Aeon, Kikkoman, Oriental Land, Sony: Japan Equity Preview

By Norie Kuboyama

Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The following companies may have unusual price changes in Japanese trading on Sept. 29. Stock symbols are in parentheses, and share prices are from the previous close. The information in each item was released after markets shut, unless stated otherwise.

Aeon Co. (8267 JT): Japan's biggest supermarket chain will recall 14,688 private-brand cooking pans made in China because of defective handles. The retailer cited five cases in which the handles of the stainless-steel pans rusted and fell off. One person was scalded and required hospitalization after dropping the pan, Aeon disclosed at a news conference in Tokyo. Aeon rose 22 yen, or 2 percent, to 1,135.

Akebono Brake Industry Co. (7238 JT): The brake products maker lowered its full-year net income outlook 57 percent to 2.5 billion yen ($23.7 million), citing materials costs and a slump in demand for large-sized cars in the U.S. The stock tumbled 52 yen, or 7 percent, to 693.

C's Create Co. (8921 JT): The real estate company said it filed for bankruptcy protection with the Tokyo District Court after accumulating 11.4 billion yen in liabilities. The stock rose 5 yen, or 0.4 percent, to 1,310.

Daiichi Sankyo Co. (4568 JT): Eli Lilly & Co.'s (LLY US) experimental blood thinner, prasugrel, is still being reviewed by U.S. regulators, delaying action. ``This is a very large, complex submission, and it should not be surprising that delays occur,'' said Lilly's vice president for global regulatory affairs, Jennifer Stotka, in a statement issued by Lilly and partner Daiichi Sankyo. Daiichi Sankyo fell 30 yen, or 1 percent, to 2,910.

En-Japan Inc. (4849 JX): The online recruiting service provider reduced its full-year net income outlook 31 percent to 3.1 billion yen and its sales forecast 15 percent to 22.1 billion yen. The company plans to pay a dividend of 4,100 yen, unchanged from the payout last year. The stock declined 4,900 yen, or 4 percent, to 116,700.

Fujitsu General Ltd. (6755 JT): The maker of air- conditioning units boosted its first-half net income outlook 71 percent to 1.2 billion yen, citing foreign-exchange gains and reduced costs. The company cut its operating profit forecast 24 percent to 9.1 billion yen and its sales forecast 5.5 percent to 223 billion yen, citing a possible surge in steel materials costs after the third quarter. The stock declined 13 yen, or 4.1 percent, to 301.


Hokuhoku Financial Group Inc. (8377 JT): The lender raised its full-year net income forecast 21 percent to 46.5 billion yen, citing lower corporate taxes after dissolving two subsidiaries. The stock added 3 yen, or 1.3 percent, to 241.

Honda Motor Co. (7267 JT): The automaker will delay opening its second car factory in India by at least six months to mid- 2010, as the company is concerned growth in the market may slow, the Wall Street Journal said. The stock rose 40 yen, or 1.2 percent, to 3,340.

Kadokawa Group Holdings Inc. (9477 JT): The publisher will sell Japanese comic books in China with a local publisher, the Nikkei newspaper reported. The books will initially be sold in and around Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, and later be made available throughout the country, the report said. Kadokawa slid 60 yen, or 2.5 percent, to 2,380.

Kasumi Co. (8196 JT): The supermarket chain said first-half net income totaled 1.22 billion yen, falling short of its 1.5 billion yen forecast by 19 percent, citing lower-than-expected sales and increased personnel and utility expenses. Kasumi dropped 1 yen, or 0.2 percent, to 614.

Keisei Electric Railway Co. (9009 JT): The rail operator cut its full-year net income outlook 10 percent to 9.6 billion yen, citing a charge from devaluing property in a hotel unit that plans to complete its liquidation by May. The stock added 1 yen, or 0.2 percent, to 602.

Kikkoman Corp. (2801 JT): Japan's biggest soy sauce maker will halve its stake in President Kikkoman Zhenji Foods Co., a Chinese venture to be established next month with a wholly owned unit of Taiwanese foodmaker Uni-President Enterprises Co. (1216 TT), to 45 percent from the original planned 90 percent. Kikkoman was unchanged at 1,454 yen.

