KT Stock Slides 14% in 3 Months: Is the Pullback a Buying Opportunity?

KT Corporation KT shares have declined around 13.5% over the past three months, underperforming the Zacks Wireless Non-US Markets growth of 10.6%. The stock was down 0.5% last day and closed the session at $18.48 while its 52-week high and low are pinned at $21.61 and $14.79, respectively.Price PerformanceImage Source: Zacks Investment ResearchIt seems that the recent price slide could be a result of broader investor caution surrounding the telecom sector. KT’s underlying fundamentals remain strong, and its strategic pivot toward Artificial Intelligence and Information and Communications Technology (“AICT”) positions the company for sustainable growth.So, should investors double down on KT stock? Let’s do a deep dive into the recent pullback and understand whether it presents a compelling buying opportunity.KT’s Pivot to AICT, Other TailwindsKT delivered a strong operational performance in the second quarter of 2025, with revenues surging 13.5% year over year to KRW 7,427.4 billion, while operating profit more than doubled to KRW 1,014.8 billion, reflecting robust performance from the traditional telecom business and AI-driven efforts. Disciplined cost management and gains from asset rationalization aided profitability numbers.KT is rapidly shifting beyond its traditional telecom origins, embarking on a bold transformation into an AICT company, and this forms the core of its next growth phase. As an AICT firm, KT combines IT and AI with its telecommunications capabilities to provide unique services and added value to customers.Under its AICT roadmap, KT is developing a comprehensive AI lineup anchored by its proprietary Mi:dm2.0 large language model (“LLM”). The model, launched in July, serves as the foundation for AI platform build projects for the enterprise and public sectors, with early contract wins from the Gyeonggi provincial government and Korea Water Resources Corporation.For its AICT push, KT Corporation has also teamed up with Microsoft. It has integrated an AI agent, powered by Azure OpenAI-powered LLM, into Genie TV, boosting the AI use case. The company plans to introduce an AI model tailored for Korea, powered by ChatGPT for Omni and secure public cloud, in the second half of 2025. It also has a licensing partnership with Palantir.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchTo reinforce this digital evolution, KT is committing KRW 1 trillion over five years to cybersecurity.In the last reported quarter, AI IT business revenues increased 13.8% year over year, while revenues from KT Cloud were up 23%, driven by growing data center momentum and DBO project wins.KT’s AICT pivot positions it to capture emerging opportunities in AI infrastructure, cloud computing and enterprise digital transformation. Management expressed confidence in maintaining momentum into the second half of 2025, citing a “solid service revenue uptrend.”KT demonstrated effective cost control, with operating expenses up only 5.9% year over year despite significant revenue expansion. Organizational restructuring led to a decrease in labor costs, while depreciation expenses are expected to decrease following the completion of 5G depreciation. These structural tailwinds are expected to boost margins in the coming quarters.Shareholder Returns Enhance KT’s AppealKT has consistently returned cash to shareholders through a stable dividend policy and opportunistic share repurchases. KT’s KRW 1 trillion share buyback plan — with KRW 250 billion completed in August 2025 and the remainder to be executed over the next three years — reflects strong confidence in future cash flow visibility. It has raised the dividend for the second quarter by 20% year over year to KRW 600 per share.However, no investment case is without risks. KT faces intense execution risk as it transitions to an AICT company amid intensifying domestic competition from the likes of SK Telecom Co., Ltd. SKM and LG Uplus.Estimates and Valuation for KTIn the past 60 days, analysts have marginally upped their earnings estimates for the current year.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchKT stock is trading at a substantial discount, with a price/book multiple of 0.72X compared with the industry’s 2.22X.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchIn comparison, SKM trades at 0.99X while other industry peers like América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. AMX and Ceragon Networks CRNT trade at 2.82X and 1.23X, respectively.America Movil offers enhanced communications solutions in 25 countries in Latin America, the United States and Central and Eastern Europe. Headquartered in Rosh HaAyin, Israel, Ceragon provides wireless backhaul and fronthaul solutions that enable cellular operators and other wireless service providers to increase operational efficiency.Stock Performance vs PeersAgainst KT’s decline of 13.5%, SKM is down 6.1%. America Movil and Ceragon Networks have gained 23.3% and 0.9% over the same time frame.Final Take on KTDespite the recent pullback, KT’s solid financial performance, AICT transformation and expanding partnerships in cloud and AI position it for sustained long-term growth. Its disciplined expense management, rising dividends, and aggressive share buyback program are other positives. KT remains a compelling opportunity for those seeking both income stability and AI-driven upside potential.KT carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockThis under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report America Movil, S.A.B. de C.V. Unsponsored ADR (AMX): Free Stock Analysis Report SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (SKM): Free Stock Analysis Report KT Corporation (KT): Free Stock Analysis Report Ceragon Networks Ltd. (CRNT): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks