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Omega Investment Co., Ltd.

Cosmo Bio (Company note – 1Q update)

Share price (6/15) ¥1,228 Dividend Yield (26/12 CE) 4.0 %
52weeks high/low ¥1,486/1,083 ROE(25/12) 3.7 %
Avg Vol (3 month)  5.3 thou shrs Operating margin (25/12) 3.2 %
Market Cap ¥7.42 bn Beta (5Y Monthly) 0.2
Enterprise Value ¥3.76 bn Shares Outstanding 6.048 mn shrs
PER (26/12 CE) 31.7 X Listed market TSE Standard
PBR (25/12 act) 0.7X    
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1Q saw an increase in revenue

◇ 1Q FY12/2026 financial results highlights: A steady start

Cosmo Bio’s 1Q FY12/2026 financial results, announced on May 8, 2026, showed a year-on-year increase in revenue, and quarterly net income attributable to owners of the parent increased. Operating profit and ordinary profit, meanwhile, declined.

Net sales were 3.33 billion yen (up 7.7% YoY), operating profit was 0.27 billion yen (down 1.0% YoY), ordinary profit was 0.26 billion yen (down 9.7% YoY), and quarterly net income attributable to owners of the parent was 0.22 billion yen (up 4.7% YoY). The exchange rate was 153 yen/USD (152 yen/USD in the same period of the previous fiscal year). Progress was generally solid relative to the company forecast.

Net sales increased steadily in both research reagents and equipment, and the gross profit margin was 34.1% (down 0.1 percentage point YoY), remaining almost unchanged. However, SG&A expenses increased due to higher personnel expenses, resulting in a slight decline in operating profit. Although the amount was small, a foreign exchange loss was recorded, causing ordinary profit to decline as well. In contrast, quarterly net income increased as gains from the sale of investment securities were recognized. Inventory was controlled appropriately, and there has been no material change in the balance sheet.

2Q FY12/2026 cumulative and full-year earnings forecasts: No change

There have been no changes to any of the earnings forecasts.

  • 2Q cumulative forecast: net sales of 5.70 billion yen (up 5.5% YoY), operating profit of 0.17 billion yen (down 38.5% YoY), ordinary profit of 0.20 billion yen (down 41.7% YoY), and net income attributable to owners of the parent of 0.13 billion yen (down 48.2% YoY)
  • Full-year forecast: net sales of 11.40 billion yen (up 5.9% YoY), operating profit of 0.27 billion yen (down 21.3% YoY), ordinary profit of 0.34 billion yen (down 30.5% YoY), and net income attributable to owners of the parent of 0.22 billion yen (down 34.7% YoY)

Progress in the first quarter has been steady relative to the full-year forecast. Also, in the second quarter, there appear to be signs that customers, in response to heightened geopolitical risk, are moving ahead of schedule to secure volume. Generally speaking, this is a phase in which, in addition to increased volume, it is easier to pass higher procurement costs through to prices. However, because procurement and inventory risks also increase, fluctuations in business performance may become larger. This should be noted.

◇ News on new businesses continues

The company is promoting new business development as a long-term growth strategy. Since the start of the year, the following two news items have been announced.

“Next-generation femtech: Discovery of the PMS-mitigating effect of intake of lactic acid bacterium ‘KB-1’ and joint filing of a use patent” (March 27, 2026)

As a result of joint research and a human clinical trial with LAB Biotech, a startup originating from Hokkaido University, the company discovered that the lactic acid bacterium “KB-1” has an effect in alleviating symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and jointly filed a patent application for a new use of “KB-1.”

“KB-1” is said to enhance the absorption of soy isoflavones and, according to the company, has been shown to alleviate physical and mental symptoms associated PMS through its intake. Going forward, the company aims to develop and sell supplements for people with PMS from the end of 2026 to the beginning of 2027 and also plans to consider notification as a Food with Function Claims.

