PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE & SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: SoftBank taps banks for the IPO of robotics firm Roze

AUSTRALIA

Eagers Automotive (APE AT) - Co. said Australia and NZ turnover rose around 5% in FY26 through April, order intake was at record levels, H1 underlying pretax profit is expected to match or slightly beat the year-ago result in Australia and NZ operations, and Co. is positioned for a record year in 2026. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Endeavour Group (EDV AT) - Co. targets AUD 300mln of cost savings by FY29, including AUD 100mln in FY27, will accelerate investment in hotel assets, target capital deployment on renewals, refurbishments and repositionings, exit the majority of its winery and vineyard portfolio, and retain three wineries deemed core to private-label activity. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

KMD Brands (KMD AT) - Co. 3Q total sales rose 5.2%, nine-month total sales rose 6.6%, and 3Q Rip Curl sales rose 4.0%. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Nufarm (NUF AT) - Co. H1 (AUD) net rose 28% Y/Y to 38.2mln, rev. fell 5.3% Y/Y to 1.71bln, did not declare an interim dividend, and reaffirmed FY26 guidance for strong growth in underlying EBITDA. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

WEB Travel Group (WEB AT) - Co. FY (AUD) net 35.5mln (prev. 201.5mln Y/Y), continuing operations net 35.5mln (prev. 11.1mln Y/Y), rev. 394.1mln (prev. 328.4mln Y/Y), and did not declare a dividend. Co. said bookings rose 6% Y/Y in the first eight weeks of FY27, while TTV fell 6% Y/Y in AUD. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Westpac Banking (WBC AT) - Co. received an AUD 26mln fine over hardship failures. (The Australian)

Broker Ratings/Price Target

• ANZ Group (ANZ AT) Price target cut 3% to AUD 32.50/shr by Macquarie. 
• ASX (ASX AT) Price target cut 7.7% to AUD 54.00/shr by Macquarie, price target cut 7.4% to AUD 50.00/shr by Jefferies. 
• Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (FPH AT) Price target cut 4.6% to NZD 43.70/shr by Macquarie. 
• Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT AT) Price target cut 6.7% to AUD 14.00/shr by Jefferies. 
• Goodman Group (GMG AT) Price target cut 6.4% to AUD 34.13/shr by Jefferies. 

JAPAN

Japan Airlines (9201 JT) - Co. will launch a service to transport items of cultural significance to the Moon, citing the risks of losing them amid climate change, large natural disasters and conflicts. (Newswires)

Kansai Electric Power (9503 JT) - Co. resolved to transfer its behavioural change application MOACT business to a newly established wholly owned subsidiary, MOACT Inc., via a simplified incorporation-type company split. (Newswires)

Nabtesco (6268 JT) - Co. plans to begin mass production of fully electric power steering systems for large commercial vehicles in 2027, targeting China’s shift to electric vehicles as Japan’s own market plateaus. (Nikkei)

SoftBank Group (9984 JT) - Co. tapped Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Mizuho and Morgan Stanley for the IPO of robotics firm Roze. (Newswires)

Toyota (7203 JT) - Co. plans to raise Jun-Aug global production by 7.3% Y/Y to 2.6mln units. (Newswires)

Insurers - Nippon Life Insurance and peers combined profits for FY25 rose 14% to a record JPY 4.4tln amid rising bond yields, although Japanese insurers also face paper losses from falling bond prices. (Nikkei)

Other News

Japan is poised to start trade talks with Mercosur as it seeks oil supplies and increased car exports. (Nikkei)

SOUTH KOREA

GC BioPharma (006280 KS) - Co. is to sell its Curevo subsidiary to Eli Lilly (LLY) for KRW 460bln. (Newsiwres)

SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Co. shunned US big tech funding and secured leverage through long-term deals. (ChosunBiz)

Insurers - Loan receivables shrank by more than KRW 1tln as of the end of March, while the nonperforming loan ratio rose and household loans outstanding and arrears both increased. (ChosunBiz)

Pharmaceuticals - South Korea’s top court backed government drug price cuts following rebate and generic cases, rejecting appeals by Dong-A ST (170900 KS), Daewon Pharmaceutical (003220 KS) and Boryung (003850 KS). (ChosunBiz)