DL E&C's nine-month operating profit surpasses full-year 2025 result

DL E&C posted consolidated sales of 1.51 trillion won ($1.13 billion), operating profit of 107.3 billion won and new orders of 1.96 trillion won in the third quarter, the company said Friday. Sales fell 21 percent and operating profit declined 8.1 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Through the first three quarters, cumulative sales reached 5.03 trillion won, operating profit 424.1 billion won and new orders 7.22 trillion won. The nine-month cumulative operating profit surpassed last year's full-year operating profit of 387 billion won, rising 30.9 percent from 323.9 billion won in the same period a year ago.

Profitability indicators also improved. The third-quarter operating profit margin rose to 7.1 percent from 6.1 percent a year earlier, a gain of 1.0 percentage point. The cumulative operating profit margin climbed to 8.4 percent, up 2.7 percentage points from 5.7 percent in the year-earlier period.

However, third-quarter operating profit fell from a year earlier after the company factored additional costs into its total projected expenses, stemming from a schedule extension and crash construction work on the Shaheen Project.

New orders showed growth. Cumulative new orders through the third quarter reached 7.22 trillion won, up 31.0 percent from 5.51 trillion won in the same period a year earlier.

In housing, DL E&C secured the contract for the Mokdong Complex 6 reconstruction project this year. The company is in exclusive contract negotiations for the Seongsu District 2 redevelopment project, valued at 2.01 trillion won, and the Haan Jugong Complex 9 redevelopment project, valued at 930.9 billion won. DL E&C also submitted a sole bid for the Jungdong Station west-side urban public housing complex project.

DL E&C is also expanding into new businesses, including North American energy infrastructure, small modular reactors and data centers. In North America, the company is pursuing a bid for a gas-fired power project in Canada and reviewing order opportunities in gas power, LNG and energy infrastructure projects in the United States.

In the SMR segment, DL E&C is deepening its cooperation with X-energy and is close to signing a design contract for a nuclear power plant demonstration reactor. In the data center segment, the company is pursuing new orders centered on projects worth around 2 trillion won in Hanam, Bucheon Naedong and Dangjin.

The company also maintained financial soundness. Net cash stood at 1.12 trillion won and the debt ratio was 79 percent as of the end of the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the Seongsu District 2 association is set to hold a general meeting on Nov. 21 to select its final contractor. DL E&C is bidding for the project — valued at 2.01 trillion won in construction costs — under the "Acro Seongsu" brand, highlighting a complex and unit design that maximizes views of the Han River.