“Notice Regarding the Start of Construction of a New Poultry House for the Expansion of the Chicken Egg Bioreactor Business” (May 14, 2026)

A new poultry house will be built in Otaru, Hokkaido, and is scheduled to begin operations around winter 2026. The number of chickens that can be raised will double.

The main purposes are the “plan to create 50 types of genome-edited chickens by 2028” and the “maintenance and management of chickens expressing the sweet protein brazzein.” Regarding the latter, for the brazzein-expressing chickens successfully created in 2025, the company plans to establish a method for the mass purification of the protein and to conduct various evaluations, including safety assessments.

Brazzein is a natural, plant-derived protein, and its quality can be maintained under the stringent manufacturing processes used in the processed food and beverage industries, with expectations rising for it as a next-generation sweetener.

◇ Stock price trend and points of focus going forward

The stock price has remained on an upward trend since 2024. After the November 13, 2025, news release, “Successful development and manufacturing of the sweet protein ‘brazzein’ using the chicken egg bioreactor,” it reached a recent high of 1,486 yen. It continued to move within a high range. However, because the full-year financial results announced on February 13, 2026, indicated an increase in revenue but a decrease in profit for FY12/2026, the stock price has been weak. These two news items mentioned above also did not lead to movements in the stock price.

The current valuation is a PBR of 0.74x and a forecast dividend yield of 4.0%, and downside risk to the stock price appears limited. However, the forecast PER is 32x, and the actual ROE is 3.7%. For the stock price to re-enter an upward trajectory, expectations for business performance will need to rise.

Specific points of focus are as follows:

  • Whether FY12/2026 business performance will exceed the company forecast: trends in the USD/JPY exchange rate, linking customer trends in response to geopolitical risk to increased earnings, and improving labor productivity through the promotion of DX, among other factors.
  • Whether medium- to long-term growth potential will become concrete: the globalization of trading company functions progressing and reducing foreign exchange risk at the company-wide level, Scientist Cube, which is a contract service matching platform, beginning operations, and the development of and concrete earnings potential for value-added businesses such as the chicken egg bioreactor business, the Healthcare Science business (including the supplement business using lactic acid bacterium “KB-1”), and the peptide manufacturing business.

If new medium- to long-term growth drivers become clear, a scenario can be fully envisaged in which expectations for future ROE improvement push up the stock price and eliminate the discount to book value. It can be said that this is a phase in which news releases regarding new businesses should be watched more closely than before.

Company profile

Cosmo Bio Co., Ltd. is a bio-focused trading company that upholds the objective of “contributing to the advancement of life sciences.” It is one of the major providers of reagents for life science research, supplying as many as 10 million items from about 500 manufacturers worldwide. In recent years, it has expanded globally, advancing the functions of trading companies, launching its own contract services, and entering proprietary manufacturing and sales businesses. Expectations are placed on these to contribute to earnings, improve capital efficiency, and raise PBR.

Key financial data

Unit: million yen 2021/12 2022/12 2023/12 2024/12 2025/12 2026/12CE
Sales 9,231 9,553 9,340 10,037 10,766 11,400
EBIT (Operating Income) 1,050 817 521 319 342 270
Pretax Income 1,099 790 653 369 504  
Net Profit Attributable to Owner of Parent 737 517 442 262 337 220
Cash & Short-Term Investments 3,555 3,036 3,025 2,693 2,946  
Total assets 10,072 10,313 10,872 11,723 12,662  
Total Debt 28 27 25 23 22  
Net Debt -3,527 -3,009 -3,000 -2,670 -2,924  
Total liabilities 1,750 1,693 1,844 2,166 2,704  
Total Shareholders’ Equity 7,787 8,052 8,445 8,968 9,373  
Net Operating Cash Flow 648 306 744 241 595  
Capital Expenditure 156 119 120 319 344  
Net Investing Cash Flow -145 -313 -766 -217 43  
Net Financing Cash Flow -420 -236 -201 -479 -283  
Free Cash Flow 617 251 677 25 366  
ROA (%) 7.48 5.07 4.17 2.32 2.76  
ROE (%) 9.73 6.53 5.36 3.01 3.66  
EPS (Yen) 126.9 89.1 75.8 45.0 59.3 38.8
BPS (Yen) 1,344.5 1,385.1 1,447.2 1,565.0 1,651.9  
Dividend per Share (Yen) 36.00 36.00 30.00 50.00 50.00 50.00
Shares Outstanding (Million shares) 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05  

