Best Korean Stocks: October 2026
Value 88: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on sales. Momentum 79: near its 52-week high and above its moving averages. Quality 74: high gross profitability and interest well covered.
October 2026 edition · data as of ·5 new, 5 out, biggest climb 383220.KS since September·Next edition forms ·How we score stocks·How past rankings did·All South Korea stocks, refreshed daily
Top 25 Korean Stocks by StockRank
- New in October 2026: AhnLab, Inc. 053800.KQ, Miwon Specialty Chemical Co., Ltd. 268280.KS, Suprema Inc. 236200.KQ, Protec Co., Ltd. 053610.KQ, KC Co., Ltd. 029460.KS
- Dropped out: HDC HOLDINGS CO.,Ltd 012630.KS, Seohee Construction Co., Ltd. 035890.KQ, Samsung E&A Co., Ltd. 028050.KS, Samchully Co.,Ltd 004690.KS, DL E&C Co.,Ltd. 375500.KS
- Biggest climbs: F&F Co., Ltd 383220.KS #18 to #7, Hy-Lok Corporation 013030.KQ #24 to #16, CUCKOO Homesys Co., Ltd 284740.KS #8 to #4
- Biggest falls: Kumho Tire Co., Inc. 073240.KS #6 to #22, BGF Retail Co., Ltd. 282330.KS #4 to #19, ORION Holdings Corp. 001800.KS #14 to #25
What changed since September: 5 new, 5 out
- New in October 2026: AhnLab, Inc. 053800.KQ, Miwon Specialty Chemical Co., Ltd. 268280.KS, Suprema Inc. 236200.KQ, Protec Co., Ltd. 053610.KQ, KC Co., Ltd. 029460.KS
- Dropped out: HDC HOLDINGS CO.,Ltd 012630.KS, Seohee Construction Co., Ltd. 035890.KQ, Samsung E&A Co., Ltd. 028050.KS, Samchully Co.,Ltd 004690.KS, DL E&C Co.,Ltd. 375500.KS
- Biggest climbs: F&F Co., Ltd 383220.KS #18 to #7, Hy-Lok Corporation 013030.KQ #24 to #16, CUCKOO Homesys Co., Ltd 284740.KS #8 to #4
- Biggest falls: Kumho Tire Co., Inc. 073240.KS #6 to #22, BGF Retail Co., Ltd. 282330.KS #4 to #19, ORION Holdings Corp. 001800.KS #14 to #25
| # | Stock | Yield | P/E | Score | Q | V | M | Style · Activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yield 3.7% | P/E 7.1 | 100 Score | 74 Q | 88 V | 79 M | Full House | ||
| 2 | Quality 86: wide operating margins and low debt. Value 76: cheap on P/E and cheap on EV/EBITDA. Momentum 66: quarterly earnings growing and above its moving averages. | Yield 2.7% | P/E 5.7 | 100 Score | 86 Q | 76 V | 66 M | Full HouseBuybackDeep dive → | |
| 3 | Momentum 78: above its moving averages and outperforming the market over 6 months. Quality 74: strong free cash flow and low debt. Value 72: cheap on sales and cheap on EV/EBITDA. | Yield 1.5% | P/E 11.9 | 99 Score | 74 Q | 72 V | 78 M | Full House | |
| 4 | Value 90: cheap on P/E and cheap on EV/EBITDA. Quality 73: high gross profitability and low debt. Momentum 56: near its 52-week high. | Yield 5.1% | P/E 4.5 | 99 Score | 73 Q | 90 V | 56 M | Full House | |
| 5 | Momentum 83: quarterly earnings growing and above its moving averages. Value 77: cheap on EV/EBITDA and below book value. Quality 57: wide operating margins but a tight balance sheet. | Yield 2.6% | P/E 13.4 | 99 Score | 57 Q | 77 V | 83 M | Full House | |
| 6 | Quality 77: a liquid balance sheet and wide operating margins. Value 74: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on P/E. Momentum 64: quarterly earnings growing. | Yield 2.1% | P/E 8.7 | 99 Score | 77 Q | 74 V | 64 M | Full HouseBuyback | |
| 7 | Quality 81: wide operating margins and ROIC in the top 5% of its sector. Value 74: cheap on P/E and cheap on EV/EBITDA. Momentum 59: quarterly earnings growing. | Yield 3.9% | P/E 6.4 | 98 Score | 81 Q | 74 V | 59 M | Full House | |
| 8 | Value 91: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on free cash flow. Quality 66: strong free cash flow and F-Score 7/9. Momentum 58: quarterly earnings growing. | Yield 6.5% | P/E 7.9 | 98 Score | 66 Q | 91 V | 58 M | Full House | |
| 9 | Value 80: cheap on sales and cheap on P/E; EV/EBITDA and P/FCF excluded. Momentum 75: above its moving averages and outperforming the market over 6 months. Quality 58: a liquid balance sheet but thin operating margins. | Yield — | P/E 3.7 | 98 Score | 58 Q | 80 V | 75 M | Full House | |
| 10 | Momentum 79: near its 52-week high and outperforming the market over 6 months. Quality 70: F-Score 8/9 and strong free cash flow. Value 63: a high yield and cheap on EV/EBITDA. | Yield 3.6% | P/E 32.2 | 98 Score | 70 Q | 63 V | 79 M | Full HouseBuyback | |
