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THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s state-run pension fund has increased its investments in large-cap stocks in recent years, data showed on March 6.
According to the data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service, the number of listed companies, in which the National Pension Service holds a stake of more than 5 percent, stood at 285 as of March 2, up 28.9 percent from 221 at the end of 2012.
The world’s third-largest pension operator has become a major shareholder of 63 affiliates of the country’s top 10 conglomerate, including Samsung Electronics.
The NPS said it has become the largest shareholder of
Samsung Electronics after enlarging its stake to 9.03 percent as of October last year, compared with 7.19 percent at the end of 2012. The funds share in Samsung Electronics is larger than the 3.54 percent stake held by its ailing Chairman
Lee Kun-hee.
Meanwhile, the pension operator has become the second-largest shareholder of
Hyundai Motor with an 8.02 percent stake. In 2012, the fund’s stake in the country’s top automaker stood at 5.95 percent.
The latest data also showed that the pension fund has raised its stake in No. 2 chipmaker
SK hynix to 10.09 percent from 9.63 percent during the cited period.
The NPS holds large-cap local stocks worth 102.6 trillion won
(
theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)