Source: Calculated by Omega Investment based on FactSet’s standard criteria, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Share price

Financial data (quarterly basis)

Unit: million yen 2024/12 2025/12 2026/12
  1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q
(Income Statement)                  
Sales 2,943 2,186 2,280 2,628 3,093 2,309 2,483 2,881 3,331
Year-on-year 4.1% 9.4% 11.2% 6.7% 5.1% 5.6% 8.9% 9.6% 7.7%
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) 1,956 1,460 1,522 1,770 2,034 1,502 1,612 1,916 2,195
Gross Income 987 726 758 858 1,059 807 871 965 1,136
Gross Income Margin 33.5% 33.2% 33.2% 32.6% 34.2% 35.0% 35.1% 33.5% 34.1%
SG&A Expense 681 708 713 908 785 805 871 898 864
EBIT (Operating Income) 306 18 45 -50 274 2 0 67 272
Year-on-year -23.7% -69.0% -509.1% -168.5% -10.5% -88.9% -100.0% -234.0% -0.7%
Operating Income Margin 10.4% 0.8% 2.0% -1.9% 8.9% 0.1% 0.0% 2.3% 8.2%
EBITDA 336 50 79 -10 308 40 41 121 318
Pretax Income 353 37 48 -69 321 50 26 107 335
Consolidated Net Income 240 27 34 -32 220 35 22 56 233
Minority Interest 10 -2 2 -3 7 -2 -1 -7 10
Net Income ATOP 230 28 33 -29 212 38 22 65 222
Year-on-year -12.9% -71.1% 560.0% -138.2% -7.8% 35.7% -33.3% -324.1% 4.7%
Net Income Margin 7.8% 1.3% 1.4% -1.1% 6.9% 1.6% 0.9% 2.3% 6.7%
                   
(Balance Sheet)                  
Cash & Short-Term Investments 2,813 3,224 3,044 2,693 2,497 3,192 3,192 2,946 3,242
Total assets 11,594 11,739 11,333 11,723 11,516 11,790 12,266 12,662 12,539
Total Debt 316 418 370 23 345 490 667 22 641
Net Debt -2,497 -2,806 -2,674 -2,670 -2,152 -2,702 -2,525 -2,924 -2,601
Total liabilities 2,101 1,953 1,853 2,166 2,160 2,114 2,396 2,704 2,488
Total Shareholders’ Equity 8,903 9,197 8,889 8,968 8,763 9,084 9,279 9,373 9,459
                   
(Profitability %)                  
ROA 3.66 3.01 3.31 2.32 2.12 2.15 2.07 2.76 2.88
ROE 4.76 3.84 4.23 3.01 2.77 2.77 2.69 3.66 3.80
(Per-share) Unit: JPY                  
EPS 39.4 4.8 5.7 -5.1 37.1 6.7 3.9 11.5 39.1
BPS 1,525.8 1,569.7 1,532.0 1,565.0 1,536.8 1,597.1 1,635.1 1,651.9 1,667.5
Dividend per Share 0.00 14.00 0.00 36.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 25.00 0.00
Shares Outstanding(million shares) 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05

Source: Calculated by Omega Investment based on FactSet’s standard criteria, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Financial data (full-year basis)

