Robostar builds industrial robots for factory automation (Cartesian and articulated), display and semiconductor transfer equipment, and smart-factory systems in-house, with Q1 2026 revenue split fairly evenly across robots (about ₩9.3 billion), semiconductor transfer (about ₩7.1 billion), and smart factory (about ₩8.8 billion); LG Electronics has been the largest shareholder since 2018 (a 33.4% stake), making LG-affiliated plants its core source of demand (Q1 sales to LG Electronics were about ₩11.1 billion, 44% of the total). A January 2026 disclosure confirmed the 2025 loss and its cause (delayed customer capital spending), and the May quarterly report confirmed a jump in Q1 revenue and a swing back to profit, with the key point being that this recovery is linked to LG's automation investment. What stands out now is that, after three years of decline, the earnings inflection, the solid demand backing of LG Electronics' investment, expansion into semiconductor transfer equipment and autonomous mobile robots, and a net-cash balance sheet are strengths; on the other hand, a P/B of 8.97x and a P/S of 10.3x price in much of the recovery in advance, so the value is placed on the business that will grow ahead rather than on today's earnings, meaning that if the Q1 profit proves to be one-off, the valuation burden would surface first.
At-a-glance assessment financial health · growth · profitability · valuation
- The most recent full-year net result was a loss.
- Revenue fell 15.0% year over year (3-year trend: falling).
- Most recent quarter (Q1 2026) revenue was 77.7% higher than a year earlier.
- ROE is -6.0% (total-net basis). It is below the sector average.
- Operating margin is -7.5%.
- The forward P/E sits above the sector median, reflecting elevated expectations.
Ownership & governance As of 2025-12-31
Largest shareholder LG Electronics 33.4% (corporate)
Controlling bloc incl. related parties 33.4%
With the controlling bloc holding 33%, the ownership structure is stable.
🔎 In-depth analysis
- Robostar builds and sells industrial robots for factory automation in-house.
- Its mainstays are Cartesian robots, which move parts to fixed positions, and articulated robots, which move through multiple joints like a human arm.
- On top of that, it earns money from transfer equipment that moves and stacks display panels and semiconductor parts, and from smart-factory systems that tie multiple pieces of equipment together to automate a plant.
- Q1 2026 revenue split fairly evenly across three axes: robots at about ₩9.3 billion, semiconductor and transfer equipment at about ₩7.1 billion, and smart factory at about ₩8.8 billion.
- Since LG Electronics became the largest shareholder (a 33.4% stake) in 2018, production automation at LG-affiliated plants has become a core source of demand, and in fact Q1 sales to LG Electronics were about ₩11.1 billion, 44% of the total.
- This is a company to view alongside both the stable demand from group automation investment and the expansion of new businesses such as semiconductor wafer transfer modules (EFEM) and autonomous mobile robots.
- The latest close is ₩68,000 and market capitalization is ₩663.0 billion.
- The price sits below the 20-day line (₩89,595) and below the 60-day line (₩85,962).
- Trading beneath both the short- and medium-term moving averages, the trend is on the soft side.
- The RSI (a supplementary gauge that compares upward and downward strength over the last 14 days on a 0-100 scale) is 36.7, a neutral level.
- The one-month change is -34.4%, the three-month change is +22.5%, and the position versus the 52-week high is -57.2%.
- Relative strength versus the KOSDAQ is 92 (1-99, computed from returns against the index over the past year with recent performance weighted more heavily; higher means stronger than the market).
- That places it in roughly the top 7% of all stocks by strength.
- Over the last three months it led the index by 58.7%.
- Chart readings are best viewed alongside trading volume and the dates on which disclosures occur.
- Valuation is set to expectations for future growth rather than last year's earnings.
- Because 2025 was a loss year, the P/E ratio (how many times one year's earnings the price represents) cannot be calculated.
- It is important that all of these metrics are based on last year's confirmed (trailing) results, which were in the red.
- Instead, the P/B (how many times book equity the price represents) is 8.97x and the P/S (how many times one year's revenue the price represents) is 10.3x, both high.
- The key, though, is not the figures themselves but the comparison set.
- Pure-robot companies are mostly loss-making, so they are viewed on a P/B basis; with comparison names such as Yujin Robot (18x) and Robotis (10.6x) all carrying high multiples on growth expectations, Robostar's 8.97x is not uniquely expensive within that group.
- The balance sheet is solid.
