semiconductor company.

Originally an active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer, Kukjeon Pharmaceutical has been pushing to transform into a semiconductor materials supplier. In 2021, the company established a materials technology research center and designated materials as a new growth engine. It has since invested heavily in personnel and facilities to secure proprietary technologies and build dedicated production lines for semiconductor process materials.

The company has been investing in localization of specialty cleaning materials used in high bandwidth memory processes. Full scale mass production began in March. The newly mass produced product is a core material used in specialty cleaning solutions applied after the debonding process in advanced semiconductor packaging including wafer level packaging.

Kukjeon Pharmaceutical swung to an operating loss last year as new business related costs were reflected in earnings. On a consolidated basis, the company posted 131 billion won in sales and an operating loss of 2.6 billion won. As of the third quarter, cumulative revenue from electronic materials accounted for 6 percent of total sales at 5.7 billion won.

The company said performance from semiconductor materials is expected to materialize from the first quarter as mass production ramps up.

An official at Kukjeon Pharmaceutical said tangible results from the electronic materials division will begin contributing to sales this year, adding that with one off costs removed, the company will prove the profit generating capacity of its core pharmaceutical business. The official also said recent government drug pricing reforms could serve as an opportunity for the company, which has in house synthesis technologies and manufacturing facilities.

Vatech Hits Limit Up on Re rating Expectations

Vatech, a global dental imaging equipment company, also hit the daily upper limit. Shares rose 29.93 percent to close at 27,350 won.

Daishin Securities said in a report that Vatech remains undervalued despite strong retained earnings and continued top line growth. Expectations for a market re rating appeared to boost investor sentiment.

Vatech posted record quarterly revenue of 114.4 billion won in the fourth quarter of last year. The solid performance was attributed to full scale sales of its premium Green X21 product in the United States, which is priced at over 100 million won per unit.

The company ranks first in the U.S. dental CT market. It differentiates itself with higher image resolution, low dose technology and user friendly software that enhances clinical convenience. Its focus on premium products supports solid margins.

More than 90 percent of Vatech’s sales come from overseas. The company enjoys strong brand recognition in North America and Europe, and its geographically diversified revenue base reduces reliance on any single market. It operates subsidiaries in major countries and maintains vendor networks in other regions.

A company official said new products launched last year continue to gain traction overseas and sales of high end products are expanding, adding that sales in advanced markets are expected to remain solid.

Aimedbio Inclusion Spurs Volatility Concerns

Aimedbio’s 18.50 percent gain marked its first return to the 60,000 won level since Jan. 9. The surge followed confirmation of its inclusion in the KOSDAQ 150, a benchmark index of 150 leading KOSDAQ listed companies selected based on market capitalization and liquidity, about three months after its December listing.

Inclusion in the index is widely viewed as a positive in terms of supply and demand, as exchange traded funds and index funds tracking the KOSDAQ 150 are required to buy constituent stocks. With assets under management tracking the index rising sharply, rebalancing demand has increased compared to the past.

The main advantage of index inclusion is stable inflows from institutional and passive funds, which can improve liquidity and investor accessibility. However, short term volatility may increase as profit taking often emerges after rebalancing is completed. If a stock is later removed from the index, passive outflows could weigh on the share price.

Ko Kyung bum, an analyst at Yuanta Securities, said assets under management tracking the KOSDAQ 150 increased from about 3 trillion won in December to 13.9 trillion won currently. He estimated rebalancing demand for Aimedbio at more than 81 billion won, equivalent to 4.6 times its recent average daily trading value and 2.4 times its market capitalization ratio, suggesting a significant rebalancing impact.

Rebalancing refers to the mechanical buying and selling of stocks by ETFs and index funds when index constituents or weightings change. Based on the expanded assets under management, the estimate implies potential buying demand of more than 81 billion won for Aimedbio.

The company reported 47.3 billion won in revenue and 20.6 billion won in operating profit last year, returning to the black. Aimedbio attributed the turnaround to increased revenue and improved profitability driven by new license out agreements.

Market participants are watching whether the KOSDAQ 150 inclusion will remain a short term supply driven event or lead to a longer term re rating supported by fundamentals.

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