KB Financial Group Inc.

KB
About the company

KB Financial Group Inc. provides financial products and services in South Korea, the United States, New Zealand, China, Cambodia, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and internationally. The company offers deposit products, such as demand and time deposits, certificates of deposit, foreign currency deposits, and savings deposits for housing subscription; loan products, including mortgage loans to finance home purchases, construction, improvements, or rentals; and home equity loans, overdraft loans, and other consumer loans.

Country: Korea, Republic ofPrice: $117.42Market Cap: $40.8B

Investment snapshot

25%positive consensus
Scored 1d ago

Positive

4

BUY / PASS

Neutral / negative

7 / 5

NEUTRAL / FAIL

Median fair value

$116.22

-1.0% vs price

Models with upside

5 / 16

Positive margin of safety

Key risk

All 4 investors flag KB's debt & leverage

Framework analysis

VerdictMeaning
BUYPositive purchase signal: the framework's buy requirements are met.
PASSThe company clears the framework's checklist or screen, but the framework does not produce a buy signal. For valuation frameworks this often means margin of safety is missing, insufficient, or unavailable; some screen-only frameworks have no intrinsic-value BUY state.
NEUTRALNeither a positive nor negative conclusion. It does not mean to hold an existing position.
FAILThe company does not clear the framework's requirements.
RankedRanked strategies do not use PASS: selected cohort is BUY, outside the cohort is FAIL, and unranked is NEUTRAL.

Current investor scores use trailing 12-month flows and the latest balance sheet where supported. Multi-year and EPS tests retain annual history; each framework shows its financial basis below. Intrinsic values use annual financials.

MetricGraham

Defensive Value

Buffett

Quality Compounder

Lynch

GARP

Piotroski

F-Score

Dreman

Contrarian Value

Munger

Quality Focus

Pabrai

Dhandho Framework

Akre

Three-Legged Stool

Marks

Risk-Aware Value

Ackman

Activist Value

Templeton

Global Bargain Hunter

Sleep

Scale Economies Shared

Asness

Systematic Factors

Neff

Low-P/E Total Return

Schloss

Asset-Value Discipline

O'Shaughnessy

Systematic Factor Composite

VerdictPASSFAILFAILPASSFAILNEUTRALNEUTRALFAILNEUTRALNEUTRALPASSPASSNEUTRALNEUTRALFAILNEUTRAL
Score
AnalysisChecking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…Checking access…
Intrinsic Value (annual)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Margin of Safety+18.2%+33.5%-272.5%N/A+6.1%-58.4%-36.0%+13.9%-9.3%+16.6%-49.2%N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Financial Basis

Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Market data at 2026-11-01

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Qualitative assessment · Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Qualitative assessment · Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Qualitative assessment

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Qualitative assessment

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Market data at 2026-11-01

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Price history 2025-01-01–2026-11-01

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Qualitative assessment

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Price history 2025-01-01–2026-11-01

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Annual history · FY 2024 · Price history 2025-01-01–2026-11-01

Latest source filing: 2025-04-25

Score computed: 2026-11-14

Where It Passes

    Where It Falls Short

    • Debt & Leverage0% pass✗ 5▾

      All 4 investors flag KB's debt & leverage

      LT Debt / Total Assets Change1.44% -> 1.51%
      ✗PiotroskiDecreased YoY
      Total Debt / Shareholders' Equity1.18
      ✗Templeton< 1.0 (fixed cap; proxy for below-sector-median leverage)✗SchlossD/E < 1.00x
      Negative debt-to-equity (higher means less debt)-1.1760; #3388/4210 (top 80.5%)
      ✗AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
      Current Assets / Current Liabilities
      ✗SchlossCurrent ratio >= 1.50x (app cutoff)
    • Efficiency0% pass✗ 3▾

      All 3 investors flag KB's efficiency

      Revenue / Total Assets Change YoY
      ✗PiotroskiImproved YoY
      Reinvestment Rate x ROIC5.9% (RR=67% x ROIC=8.8%)
      ✗AkreReinvestment Rate * ROIC > 10%
      ROE (5-year)0/5 years above 12% (latest 8.8%)
      ✗SleepROE > 12% in a majority of years
    • Profitability13% pass✓ 10✗ 25▾