- Net debt (total borrowings minus cash; negative means net cash) is about -₩31.4 billion, a net-cash position with that much more cash than debt.
- The current ratio (assets readily usable versus debt due within a year) is comfortable at 3.46x, and the debt ratio (debt relative to equity) is not burdensome at 125.7%.
- That the profitability metrics (ROE -6.0%, operating margin -7.5%) are negative also reflects last year's loss.
- That operating profit turned positive again in Q1 2026 (about ₩73.73 million) more accurately shows current condition.
- Over the long run, revenue fell for three straight years, from ₩143.2 billion in 2022 to ₩75.7 billion in 2025.
- This was the fallout from shrinking downstream display and electronics investment.
- In 2025 the company posted an operating loss of ₩5.7 billion and a net loss of ₩5.2 billion.
- In the most recent quarter, Q1 2026, the trend clearly changed.
- Quarterly revenue was ₩25.1 billion, up 77.7% from a year earlier.
- In particular, sales to LG Electronics jumped nearly fivefold to about ₩11.1 billion.
- This was the result of smart-factory conversion investment at LG-affiliated plants moving into full swing.
- Quarterly operating profit and net profit also turned positive again.
- It is notable that revenue jumped this much even though the first quarter is normally closer to an off-season, when capital spending has just begun to be executed.
- The company is broadening its product lineup into semiconductor wafer transfer modules (EFEM), autonomous mobile robots (AMR), and semiconductor glass-substrate transfer equipment.
- It is natural to view this year as one in which revenue climbs onto a recovery track while the company attempts a full-year swing to profit.
- That said, this is still only one quarter's record, so it needs to be confirmed whether orders and revenue continue from the second quarter onward.
- Recent disclosures mix earnings recovery and ownership matters.
- A January 2026 disclosure of a change in the profit-and-loss structure officially confirmed the 2025 loss (revenue -15%, operating profit swinging to a loss) and its cause (delayed customer capital spending).
- At the March annual general meeting, an executive from LG Electronics' production-technology background joined as a non-executive director and a robotics research specialist joined as an outside director, reinforcing automation expertise on the board.
- The May quarterly report confirmed the jump in Q1 revenue and the swing to profit.
- The key point is that this recovery is not one-off but structurally linked to LG's automation investment.
- From late May into early June, large-holding reports from asset managers followed one after another.
- The stated purpose of holding was simple investment in every case, and the largest-shareholder structure under LG Electronics itself has not changed.
- That said, it shows a stretch of heavy short-term supply-demand and volatility.
- The observation points are clear.
- The strength is the earnings inflection.
- After three years of decline, Q1 revenue nearly doubled and swung to profit.
- With LG Electronics, the largest shareholder at a 33.4% stake, increasing its smart-factory investment, the demand backing is solid.
- Expansion into semiconductor transfer equipment and autonomous mobile robots adds further room for growth.
- The net-cash balance sheet gives the company the strength to weather this investment.
- On the other side, the point to note is valuation.
- A P/B of 8.97x and a P/S of 10.3x are levels that price in much of the recovery in advance.
- As shown later, even on a generous estimate of this year's earnings, the P/E is expensive at three figures.
- In other words, the value on this stock is placed not on the earnings it makes today but on the robotics and automation business that will grow ahead.
- In sum, this is a structure that could be strongly valued if customer investment genuinely revives and the quarterly profit carries through to a full-year profit.
- Conversely, if the recovery is slow or the Q1 profit proves to be one-off, this is a stretch in which the valuation burden surfaces first.
🔎 Valuation vs peers Overvalued
Rather than a simple industry classification, the comparison set is makers of industrial robots and automation equipment that do the same actual business. Robotis and Yujin Robot are pure-robot companies, while T-Robotics is a semiconductor and display transfer-equipment company.
| Peer | P/E | P/B | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robotis | 589.25x | 9.56x | 1.62% |
| Yujin Robot | 0.00x | 15.88x | -24.32% |
| T-Robotics | 0.00x | 5.14x | -85.18% |
The robotics and automation industry is mostly loss-making or trades very expensively relative to earnings. The comparison names Robotis (P/B 10.6x), Yujin Robot (P/B 18x), and T-Robotics (P/B 5.9x) are all priced on growth expectations. Robostar's P/B of 8.97x sits about mid-pack in this group, not uniquely expensive within the industry. If anything, having an actual revenue inflection and the backing of LG Electronics is a strength competitors would find hard to match. That said, on an absolute basis the burden is clear. Because 2025 was a loss, the P/E on last year's basis is meaningless, and even assuming a generous swing to profit this year, the forward P/E is in three figures, as shown later. In other words, this is a growth-stock structure paying not for today's earnings but for the robotics business that will grow ahead. Because the valuation burden surfaces first if the pace of recovery falls short of expectations, it is viewed as Overvalued; but since this can be resolved if future profit grows, the judgment is not made categorically.
