Afternoon-session company-specific developments included artience's lower investment rating and higher target price, Hakuhodo DY's launch of AI transformation services, Isuzu's lower target price, RAKUS's launch of an outsourcing service, AEON Financial's lower target price, and Tokyo Steel's first-half loss and unchanged full-year outlook.
Afternoon-session comments reported that Mizuho Securities downgraded artience's investment rating from “Buy” to “Neutral” and raised its target price from ¥4,100 to ¥5,250. The outlook for operating profit in FY2026 was said to incorporate an approximately ¥21.0 billion increase from the effects of price revisions, exceeding the approximately ¥17.0 billion negative impact of higher raw material prices, prompting the view that expectations for earnings growth had been priced in.
Hakuhodo DY Holdings announced that it had begun offering AI transformation services. The company was reported to have established an integrated framework centered on Human-Centered AI Professionals, covering everything from identifying issues to designing and implementing solutions and embedding them in the workplace. The company explained that it intended to support clients' business growth with more than 200 specialists.
Isuzu Motors lowered Mizuho Securities' target price from ¥2,700 to ¥2,600. While reflecting earnings concerns related to supply, foreign exchange and inflation, the broker lowered its sales-volume outlook for FY2027 and evaluated the likelihood of achieving the full-year plan, while taking a cautious view of the outlook for an earnings recovery through FY16.
RAKUS was reported to have launched an outsourcing service for the cloud-based expense settlement system Rakuraku Seisan jointly with Persol Business Process Design, a subsidiary of Persol Holdings. The service will handle the review of application details, checks against internal regulations, voucher approvals and accounting procedures, with operations expected to begin in as little as approximately 1 month.
AEON Financial lowered Mizuho Securities' target price from ¥1,520 to ¥1,330 and pointed to delays in the business environment and issues in its existing businesses. The operating profit outlook was revised from ¥49.5 billion to ¥45.2 billion for FY2027 and from ¥77.2 billion to ¥69.2 billion for FY2028, with delays in medium-term plan initiatives centered on AEON Pay cited as a factor.
Tokyo Steel announced that its decline during the afternoon session had widened and that operating loss for the first half of FY2027 (April-September) was ¥3.54 billion. Although sales increased, the company was unable to absorb higher cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses, resulting in a loss. The full-year operating profit forecast was left unchanged at ¥1.00 billion.