Defense and Cosmetics Shares Rally Midday Despite Broader Market Declines

The South Korean stock market is trading lower at midday, with the benchmark KOSPI down 0.42% to 5,639.35 and the tech-heavy KOSDAQ dropping 1.67% to 651.60. The USD/KRW exchange rate is currently at 1,457.52. Despite the downward pressure on major indices, selected defense, shipbuilding, and cosmetics stocks are posting strong gains on the back of positive earnings surprises and geopolitical developments.

Hanwha Ocean (042660) +7.37%

P/E	P/B	EPS	Mkt Cap	ROE	Debt Ratio	52W Range
19.77	3.99	4,066	₩24.6T	25.71%	204.67%	71,300–154,800

Hanwha Ocean shares rose 7.37% at midday following a massive Q2 earnings surprise, where operating profit surged 98% year-on-year to 736.1 billion KRW [1][3]. The results proved a solid 20%-range margin on LNG carriers, boosting market expectations for the company's earnings, orders, and defense trio [6]. This performance triggered strong simultaneous net buying from both foreign and institutional investors [5]. Although some analysts lowered target prices due to slowing momentum in special ship orders [4], the positive earnings sentiment dominated the session.

HANWHA AEROSPACE (012450) +9.01%

P/E	P/B	EPS	Mkt Cap	ROE	Debt Ratio	52W Range
30.87	4.69	28,573	₩45.5T	22.74%	224.88%	783,000–1,655,000

Hanwha Aerospace surged 9.01% as defense stocks rallied following reports that the US military resumed airstrikes in Iran [7][9]. The company also announced a supply contract worth over 2.5% of its sales [12] and increased its stake in Korea Aerospace Industries by 1.03 percentage points [11]. However, the direct impact of this contract and the stake increase on today's price movement remains unconfirmed, as does the cause of its temporary intraday drop on July 28 [10].

LG H&H (051900) +9.13%

P/E	P/B	EPS	Mkt Cap	ROE	Debt Ratio	52W Range
-50.55	0.88	-5,688	₩4.3T	-2.04%	25.00%	210,000–325,500

LG H&H jumped 9.13% after delivering a Q2 earnings surprise that confirmed a successful turnaround in performance [13][14][17][18]. This strong showing prompted several brokerage firms to raise their target prices for the cosmetics giant [18]. Analysts at Korea Investment & Securities highlighted the company as a key focus amid an earnings-driven reshuffling of cosmetics equities [16]. The positive momentum pushed the stock up by as much as 17.67% during intraday trading [15].

Sources

1. LNG선 업고 '영업익 2배' 낸 한화오션…호실적에 주가 출렁(종합) — 연합인포맥스 · 2026-07-27
2. 한화오션 주가, 7월 27일 장중 87,300원 0.68% 하락 — 톱스타뉴스 · 2026-07-27
3. 한화오션, ‘깜짝 실적’… 2분기 영업이익 98% 증가한 7361억 — v.daum.net · 2026-07-27
4. 한화오션, 특수선 수주 모멘텀 약화…목표주가↓ — ksdaily.co.kr · 2026-07-28
5. [장중수급포착] 한화오션, 외국인/기관 동시 순매수… 주가 +10.05% — 뉴스핌 · 2026-07-30
6. [마켓+] 한화오션, ‘LNG선 20%대 마진’ 증명…실적·수주·방산 삼각편대 뜬다 — 경인방송 뉴스 · 2026-07-28
7. 한화에어로스페이스 주가 장중 11%대 올라, 미국의 이란 공습 재개 소식에 방산주 강세 — 비즈니스포스트 · 2026-07-30
8. 한화에어로스페이스 주가, 7월 30일 장중 881,000원 8.77% 상승 — 톱스타뉴스 · 2026-07-30
9. 미군 이란 공습 재개에 방산주 급등…한화에어로스페이스 11%↑ — 이코노뉴스 · 2026-07-30
10. 한화에어로스페이스 주가, 7월 28일 장중 876,000원 2.56% 하락 — 톱스타뉴스 · 2026-07-28
11. 한국항공우주산업, 주주 한화에어로스페이스 측 주식등 보유 비율 1.03%p 증가 — 디지털투데이 · 2026-07-26
12. 한화에어로스페이스, 매출액 2.5% 이상 규모 상품공급 기본계약 체결 — 디지털투데이 · 2026-07-26
13. [ET특징주] LG생활건강, 2분기 실적 개선 성공에 주가 11%↑ — 전자신문 · 2026-07-30
14. [특징주] LG생활건강, 2분기 실적 개선 성공에…15% 급등 - 조선비즈 — biz.chosun.com · 2026-07-30
15. LG생활건강 주가, 7월 30일 장중 309,500원 17.67% 상승 — 톱스타뉴스 · 2026-07-30
16. 한국투자증권 “화장품주, 실적 따라 주가 재편…LG생활건강·코스맥스 주목” — v.daum.net · 2026-07-27
17. [특징주] LG생활건강, 2분기 실적 개선 성공.. 15%대 '급등' — 글로벌이코노믹 · 2026-07-30
18. [특징주] LG생활건강, 2분기 ‘깜짝 실적’·목표주가 줄상향에 11%대 강세 — 이투데이 · 2026-07-30

This is market commentary, not investment advice.