Price history Close · MA20 · MA60
The latest close is ₩68,000 and the market capitalization is ₩663.0 billion. The price sits below its 20-day moving average (₩89,595) and below its 60-day moving average (₩85,962). It is under both its short- and medium-term moving averages, so the trend looks subdued. The RSI (a supplementary indicator that gauges the strength of gains versus losses over the past 14 days on a 0-100 scale) is 36.7, a neutral level. The one-month change is -34.4%, the three-month change is +22.5%, and the position relative to the 52-week high is -57.2%. Relative strength versus the KOSDAQ is 92 (on a 1-99 scale, converted from returns against the index over the past year with more weight on recent performance; higher means stronger than the market). It is stronger than roughly 93% of all stocks. Over the past three months it outpaced the index by 58.7%. Chart interpretation is best done alongside trading volume and the dates on which disclosures occur.
Relative performance stock vs index · start = 100
Excess return vs index · 3M +58.74% / 6M +7.44% / 12M +140.08%
Key metrics vs sector median
Valuation
A net loss makes the P/E an unreliable valuation gauge. The P/B of 7.64x is above the sector median (1.44x).
Enterprise value (EV)
EV = market cap + net debt. It reflects cash and debt, so it captures the real cost of the whole business that market cap alone misses; lower multiples are cheaper relative to earnings or sales.
Profitability & financials
Return on equity (ROE) is -6.0%, below the sector average (5.0%). The operating margin is -7.5%. The debt ratio is 125.7%, so the financial structure is moderate.
Growth FY2025 · annual report (consolidated)
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $68.1M | $59.1M | $50.2M | -15.04% ↓ slower |
| Operating profit | $752,890 | $98,453 | -$3.8M | -3910.79% ↓ slower |
| Net profit | $459,663 | $1.5M | -$3.4M | -334.56% ↓ slower |
| 5-year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $94.4M | $94.9M | $68.1M | $59.1M | $50.2M |
| Operating profit | $148,484 | $1.2M | $752,890 | $98,453 | -$3.8M |
| Net profit | $1.1M | $2.2M | $459,663 | $1.5M | -$3.4M |
| Revenue CAGR | 4-yr avg -14.61% | ||||
Revenue fell 15.0% year over year (2023 ₩102.7 billion → 2024 ₩89.1 billion → 2025 ₩75.7 billion), and the three-year trend is 'falling'. The rate of decline widened from the prior year. Operating profit fell 3910.8% year over year. The decline widened. Over the 5 years on record, revenue compound annual growth (CAGR) is -14.6%. The two-year revenue CAGR is -14.1%. In the most recent quarter (Q1 2026), revenue was 77.7% higher than the same period a year earlier.
Latest quarterly results Q1 2026 · vs year-ago
Technical indicators
What stands out
- —
Points to watch
- The most recent full year was a loss, so it is worth checking whether profitability recovers.
- Revenue fell 15.0% year over year (3-year trend: falling).
- The price is high versus peers, so expectations already appear priced in.