      14 of 16 flag KB's profitability — Graham, Buffett, Lynch +11 more

      Net income / market capitalization+8.49%; #887/6340 (top 14.0%)
      ✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
      Positive EPS (10 years)13/16 years positive
      ✗GrahamPositive EPS every year for 10 years
      EPS Growth (3-yr avg, 10-yr window)13.9%
      ✗Graham>= 33% growth
      Net Income Positive (10+ years)13/16 years positive
      ✗BuffettPositive every year for 10+ years
      ROE (up to 5-year arithmetic mean)8.4%
      ✗Buffett> 15% arithmetic mean (app rule)
      Operating Margin (10-yr trend)39.3% (latest)
      ✓BuffettStable or rising over 10 years
      Free Cash Flow Proxy$3.9B
      ✗BuffettPositive and growing
      Earnings Variance (10-yr CoV)0.53
      ✗BuffettCoV < 0.3
      Retained Earnings Effectiveness
      ✗Buffett$1 retained -> > $1 market value created
      Basic earnings-growth PEG (dividends excluded)3.73
      ✗Lynch< 1.0 (ideally < 0.5)
      3-5 Year EPS CAGR3.6%
      ✓Lynch15-30% (Fast Grower); > 0% to pass
      ROE8.8%
      ✗Lynch> 15%
      Net Income / Total Assets0.67%
      ✓PiotroskiROA > 0
      ROA Change YoY0.64% -> 0.67% (delta: +0.03%)
      ✓PiotroskiCurrent ROA > Prior ROA
      (CFO / Total Assets) vs ROACFO/Assets=0.53%, ROA=0.67%
      ✗PiotroskiCFO/Assets > ROA
      Pre-Tax Income / Revenue
      ✗Dreman>= 8%
      Net Income / Shareholders' Equity8.8%
      ✗Dreman> 12%
      Return on Equity8.8%
      ✗Munger> 15%✗AkreROE > 20% (3-year avg)
      Margin of SafetyP/E=13.5x, P/TBV=1.1x
      ✓PabraiP/TBV < 1.5 or P/E < 15
      ROE (high and growing)FY2022: ROE=7.8%; FY2023: ROE=8.1%; FY2024: ROE=8.8%
      ✗AkreLatest 3 consecutive FYs: ROE > 15% in each
      Discount to Intrinsic Value8.3% (IV=$128.08 vs Price=$117.42)
      ✗Marks>= 20% below intrinsic value
      Positive Net Income Frequency13/14 years positive
      ✓MarksPositive net income in >= 7 of last 10 years
      Operating Income / Revenue
      ✗Ackman>= 15%
      Net Income / Shareholders Equity8.8%
      ✗Ackman>= 15%
      5-Year EPS CAGR3.6% CAGR over 5 years
      ✓Templeton> 0% (5-year EPS CAGR)
      Operating Margin Trend
      ✗TempletonNon-negative operating-margin trend over 3 years
      Revenue growth vs. gross and operating margin trend
      ✗SleepRevenue rising; gross margin flat or falling; operating margin holding
      ROE (5-year)0/5 years above 12% (latest 8.8%)
      ✗SleepROE > 12% in a majority of years
      Gross profit / total assets
      ✗AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
      Net income / positive book equity+8.77%; #1989/5226 (top 38.1%)
      ✗AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
      Negative 5-year standard deviation of ROA-0.0004; #7/5884 (top 0.1%)
      ✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
      3-5 Year Diluted EPS CAGR3.6% over 5 years
      ✗Neff7%-20% annualized
      Positive Diluted-EPS Years10/10 years positive
      ✓Schloss>= 70% positive over 5-10 observed years (app rule)
    • Growth38% pass✓ 5✗ 7▾

