Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited

The board of directors of Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited, or TKN, has approved a share buyback programme for financial management of no more than 17 million shares, representing approximately 1.23% of the total issued and paid-up shares, under a budget of no more than 80 million baht. The buyback period is set from 22 September 2026 to 21 March 2027. Combined with the existing 15 million repurchased shares, the company will hold a maximum of 32 million treasury shares, or approximately 2.32% of all shares. The research department of Kasikorn Securities Public Company Limited, or KS, holds a slightly positive view on the matter in terms of investment sentiment, and estimates that if the company can complete the full buyback, it would boost earnings per share, or EPS, by approximately 1.3%. On the dividend outlook, KS believes TKN still has the accounting capacity to maintain its payout ratio near its previous level of approximately 90%, as the company has retained earnings in its separate financial statements of 674 million baht. After deducting interim dividends of 191 million baht and the 80 million baht buyback budget, approximately 403 million baht in retained earnings would remain, before including profit expected in the second half of 2026. However, the research department notes that liquidity remains a factor requiring close monitoring, since at the end of June the company had cash of approximately 191 million baht, a level close to the dividends already paid, while operating cash flow in the first half of 2026 was negative due to an increase in inventory. Therefore, the ability to maintain dividend levels near the previous rate going forward will depend mainly on the recovery of operating cash flow and the ability to clear inventory in the second half of 2026.

Taokaenoi Food & Marketing, or TKN, has launched a new brand, CEO KIM (by TAOKAENOI), to move into the premium seaweed market. Orrapat Peeradechaphan, Chief Executive Officer of TKN, said the company sees an opportunity in the behavior of modern consumers who prioritize quality and are willing to pay more for superior products, and is therefore expanding its portfolio into the premium seaweed segment. The product's key selling point is the selection of high-quality seaweed harvested early in the season, the first harvest lot of each year, which gives it a particularly firm and crispy texture along with a natural umami flavor. CEO KIM (by TAOKAENOI) products come in four varieties: fried seaweed with Hokkaido corn soup flavor, fried seaweed with yuzu flavor, roasted seaweed with classic Japanese sauce, and roasted seaweed with Japanese yuzu sauce. The two fried seaweed flavors are fried in healthy rice bran oil and contain no added MSG. The company expects the new brand to be well received and to become a Product Hero in the premium seaweed category, helping expand its customer base and create new business opportunities, as well as laying the foundation for future overseas market expansion. The products will go on sale from mid-September at 7-Eleven and leading stores nationwide, along with upcoming activities with KOLs and influencers.

Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited (TKN) has launched a new product, "Taokaenoi Roasted Seaweed Delicious X2 Korean Style," under the concept of "eat alone – eat together," aiming to shift consumer behavior from snacking to making it part of main meals, thereby increasing repeat purchase frequency and per-capita consumption. The product will be available at 7-Eleven starting in September 2026. The new product comes in two flavors, Classic and Spicy, in a 4-gram pack priced at 20 baht, with an introductory promotion of two packs for 30 baht. CEO Orpath Peeradechapan stated that the roasted seaweed market has grown over 10% this year, reflecting the demand of health-conscious consumers. This product line expansion builds on the Korean food trend, with no added monosodium glutamate and using palm oil and rice bran oil in the roasting process.

Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited (TKN) has announced the continuation of its 3GO strategy in the second half of 2026, focusing on expanding into international markets, particularly re-entering the US market after successfully passing the factory inspection by retail giant COSTCO. The company aims to regain at least 3 to 4 regions of shelf space in COSTCO stores, down from the previous maximum of 5 to 6 regions out of the total 8 regions in the US, and expects to resume orders by the end of this year. Additionally, the company is accelerating expansion in China and Indonesia, having established a new company in Shanghai under the name Taokaenoi (Shanghai) Food Co., Ltd., and is preparing to expand distribution channels in Indonesia. In the first half of the year, domestic sales accounted for 44% and international sales 56%. The company has also received approval for import tax refunds from the US government, which will benefit its future profit structure.

Several mid- and small-cap stocks reported standout second-quarter profit growth. UNIX posted net profit of 117 million baht, up 244%, driven by sales of flexible film packaging and heavy-duty packaging. BLAND reported net profit of 193.11 million baht, up more than 100%, from property transfers and rental service income. NEO earned 209 million baht, up 161%, on market share gains in consumer products. NCAP posted a record profit of 196 million baht, up 34%, from expanding motorcycle hire-purchase lending. TKC earned 88 million baht, up more than threefold, from its AI cloud data center and cyber security business, with a backlog of 3.40 billion baht. TKN posted profit of 118 million baht, up 37%, and announced an interim dividend of 0.14 baht per share.