Recent news & events searched · sourced
- 2026-05-15EarningsThe Q1 2026 quarterly report confirmed revenue of ₩25.1 billion (+77.7% year on year) and a swing to positive operating and net profit. Sales to LG Electronics expanded sharply to about ₩11.1 billion.This is an earnings inflection that breaks the three-year run of falling revenue and losses. The medium-term watch point is that the recovery is not one-off but structurally linked to affiliate automation investment. Source
- 2026-01-26FilingA profit-and-loss structure change disclosure confirmed that 2025 annual revenue fell 15% year on year and operating profit swung to a loss. The company cited the cause as delayed customer capital spending amid weaker downstream-industry investment.This confirms that last year was the earnings trough. Because the cause was the timing of delayed investment rather than demand itself, it leaves room for a rebound when the cycle recovers. Source
- 2026-03-20IRAt the annual general meeting, an executive from LG Electronics' production-technology background was newly appointed as a non-executive director and a robotics research specialist as an outside director.Read as a governance signal that strengthens the business tie with LG Electronics and the direction of robotics and automation technology. Source
- 2026-06-05FilingDuring the late-May to early-June price advance, large-holding status reports from asset managers were filed one after another, with the stated purpose of holding recorded as simple investment.These are simple ownership filings unrelated to a change of control. That said, they are a cautionary signal showing a stretch of heavy short-term supply-demand and volatility. Source
Figure cross-check computed ↔ external
| Metric | Computed | External | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 revenue | ₩25.1 billion(₩25,146,294,054, +77.7%) | ₩25,146,294,054 | Confirmed | link |
| 2025 annual operating profit (swing to loss) | -₩5.7 billion(-₩5,660,781,243) | -₩5,660,781,243 | Confirmed | link |
| Largest shareholder's stake | LG 33.4% | LG 33.4% | Confirmed | link |
| 2026 estimated annual net profit (forward) | approx. ₩5.0 billion (self-estimate) | — | Unverified | link |
Recent filings
- 2026-06-05OwnershipOwnership-change filing
- 2026-06-01OwnershipOwnership-change filing
- 2026-06-01Large-business-group status disclosure
- 2026-05-27OwnershipOwnership-change filing
- 2026-05-15PeriodicQuarterly report
- 2026-04-24PeriodicAnnual business report (amended)
- 2026-03-31PeriodicAnnual business report (amended)
- 2026-03-23Disclosure
- 2026-03-20Shareholders' meeting notice
- 2026-03-12PeriodicAnnual business report
- 2026-03-12Audit report
- 2026-03-09Amended filing
📖 Plain-language glossary — expand if you are new to this
- P/E
- How many times a year's net profit the price is worth (lower is cheaper relative to earnings). The P/E here is on trailing (last full-year) results; for companies whose earnings swing fast (memory chips and other cyclicals/high-growth), a forward P/E on this year's expected earnings is more accurate.
- P/B
- Price relative to net assets (equity). Around 1x means it trades near book value; below 1x means below book.
- P/S
- Price relative to a year's revenue — useful for growth companies with thin earnings.
- Net debt / EV
- Net debt = interest-bearing debt − cash. Negative means more cash than debt (net cash). EV (enterprise value) = market cap + net debt, closer to what it would cost to buy the whole business.
- EV/EBIT · EV/EBITDA · EV/Sales
- Enterprise value against operating profit (EBIT), EBITDA, or revenue. Unlike P/E these reflect debt and cash; lower is cheaper relative to earnings power or sales.
- FCF / FCF yield
- Free cash flow = operating cash − capex, the cash actually left over. FCF yield = FCF ÷ market cap; higher means more cash generated per unit of market value.
- Intrinsic value (DCF)
- Future free cash flow (or, for some capex-heavy but profitable names, forecast earnings) discounted to today to estimate per-share value. Because it shifts a lot with the discount-rate and growth assumptions, it is shown as a bear/base/bull range, and the basis and assumptions are disclosed in one line beneath it.
- ROE
- How much profit the company earns in a year on its equity (%). Higher means better returns on capital.
- EPS / BPS
- Earnings per share / net assets (book value) per share.
- Operating / net margin
- Profit left from the core business / final profit after tax and interest, per unit of revenue.
- Debt ratio
- Debt relative to equity (%). Higher means more reliance on borrowing (norms vary by sector).
- Current ratio
- Assets convertible to cash within a year against debt due within a year. Above 100% leaves some short-term headroom.
- Interest coverage
- How many times operating profit covers the interest owed. Below 1x means operating profit alone struggles to cover interest.
- Dividend yield / payout ratio
- The year's dividend as a % of today's price / the share of earnings paid out as dividends.
- Revenue CAGR
- Multi-year growth expressed as a single yearly average (compound annual growth rate).
- RSI (short-term signal)
- Whether recent price action is overheated or beaten down. Above 70 is overbought, below 30 oversold.
- MA20 / MA60 (moving averages)
- The 20- and 60-day average price. Price above them signals a firmer short-term trend.
- vs 52-week high
- How far below the past year's peak the price sits now (%).
All figures are for reference only; how they read varies by sector and over time.
Sources: Korea FSC market-price API (data.go.kr), OpenDART, KRX/KIND — public data only.
Bong Stocks presents public-data-based information for reference only. It is not investment advice and contains no target prices, ratings, or buy/sell recommendations. Verify independently before making any decision.