      5 of 8 flag KB's growth — Graham, Lynch, Dreman +2 more

      EPS Growth (3-yr avg, 10-yr window)13.9%
      ✗Graham>= 33% growth
      Basic earnings-growth PEG (dividends excluded)3.73
      ✗Lynch< 1.0 (ideally < 0.5)
      3-5 Year EPS CAGR3.6%
      ✓Lynch15-30% (Fast Grower); > 0% to pass
      EPS Growth Direction$11.76 (2007) -> $8.67 (2024)
      ✗DremanPositive over recent years
      EPS CAGR-1.8% CAGR over 17 years
      ✗Dreman> 5% annualized
      Positive Net Income Frequency13/14 years positive
      ✓MarksPositive net income in >= 7 of last 10 years
      3yr Median Revenue Growth7.8%
      ✓Ackman>= 5%
      Positive EPS Growth Frequency3/5 years with positive EPS growth
      ✓AckmanPositive EPS growth in >= 3 of last 5 years
      5-Year EPS CAGR3.6% CAGR over 5 years
      ✓Templeton> 0% (5-year EPS CAGR)
      Revenue growth vs. gross and operating margin trend
      ✗SleepRevenue rising; gross margin flat or falling; operating margin holding
      5-year Revenue CAGR
      ✗SleepCAGR > 7%
      3-5 Year Diluted EPS CAGR3.6% over 5 years
      ✗Neff7%-20% annualized
    • Valuation42% pass✓ 13✗ 13▾

      7 of 12 flag KB's valuation — Lynch, Dreman, Marks +4 more

      Price / Tangible Book Value per Share1.1x
      ✓Dreman< 1.2x✗SchlossP/TBV <= 1.00x (app cutoff)
      Price / Book Value per Share1.1x
      ✓Templeton< 1.5x✗SchlossP/B <= 0.80x (app cutoff)
      Net income / market capitalization+8.49%; #887/6340 (top 14.0%)
      ✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
      Price / 3-yr avg EPS13.8x
      ✓Graham<= 15x
      Price-to-Tangible-Book Ratio1.1x
      ✓Graham<= 1.5x
      P/E x P/TBV15.50
      ✓Graham<= 22.5
      Basic earnings-growth PEG (dividends excluded)3.73
      ✗Lynch< 1.0 (ideally < 0.5)
      Price / EPS13.5x
      ✗Dreman< 12x✗Templeton< 12x (fixed ceiling; proxy for the market's cheapest 40%)
      Price / (CFO / Shares)16.0x
      ✗Dreman< 8x
      Valuation ReasonablenessP/E=13.5x, OE Yield=8.8%
      ✓MungerP/E < 25 or Owner Earnings Yield > 5%
      P/E or FCF YieldP/E=13.5x, FCF Yield=6.2%
      ✓PabraiP/E < 15 or FCF Yield > 10%
      P/B or P/E vs. Historical AverageP/E=13.5x, P/B=1.1x
      ✓MarksP/E < 15 or P/B < 2.0
      Discount to Intrinsic Value8.3% (IV=$128.08 vs Price=$117.42)
      ✗Marks>= 20% below intrinsic value
      Price / FCF per Share17.5x
      ✓Ackman<= 25
      Price vs. Trailing Low217% of trailing low ($54.11)
      ✗Templeton<= 120% of trailing low (certified split-adjusted live window)
      Positive book equity / market capitalization+0.9678; #1546/6449 (top 24.0%)
      ✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
      Price / Diluted EPS13.5x
      ✓NeffP/E <= 15x (app proxy for a P/E 40%-60% below the market)
      (EPS CAGR % + Dividend Yield %) / P/E0.46
      ✗Neff> 0.7 (Neff's published traditional edge)
      Book Value per Share Change+23.5%
      ✓SchlossLatest BVPS >= earliest BVPS over >= 3 years (app rule)
      Revenue / market capitalization
      ✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
      (Operating cash flow - capex) / market capitalization+6.16%; #1327/4519 (top 29.4%)
      ✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
      Trailing six-month price return through the evaluation date+7.48%; #1999/6202 (top 32.2%)
      ✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
    • Verdicts44% pass✓ 4✗ 5▾

      Split decision: 7 NEUTRAL · 5 FAIL · 4 PASS

      Overall verdict
      ✓GrahamPASS (3/7)✗BuffettFAIL (1/6)✗LynchFAIL (1/4)✓PiotroskiPASS (F-Score 4)✗DremanFAIL (2/9)•MungerNEUTRAL (2/3)•PabraiNEUTRAL (2/3)✗AkreFAIL (0/5)•MarksNEUTRAL (3/4)•AckmanNEUTRAL (5/8)✓TempletonPASS (4/8)✓SleepPASS (3/6)•AsnessNEUTRAL (Not ranked)•NeffNEUTRAL (4/6)✗SchlossFAIL (3/7)•OshaughnessyNEUTRAL (Not ranked)
    • Cash Flow50% pass✓ 7✗ 5▾

      5 of 10 pass — Buffett, Lynch, Piotroski +2 more object

      Free Cash Flow Proxy$3.9B
      ✗BuffettPositive and growing
      FCF Positive and Growing$2.5B
      ✗LynchPositive and growing
      Operating Cash Flow$2.7B
      ✓PiotroskiCFO > 0
      (CFO / Total Assets) vs ROACFO/Assets=0.53%, ROA=0.67%
      ✗PiotroskiCFO/Assets > ROA
      Price / (CFO / Shares)16.0x
      ✗Dreman< 8x
      P/E or FCF YieldP/E=13.5x, FCF Yield=6.2%
      ✓PabraiP/E < 15 or FCF Yield > 10%
      FCF Positive10/14 years FCF positive
      ✓MarksPositive FCF in majority of recent years
      (OCF - CapEx) / Market Cap5.7%
      ✓Ackman>= 4%
      Price / FCF per Share17.5x
      ✓Ackman<= 25
      Positive Operating Cash Flow frequency10/14 years positive
      ✓SleepPositive OCF in >= 70% of available years
      Operating Cash Flow - Capital Expenditures$2.5B
      ✓Neff> $0 (app proxy for a strong fundamental case)
      (Operating cash flow - capex) / market capitalization+6.16%; #1327/4519 (top 29.4%)
      ✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
    • Valuation models50% pass✓ 5✗ 5▾

      Models split on KB at $117.42 — fair values range $31.52–$176.59

      Graham fair value$143.54
      ✓Graham+18.2% margin vs $117.42
      Buffett fair value$176.59
      ✓Buffett+33.5% margin vs $117.42
      Lynch fair value$31.52
      ✗Lynch-272.5% margin vs $117.42
      Dreman fair value$125.04
      ✓Dreman+6.1% margin vs $117.42
      Munger fair value$74.14
      ✗Munger-58.4% margin vs $117.42
      Pabrai fair value$86.34
      ✗Pabrai-36.0% margin vs $117.42
      Akre fair value$136.34
      ✓Akre+13.9% margin vs $117.42
      Marks fair value$107.39
      ✗Marks-9.3% margin vs $117.42
      Ackman fair value$140.72
      ✓Ackman+16.6% margin vs $117.42
      Templeton fair value$78.71
      ✗Templeton-49.2% margin vs $117.42

    Business & financials

    Financial snapshot: annual FY 2024. Current investor scores may use newer quarterly data.

    Company Profile

    Industry: Banking
    Size: Large Cap($40.8B)
    Revenue: N/A
    Net Income: $3.5B-3.8% YoY

    Financial Snapshot

    Operating Margin--
    Return on Equity8.8%
    Debt / Equity1.18
    Current Ratio--
    EPS (Diluted)$8.67−2.0% 1y
    Buybacks (1y)$558.8M
    Buybacks (2y)$1.0B
    Shares Retired1.3% / 4.1% 2y
    Sector-adjusted criteria: Bank

    Leverage is a bank’s business model and current accounts don’t exist on its balance sheet, so debt and liquidity tests are omitted and tangible book value and ROE replace their industrial analogs.

    Shareholder Return

    Fiscal 2024

    Retired 1.3% of shares last year, 4.1% over two.

    Buybacks
    $558.8M
    Dividends
    $1.1B

    What drove EPS

    A buyback raises earnings per share without the company earning more. This splits each year's change into the two.

    FY21
    4.5% = 6.1% + −1.5%
    FY22
    −3.3% = −8.2% + 5.4%
    FY23
    9.4% = 15.7% + −5.4%
    FY24
    −2.0% = −3.8% + 1.8%
    Earnings Fewer shares More shares

    The two parts do not sum exactly to the total — the difference is the cross-term, plus preferred capital where the company has any. It is left visible rather than distributed into the other two.