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| 11 | Quality 78: F-Score 8/9 and high gross profitability. Value 74: cheap on P/E and cheap on EV/EBITDA. Momentum 60: near its 52-week high. | Yield 2.1% | P/E 11.6 | 98 Score | 78 Q | 74 V | 60 M | Full House | |
| 12 | Quality 78: F-Score 7/8 and high return on equity. Momentum 66: near its 52-week high and quarterly earnings growing. Value 66: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on P/E. | Yield 2.5% | P/E 10.4 | 98 Score | 78 Q | 66 V | 66 M | Full House | |
| 13 | Quality 79: a liquid balance sheet and low debt. Momentum 74: quarterly earnings growing and above its moving averages. Value 56: cheap on EV/EBITDA but little or no yield. | Yield 0.4% | P/E 11.1 | 98 Score | 79 Q | 56 V | 74 M | Full HouseBuyback | |
| 14 | Quality 80: wide operating margins and high return on equity. Momentum 75: quarterly earnings growing and above its moving averages. Value 52: cheap on EV/EBITDA but little or no yield. | Yield 0.6% | P/E 39.2 | 97 Score | 80 Q | 52 V | 75 M | Full HouseDir. buyBuybackDeep dive → | |
| 15 | Momentum 76: quarterly earnings growing and above its moving averages. Value 70: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on sales. Quality 61: wide operating margins and high gross profitability. | Yield 3.9% | P/E 14.5 | 97 Score | 61 Q | 70 V | 76 M | Full House | |
| 16 | Value 80: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on P/E. Quality 78: a liquid balance sheet and low debt. Momentum 48: mixed. | Yield 3.7% | P/E 8.5 | 97 Score | 78 Q | 80 V | 48 M | Unloved Quality | |
| 17 | Momentum 74: quarterly earnings growing and outperforming the market over 6 months. Quality 67: wide operating margins and a liquid balance sheet. Value 64: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on P/E. | Yield 0.6% | P/E 12.4 | 97 Score | 67 Q | 64 V | 74 M | Full House | |
| 18 | Quality 85: wide operating margins and high gross profitability. Momentum 70: quarterly earnings growing and outperforming the market over 6 months. Value 49: cheap on EV/EBITDA but expensive on free cash flow. | Yield 0.1% | P/E 15.6 | 96 Score | 85 Q | 49 V | 70 M | Premium GrowerBuybackDeep dive → | |
| 19 | Value 78: cheap on EV/EBITDA and cheap on free cash flow. Quality 68: strong free cash flow and low debt. Momentum 58: above its moving averages. | Yield 3.0% | P/E 12.3 | 96 Score | 68 Q | 78 V | 58 M | Full House | |
| 20 | Momentum 80: quarterly earnings growing and above its moving averages. Value 74: cheap on P/E and below book value. Quality 50: high return on equity but a weak F-Score 3/9. | Yield 6.5% | P/E 4.8 | 96 Score | 50 Q | 74 V | 80 M | Full House | |
| 21 | Quality 89: wide operating margins and high return on equity. Momentum 73: quarterly earnings growing and outperforming the market over 6 months. Value 41: cheap on EV/EBITDA but little or no yield. | Yield 0.2% | P/E 29.4 | 96 Score | 89 Q | 41 V | 73 M | Premium GrowerDir. buyBuybackDeep dive → | |
| 22 | Value 80: cheap on P/E and cheap on EV/EBITDA. Quality 69: F-Score 9/9 and high return on equity. Momentum 53: above its moving averages. | Yield — | P/E 5.9 | 96 Score | 69 Q | 80 V | 53 M | Full House | |
| 23 | Momentum 79: above its moving averages and outperforming the market over 6 months. Quality 63: wide operating margins and ROIC in the top 15% of its sector. Value 60: cheap on P/E and cheap on EV/EBITDA; P/FCF excluded. | Yield 3.3% | P/E 12.0 | 96 Score | 63 Q | 60 V | 79 M | Full HouseBuyback | |
| 24 | Momentum 78: near its 52-week high and above its moving averages. Value 74: below book value and cheap on EV/EBITDA. Quality 50: low debt but low gross profitability. | Yield 1.0% | P/E 10.3 | 96 Score | 50 Q | 74 V | 78 M | Full HouseDir. buyBuyback | |
| 25 | Value 86: cheap on EV/EBITDA and a high yield. Quality 60: interest well covered and low debt. Momentum 55: above its moving averages. | Yield 6.8% | P/E 12.1 | 95 Score | 60 Q | 86 V | 55 M | Full House | |
Ranked by StockRank (Quality + Value + Momentum composite) at a minimum market cap of $250M. Yield and P/E are as of the data date; click a ticker for today’s price and score. A new edition is generated on the first scoring run of each month.
