[THE INVESTOR] Lotte Fine Chemical is showing signs of recovery, said Korea Investment and Securities on May 19, raising the target price to 56,000 won (US$49.62) from 46,000 won. 

Its strong earnings in the first quarter will improve further and its 2017 operating profit will reach 104.1 billion won, up 250 percent from a year ago, said analyst Lee Do-yeon.

As the company’s major sectors such as glycerin-based epichlorohydrin, cellulose, ammonia and laser printer toners are expected to grow systemically, its operating profit will double to 214.2 billion won in 2019, forecast the analyst. 

By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)