    Share count is the denominator the filer used for diluted EPS, recovered as net income ÷ EPS — not the balance-sheet count, which is a point-in-time figure and would put the timing difference into this split. Years with a loss are omitted: a smaller share count makes a loss per share larger, so the decomposition inverts.

    Company Financials

    Latest TTM and quarters alongside annual years

    TTM sums four consecutive quarters and uses the latest quarter-end balances. Quarter columns show three-month results; annual columns show full-year totals. Growth compares the same period a year earlier. EPS is not added for TTM; full-year ratios are blank for quarters.

    MetricFY 2024
    Sources
    • 20-F · 2025-04-25
    FY 2023
    Sources
    • 20-F · 2024-04-26
    FY 2022
    Sources
    • 20-F · 2023-04-26
    FY 2021
    Sources
    • 20-F · 2022-04-27
    FY 2020
    Sources
    • 20-F · 2021-04-27
    Market Cap$40.8Bcurrent$14.7Best.$16.0Best.$16.4Best.$11.9Best.
    Revenue--$12.7B↑22%$10.4B↓6%$11.1B↓3%$11.5B
    Operating Income$5.5B↑10%$5.0B↑26%$4.0B↓16%$4.7B↑10%$4.3B
    Net Income$3.5B↓4%$3.6B↑16%$3.1B↓8%$3.4B↑6%$3.2B
    EPS (Diluted)$8.67↓2%$8.85↑9%$8.09↓3%$8.37↑5%$8.01
    Gross Margin—————
    Operating Margin—39.3%↑4%38.0%↓10%42.1%↑13%37.1%
    ROE8.8%↑8%8.1%↑4%7.8%↓14%9.1%↑11%8.2%
    Total Debt$46.4B↓15%$54.5B$54.2B↑24%$43.7B↓5%$45.9B
    Shareholders' Equity$39.5B↓11%$44.4B↑12%$39.7B↑6%$37.3B↓5%$39.2B
    Current Ratio—————
    Debt / Equity1.18↓4%1.23↓10%1.37↑16%1.171.17
    Operating Cash Flow$2.7B↓15%$3.2B↓11%$3.6B↑331%-$1.6B↑80%-$7.7B
    Free Cash Flow$2.5B↓15%$2.9B↓13%$3.4B↑290%-$1.8B↑78%-$8.1B

    Score history

    Historical Score Timeline

    Industry peers

    Industry Peers

    Similar companies in Banking

    KB vs Peers — Financial Grading

    RevenueN/A
    Net Income$3.5BMedian
    ROE8.8%Bottom 25%
    D/E1.18Bottom 25%
    Op. Margin—
    Curr. Ratio—
    CompanyMarket CapPriceRevenueNet IncomeROED/EOp. MarginCurr. RatioGrahamBuffettLynchPiotroskiDreman
    MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP INCMUFG$245.7B$21.83$74.2B$10.8B8.8%1.1219.9%—2/71/61/4F-Score 53/9
    AMERICAN EXPRESS COAXP$215.0B$320.60$41.3B$10.8B32.4%1.68——2/73/63/4F-Score 43/9
    Banco Santander, S.A.SAN$175.9B$12.21—$16.6B12.5%0.02——2/71/62/4F-Score 45/9
    BARCLAYS BANK PLCATMP$82.1B$35.04$13.1B$6.3B7.5%0.01——2/71/60/4F-Score 74/9
    BARCLAYS PLCBCS$76.0B$22.87$15.0B$9.7B9.2%0.02——1/70/60/4F-Score 72/9
    FIRST CITIZENS BANCSHARES INC /DE/FCNCA$25.7B$2324.25$9.5B$2.2B9.9%1.62——5/73/61/4F-Score 52/9
    KEYCORP /NEW/KEY$22.7B$21.46$7.5B$1.8B9.0%0.49——2/71/61/4F-Score 64/9
    WEBSTER FINANCIAL CORPWBS$12.6B$77.57$2.9B$1.0B10.6%0.0850.7%—2/71/61/4F-Score 72/9