Seven Firms Including Korea Zinc and Hyundai Mobis Achieve 106 Consecutive Quarters of Operating Profits Over 26 Years

Survey of Top 500 Companies by CEO Score
Hyundai Department Store Posts 95 Consecutive Quarters of 'Zero Losses' Since Founding
33% of Major Firms Remain Profitable for Over Five Years

Among Korea’s top 500 companies, seven firms—including Korea Zinc, Hyundai Mobis, and KT&G—have posted operating profits for 106 consecutive quarters from the first quarter of 2000 through the second quarter of this year.

On September 23, CEO Score, a corporate data research institute, surveyed the financial results, based on separate financial statements, of 351 companies among Korea’s top 500 by revenue that submit semiannual reports. The period of assessment spanned from the first quarter of 2000 through the second quarter of this year.

According to the results, the seven companies that have never posted a loss and achieved operating profits for 106 consecutive quarters are Korea Zinc, Hyundai Mobis, KT&G, S-1, Shinsegae, CJ ENM, and Handsome. Separate financial statements reflect the pure operating performance of a single legal entity, excluding the results of subsidiaries and affiliates.

Of the surveyed companies, 117 (33.3%) have maintained consecutive operating profits for over five years (20 quarters), 71 (20.2%) for over ten years (40 quarters), and 11 (3.1%) for over 25 years (100 quarters). Notably, Hyundai Department Store has continued a 'zero loss' streak by posting profits for 95 consecutive quarters since its founding, without a single quarter of operating loss.

In contrast, SK Telecom’s long-running streak of 102 consecutive quarters of operating profit was broken last year, as it posted a loss following the communication fee discounts that resulted from a major SIM hacking incident.

Meanwhile, the number of companies suffering prolonged losses is also increasing due to downturns in core sectors such as petrochemicals and batteries. LG Energy Solution posted operating losses for 20 consecutive quarters, the only company among those surveyed to record losses for more than five years. Yeochun NCC (19 quarters), Samsung SDI (eight quarters), and Emart24 (six quarters) also failed to break out of deficit trends.

Additionally, in the second quarter of this year, 23 more companies—including LG Electronics, POSCO Holdings, K Car, Jeju Air, and SK Ecoplant—fell into operating losses. POSCO Holdings ended its streak of 23 consecutive quarters of profit, while K Car brought its 18-quarter winning streak to a close.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.