Nintendo Co., Ltd. <7974> - Rose sharply for a third consecutive day. The company had been weighed down by concerns over deteriorating console profitability due to soaring memory prices. After the close on May 8, Nintendo announced a price increase for the "Nintendo Switch 2" alongside its earnings results. Although the stock tested lower levels on the following business day, it showed signs of bottoming out below the 7,000 yen mark. Against this backdrop, Nintendo announced via its official X account on May 19 that it will release a smartphone app called "Pictonico!" on May 28. The app transforms user photos into interactive mini-games played by touch, with pre-registrations opening today. As profit-taking emerged in semiconductor memory-related shares globally, the sudden smartphone app announcement acted as a catalyst for Nintendo shares.

ORIENTAL CHAIN MFG. CO., LTD. <6380> - Extended gains in afternoon trading, continuing to hit new highs. The company announced its mid-term management plan at 2:00 p.m. on May 19. The plan targets sales of 4.52 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2029 (compared with a forecast of 4.17 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2027), operating profit of 408 million yen (compared with 270 million yen), and net profit of 272 million yen (compared with 101 million yen), which acted as a positive catalyst. ORIENTAL CHAIN MFG will focus on quality to strengthen competitiveness while working to improve productivity. It will also explore capital and business alliances with external partners. The company aims to capture niche application markets and expand sales channels in its metal injection molding business.

ExaWizards Inc. <4259> - Accelerated upward momentum, pursuing new highs. The company announced on May 19 that its group company Exa Enterprise AI has begun offering an institutional investor database management function within "exaBase IR Assistant," its business-specific generative AI service, providing a new buying catalyst. The exaBase IR Assistant platform specializes in IR meetings, generating minutes, reports, and anticipated Q&A for earnings presentations and shareholder meetings, with a track record of improving IR efficiency for over 150 firms. With this new feature, ExaWizards will link institutional investor and analyst data with meeting minutes for centralized management, supporting investor relations from preparation to aggregation, analysis, and organizational knowledge accumulation.

Precision System Science Co., Ltd. <7707> - Surged on speculative buying to hit year-to-date highs. The BBC reported that an Ebola outbreak has spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with at least 100 reported deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on May 17 that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Furthermore, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order on May 18 to temporarily suspend entry for travelers from the country and other affected areas. As the market closely monitors the situation alongside the hantavirus outbreak on cruise ships, the company's automated DNA extraction equipment?which has a track record in Ebola testing?fueled speculation over demand for testing products, drawing short-term speculative capital.

Baudroie, Inc. <4413> - Accelerated gains for a third consecutive day. A golden cross of its 5-day and 25-day moving averages is imminent, with the April 17 rebound high of 2,320 yen in sight. The company leverages its strength in providing end-to-end support from consulting to virtualization, construction, and operations and maintenance of network servers, capturing corporate DX investment demand to drive revenue growth. Performance has changed dramatically in recent years. For the fiscal year ending February 2027, sales are projected to grow 35% year-on-year to 23.5 billion yen, while operating profit is expected to increase 30% to 4.409 billion yen, sustaining high growth. With a return on equity (ROE) of about 40%, investor attention is focusing on its high capital efficiency.

AIR WATER INC. <4088> - Gained for a ninth consecutive day. The major industrial gas provider serves diverse industry needs, holding the top share in medical oxygen and securing strong demand from the semiconductor sector. According to a large shareholding report filed with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau on May 18 by activist fund City Index Eleventh, a former Murakami Fund affiliate, the combined stake of City Index Eleventh and its joint holders exceeded 5% to reach 5.86%. The purpose of the holding is stated as providing "advice and proposals regarding capital policy and corporate governance that contribute to shareholder value enhancement." Proposed actions include "changes to capital policy (increased dividends and share buybacks)" and "taking the company private (including MBO)," which has stimulated the stock price.

AlbaLink Co., Ltd. <5537> - Hit its daily limit-up on strong buying. After the close on May 18, the company announced a comprehensive partnership agreement with Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, to promote the distribution of vacant houses. AlbaLink will leverage its expertise and nationwide network to cooperate with the city to resolve vacant housing issues and preserve the living environment. Concurrently, the company was designated as a vacant house management and utilization support organization by Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture, to promote countermeasures through public-private partnerships. This brings the number of collaborating local governments to 45 nationwide. These announcements acted as positive catalysts, drawing buy orders.

*Unconfirmed information may be included. Please make your own judgments and trade stocks at your own risk.

Source: MINKABU PRESS

*Translated by generative AI. Click here for the original article.