Unit: million yen 2016/12 2017/12 2018/12 2019/12 2020/12 2021/12 2022/12 2023/12 2024/12 2025/12
(Income Statement)                    
Sales 7,427 7,068 7,261 7,590 8,092 9,231 9,553 9,340 10,037 10,766
Year-on-year 1.0% -4.8% 2.7% 4.5% 6.6% 14.1% 3.5% -2.2% 7.5% 7.3%
Cost of Goods Sold 4,655 4,535 4,607 4,710 4,940 5,572 6,112 6,090 6,708 7,064
Gross Income 2,772 2,533 2,654 2,880 3,152 3,659 3,441 3,250 3,329 3,702
Gross Income Margin 37.3% 35.8% 36.6% 37.9% 39.0% 39.6% 36.0% 34.8% 33.2% 34.4%
SG&A Expense 2,257 2,339 2,330 2,474 2,399 2,609 2,624 2,729 3,010 3,359
EBIT (Operating Income) 515 194 324 406 753 1,050 817 521 319 342
Year-on-year 157.5% -62.3% 67.0% 25.3% 85.5% 39.4% -22.2% -36.2% -38.8% 7.2%
Operating Income Margin 6.9% 2.7% 4.5% 5.3% 9.3% 11.4% 8.6% 5.6% 3.2% 3.2%
EBITDA 600 350 507 613 928 1,216 958 669 455 509
Pretax Income 456 400 403 388 1,008 1,099 790 653 369 504
Consolidated Net Income 276 250 278 246 701 768 552 461 269 333
Minority Interest 22 12 17 8 27 31 35 19 7 -3
Net Income ATOP 254 237 260 237 674 737 517 442 262 337
Year-on-year 10.4% -6.7% 9.7% -8.8% 184.4% 9.3% -29.9% -14.5% -40.7% 28.6%
Net Income Margin 3.4% 3.4% 3.6% 3.1% 8.3% 8.0% 5.4% 4.7% 2.6% 3.1%
                     
(Balance Sheet)                    
Cash & Short-Term Investments 1,948 1,483 2,268 2,516 3,259 3,555 3,036 3,025 2,693 2,946
Total assets 7,934 8,126 8,501 8,890 9,640 10,072 10,313 10,872 11,723 12,662
Total Debt 20 20 20 20 20 28 27 25 23 22
Net Debt -1,928 -1,463 -2,248 -2,496 -3,239 -3,527 -3,009 -3,000 -2,670 -2,924
Total liabilities 1,350 1,286 1,445 1,566 1,776 1,750 1,693 1,844 2,166 2,704
Total Sharehjolders’ Equity 6,135 6,381 6,581 6,843 7,358 7,787 8,052 8,445 8,968 9,373
                     
(Cash Flow)                    
Net Operating Cash Flow 573 294 909 569 803 648 306 744 241 595
Capital Expenditure 252 546 152 171 76 156 119 120 319 344
Net Investing Cash Flow 99 -440 -186 -135 42 -145 -313 -766 -217 43
Net Financing Cash Flow -107 -109 -85 -85 -97 -420 -236 -201 -479 -283
Free Cash Flow 444 -185 858 428 767 617 251 677 25 366
                     
(Profitability %)                    
ROA 3.23 2.96 3.14 2.74 7.27 7.48 5.07 4.17 2.32 2.76
ROE 4.20 3.80 4.03 3.55 9.49 9.73 6.53 5.36 3.01 3.66
Net profit margin 3.42 3.37 3.59 3.14 8.33 7.98 5.41 4.73 2.61 3.12
Asset turnover ratio 0.94 0.88 0.87 0.87 0.87 0.94 0.94 0.88 0.89 0.88
Financial leverage 1.30 1.28 1.28 1.30 1.30 1.30 1.29 1.28 1.30 1.33
(Per-share) Unit: JPY                    
EPS 42.8 40.0 43.9 40.0 113.7 126.9 89.1 75.8 45.0 59.3
BPS 1,034.9 1,076.4 1,110.2 1,154.4 1,241.2 1,344.5 1,385.1 1,447.2 1,565.0 1,651.9
Dividend per Share 18.00 14.00 14.00 14.00 34.00 36.00 36.00 30.00 50.00 50.00
Shares Outstanding(million shares) 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05 6.05

Source: Calculated by Omega Investment based on FactSet’s standard criteria, rounded to the nearest whole number.