Director buying reported in the 90 days to : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 005930.KS, SK hynix Inc. 000660.KS, KC Co., Ltd. 029460.KS
Active share buybacks in the 180 days to : T&L Co., Ltd. 340570.KQ, DoubleUGames Co., Ltd. 192080.KS, Seegene, Inc. 096530.KQ, Suprema Inc. 236200.KQ, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 005930.KS, SK Square Co., Ltd. 402340.KS and 3 more
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How South Korea scores
Where the top 25 come from, and how the whole Korean market sits against the global universe. StockRank is a global percentile, so the universe splits evenly into five bands by construction; a market that piles up on the right is scoring well as a whole.
Top 25 by sector
- Industrials6
- Technology6
- Consumer Cyclical3
- Consumer Defensive3
- Communication Services2
- Healthcare2
- Other3
Share of Korean stocks by StockRank band
- 0-1930% / 20%
- 20-3921% / 20%
- 40-5917% / 20%
- 60-7915% / 20%
- 80-10017% / 20%
South Koreaall markets
The Korea Discount, and Why It's in Play
Korea is the world's most studied valuation anomaly: global leaders in memory, batteries, autos and defence trading at some of the lowest multiples of any developed economy. The government's Value-Up programme is Korea's run at the Japanese playbook, and it makes the discount a live catalyst rather than a permanent feature. MoatMap scores the whole KRX board it covers; the list below is where the factors line up.
MoatMap scored 1,664 Korean stocks on 2026-10-01; 616 cleared the $250M market-cap floor this list applies. The market's average StockRank is 43. Industrials is the most represented sector in the top 10 (3 names).
The 'Korea discount' has structural causes: chaebol cross-holdings that trap value, low payout ratios, a heavy retail investor base, and governance that historically favoured controlling families over minorities. The result is world-class industrial franchises priced far below global peers on book value and earnings, a discount that persisted because nothing forced it to close.
The Value-Up programme is the forcing mechanism: modelled explicitly on Tokyo's reforms, it pushes listed companies to publish capital-efficiency plans, lift payouts and cancel treasury shares, with index inclusion and tax incentives as carrots. Progress is uneven (participation is voluntary and chaebol reform is slow), but buybacks and dividend increases have accelerated measurably since its launch. Korea in the mid-2020s looks like Japan circa 2023: cheap, with the catalyst forming.
One data caveat specific to this site: Korean regulatory filings disclose insider trade sizes but not execution prices, so where insider values appear in MoatMap's Korean data they are estimated from the market close and flagged as such. Direction and size of insider activity remain the reliable signal.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the top-ranked Korean stocks right now?
- The table above ranks MoatMap's top 25 KRX-listed stocks (KOSPI + KOSDAQ) by StockRank, a composite of Quality, Value and Momentum percentiles. It refreshes monthly with a stated data date, and each ticker links to a full score breakdown.
- What is the Korea Value-Up programme?
- A government-led corporate reform initiative launched in 2024, modelled on Japan's TSE reforms: companies are pushed to publish plans for improving capital efficiency, raising shareholder returns and cancelling treasury stock, supported by a Value-Up index and tax incentives. It is the main catalyst argument for Korean equities re-rating from their long-standing discount.
- Is Samsung Electronics the only Korean stock worth owning?
- It dominates the index, but the breadth is the point: Korea lists global leaders in memory (SK Hynix), batteries, autos, shipbuilding, defence and biotech, plus a large KOSDAQ tail of specialised manufacturers with minimal foreign coverage. A factor screen surfaces the cheap-and-improving names across that breadth rather than defaulting to the biggest ticker.
- How do foreigners buy Korean stocks?
- Direct KRX access is available through the larger international brokers (tickers like 005930.KS), and a handful of large caps have US ADRs or GDRs. Korea retains some administrative friction; investor registration requirements have been easing as part of the market's push for developed-market index classification, but check your broker's process.
- How often does this Korea ranking refresh?
- A new edition forms on the first scoring run of each calendar month and the page states its data-as-of date. For a daily view, use the ranked-stocks screener filtered to South Korea.