Kimura Unity Co. (9368 JT): The transporter of auto parts lowered its full-year net income forecast by 28 percent to 750 million yen, citing lower-than-expected sales and increased fuel, steel and other raw materials costs. The stock fell 12 yen, or 1.4 percent, to 855.

Living Corp. (8998 JT): The property developer said in a released it will add footnotes to its semi-annual financial statements as there are doubts about its viability because real estate prices may affect funding and earnings. The stock declined 1,300 yen, or 5.4 percent, to 22,700.

Milbon Co. (4919 JT): The maker of hair-care products said nine-month net income rose 55 percent to 1.58 billion yen, with a 4.2 percent advance in sales. The company increased its planned second-half dividend to 29 yen from 27 yen. Milbon slipped 20 yen, or 0.9 percent, to 2,255.

Noritz Corp. (5943 JT): Warren Lichtenstein's Steel Partners accepted a request by the maker of gas-fired baths and water heaters to delay for a month its response to the fund's takeover proposal. The U.S. investment fund agreed to wait until Oct. 17 for a reply from Kobe-based Noritz, it said in an e-mailed statement. Noritz slumped 34 yen, or 3.3 percent, to 992.

Oriental Land Co. (4661 JT): The operator of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea lifted its full-year net income estimate 7.1 percent to 17.4 billion yen, with better-than- expected sales. The stock advanced 50 yen, or 0.7 percent, to 6,970.

Pacific Holdings Co. (8902 JT): Japan's third-largest real estate asset manager widened its full-year net loss forecast to 25 billion yen from 4.6 billion yen and cut its sales forecast 33 percent to 191 billion yen. The stock plunged 2,000 yen, or 11 percent, to 16,200.

Produce Co. (6263 JQ): The machinery maker said it filed for court-led rehabilitation with the Niigata District Court with 7.38 billion yen in liabilities. The stock plunged 60,000 yen, or 30 percent, to 139,000.

SBI Holdings Inc. (8473 JT): The venture capital company said it expects a gain of about 10.6 billion yen in the second quarter from the sale of its entire 71.4 percent stake in E*Trade Korea Co. (078020 KS) to G&A KBIC Private Equity Fund. SBI dropped 250 yen, or 1.5 percent, to 16,800.

Sony Corp. (6758 JT): The company will increase domestic production capacity for Blu-ray disc software by 50 percent to 5.4 million discs a month by March 2010, the Nikkei newspaper reported. Sony rose 20 yen, or 0.6 percent, to 3,410.

Suzuken Co. (9987 JT): The pharmaceutical products wholesaler will transfer full-time employees aged between 35 and 58 to two subsidiaries, expecting to take a charge of as much as 8 billion yen for lump-sum payments to the workers. The company expects to reduce its administration costs by up to 2 billion yen a year, Suzuken said in a release. Suzuken fell 50 yen, or 1.5 percent, to 3,360.

Toyota Boshoku Corp. (3116 JT): The maker of auto parts and textile products cut its full-year net income forecast 29 percent to 25 billion yen and its sales forecast 9.7 percent to 1.12 trillion yen. The stock plummeted 99 yen, or 7.2 percent, to 1,275.

Tsuruya Shoe Store Co. (2686 JN): Aeon Co. (8267 JT), Japan's biggest supermarket chain, offered to pay 861 yen for each Tsuruya Shoe share through Oct. 27, aiming to increase its stake in the shoe store chain to 52.16 percent from 18.03 percent, the companies said in releases. Tsuruya rose 9 yen, or 1 percent, to 880.

Weathernews Inc. (4825 JT): The weather forecasting service boosted its first-half net income forecast 43 percent to 500 million yen, citing a postponement in research and development costs to the second-half period. Weathernews rose 13 yen, or 0.9 percent, to 1,452.

To contact the reporter on this story: Norie Kuboyama in Tokyo at nkuboyama@bloomberg.net