31 Companies in the Kuwaiti Market Trading Below Book Value

The weekly “Ash-Shal” report showed that 108 companies listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange, representing about 77.7% of the total listed companies, were trading their shares at prices above their book value, while shares of 31 companies continued to trade below that value, according to financial data for the first half of 2026 and closing prices at the end of September.

The report clarified that 40 companies, representing about 28.8% of listed firms, had share prices in the market exceeding twice their book value, while shares of 68 other companies traded at prices higher than their book value by margins ranging between 1% and 99%.

Conversely, shares of 31 companies were trading at a discount to their book value, including 21 companies with discounts ranging between 1% and 29%, nine companies with discounts between 30% and 49%, and one company recording a discount exceeding 50%.

“Ash-Shal” noted that the number of companies trading below their book value declined from 40 at the end of 2025 to 31 by the end of September 2026, suggesting that the improvement in the performance of some stocks may be linked to investors’ tendency to buy low-priced shares in hopes of benefiting from potential price increases if geopolitical conditions improve.

The report linked stock price movements to liquidity levels, noting that liquidity on the Kuwait Stock Exchange fell by 19.1% during the first nine months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, after rising by 79.2% throughout 2025 compared to 2024.