PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN AND SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: Atlas Arteria rejects bid, AGL revises FY guidance, Samsung talks with AAPL

Australia

AGL Energy (AGL AT) - Co. narrowed FY 2026 underlying EBITDA guidance to AUD 2.06-2.18bln (prev. guided AUD 2.02-2.18bln) and underlying net profit guidance to AUD 610-680mln (prev. guided AUD 580-AUD 680mln), reflecting strong operational and financial performance since H1 and improved plant availability and stabilisation of consumer margins. (Dow Jones)

Atlas Arteria (ALX AT) – Co. rejects IFM’s takeover offer of AUD 4.75/security, stating the offer is too low and opportunistic. (Atlas Arteria)

Beach Energy (BPT AT) - Co. said the Waitsia gas plant reached nameplate capacity on April 28, plans exploration drilling adjacent to Waitsia in FY 2027. The Co. is targeting more than AUD 400mln of field operating and sustaining capex savings in Cooper Basin.(Dow Jones)

BlueScope Steel (BSL AT) - Co.’s board was urged by SGH Limited to tell investors where a bid needs to land after spurning a joint AUD 14.2bln takeover approach. (AFR)

Centuria Capital Group (CNI AT) - Co. launched a counter-cyclical office play with a AUD 268mln raising, as property fund managers seek exposure to parts of Sydney’s office market. (The Australian)

Computershare (CPU AT) - Co. said it is performing in line with its FY 2026 guidance and reaffirmed upgraded management EPS guidance of around AUD 1.44/shr. (Motley Fool)

Dexus (DXS AT) – Co. and Boral have revealed a AUD 10bln plan for Melborne precinct, in which Boral will put in the land on a staged basis at market value and will hold 50% interest in the development. (The Australian)

JB Hi-Fi (JBH AT) - Co. 3Q Australia sales rose 4.0% Y/Y, while comparable sales rose 2.6% Y/Y. In New Zealand, sales rose 23% Y/Y, while comparable sales rose 15% Y/Y. Good Guys sales rose 2.5% Y/Y, Good Guys comparable sales rose 2.5% Y/Y, and E&S sales fell 1.4% Y/Y. (Dow Jones)

Qantas Airways (QAN AT) - Co. CEO Vanessa Hudson said the airline expects jet fuel prices to remain high over the coming year, even as competition from Gulf carriers returns once the Middle East war ends. (AFR)

Regis Resources (RRL AT) - Co.’s proposed AUD 10.7bln merger with Vault Minerals would create the third-largest gold miner on the ASX, with the combined company forecast to produce more than 700k ounces annually. (AFR)

South Korea

Celltrion (068270 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net rose 222.9% Y/Y to 349.8bln, operating profit rose 115.4% Y/Y to 321.9bln, rev. rose 36% Y/Y to 1.14tln. (Yonhap)

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (009540 KS) - Co. secured a KRW 505bln deal to build three gas tankers. (Yonhap)

Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) - Co. April US sales rose 16% Y/Y alongside Kia, driven by hybrid and EV demand. (Korea Times)

Kia Corp (000270 KS) - Co. April US sales rose 16% Y/Y alongside Hyundai, driven by hybrid and EV demand. (Korea Times)

KG Mobility (003620 KS) - Co. April sales rose 6.5% Y/Y to 9,512 vehicles, driven by higher exports and including complete knock-down units. (Yonhap)

LG Corp (003550 KS) - Co. is projected to deliver 27% annual earnings growth, outperforming the broader market. (Nomura)

LG Electronics (066570 KS) - Co. is reportedly collaborating with Nvidia on robotics and physical AI using the Isaac platform. (The Elec)

Lotte Chilsung Beverage (005300 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net rose 368.5% Y/Y to 25.3bln, operating profit rose 91.2% Y/Y to 47.8bln, rev. rose 4.6% Y/Y to 952.5bln. (Yonhap)

Pan Ocean (028670 KS) - Co. Q1 (KRW) net rose 31.3% Y/Y to 94.5bln, operating profit 140.9bln (prev. 113.3bln Y/Y), rev. rose 8.3% Y/Y to 1.5tln. (Yonhap)

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Apple (AAPL) has held exploratory talks with Intel (INTC) and Samsung Electronics about producing main processors for its devices, Bloomberg reports. Discussions remain early, with no orders. Apple is reportedly concerned about using non-TSMC (TSM) technology because of reliability and scale. In other news, Co.’s board chairman expressed concern over the potential economic impact of a planned general strike by unionised workers and called for the dispute to be resolved through dialogue. (Bloomberg/Yonhap)

SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Co. shares surged to record highs with Barclays raising its price target on HBM leadership, while Co. also declared a dividend of KRW 375/shr. (Barclays)

Samsung Biologics (207940 KS) - Co.’s unionised workers continued their first general strike for a fifth day, demanding higher wages and expanded performance-based compensation. (Yonhap)

Other South Korean News:

• South Korean Inflation Rate YoY (Apr) Y/Y 2.6% vs. Exp. 2.6% (Prev. 2.2%).
• South Korean Inflation Rate MoM (Apr) M/M 0.5% vs. Exp. 0.5% (Prev. 0.3%).