KDDI Corp. (KDDIY) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated October 2026
Short answer
KDDIY is the US over-the-counter ADR for KDDI Corporation, Japan's second-largest mobile carrier (the au, UQ mobile and povo brands) and the controlling partner in convenience chain Lawson. Since KDDI's 2-for-1 split in April 2025, one ADR equals one Tokyo share. At about $18.16 in late October 2026, it is a defensive, dividend-paying telecom with a growing finance, data center and AI business layered on top.
KDDIY stock price
As of 2026-10-28, KDDI Corp. (KDDIY) last closed at $17.63, up 10.8% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $15.71 and $19.88.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or KDDI Corp.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does KDDI Corp. (KDDIY) do?
KDDI Corporation is one of Japan's three established mobile network operators, alongside NTT Docomo and SoftBank Corp, with Rakuten Mobile as the fourth entrant. It runs a multi-brand consumer strategy: au as the premium brand, UQ mobile as the value brand and povo as an app-only, top-up plan. Around that core it has built an ecosystem of financial services (au PAY, au Jibun Bank, au PAY Card, insurance and securities), energy, home broadband, and a co-owned stake of about half of Lawson, one of Japan's largest convenience-store chains. Its business segment provides connectivity, IoT, cybersecurity and data center capacity to enterprises, and it now runs an AI data center in Sakai, Osaka built on a former Sharp LCD plant. KDDIY is an unsponsored ADR quoted in US dollars on the OTC market; each ADR represents one ordinary share listed in Tokyo under code 9433.
The fiscal year ended March 2026 produced revenue of about ¥6.07 trillion (up 4.1%), operating income of about ¥1.10 trillion (up 1.1%) and profit attributable to owners of about ¥707 billion (up 7.9%). Those figures were restated for fictitious circular advertising transactions uncovered at subsidiaries BIGLOBE and G-Plan, which KDDI estimated lowered three years of reported revenue by roughly ¥246 billion. The first quarter of the year ending March 2027 (April to June 2026) was stronger: revenue rose 5.1% to about ¥1.49 trillion and operating income rose about 21% to roughly ¥314 billion, helped by mobile ARPU climbing 3.8% to ¥4,400 and smartphone churn falling to 1.17%.
The investment picture is a mature, cash-generative telecom trying to grow faster through pricing, finance and AI infrastructure. Management guides to revenue of about ¥6.41 trillion and adjusted operating income of about ¥1.21 trillion for the year ending March 2027, a dividend of ¥84 per share, and a repurchase program of up to ¥300 billion including a tender offer, plus cancellation of more than 5% of issued shares. At about $18.16 per ADR, the market value is roughly $69.5 billion, or about 15x trailing earnings. For US holders the dollar return also depends on the yen, which has been weak, and on the thinner liquidity of an OTC ADR.
What's driving KDDI Corp. (KDDIY)?
1. Mobile pricing power and lower churn
The core engine is still Japanese mobile. After years of government pressure that pushed prices down from 2021, KDDI has been steering customers toward higher-value bundles. Mobile ARPU reached about ¥4,400 in the June 2026 quarter, up ¥160 (3.8%) from a year earlier, and smartphone subscribers grew by about 390,000 to roughly 33.3 million. Smartphone churn fell to 1.17% from 1.23%, and fewer au customers are trading down to UQ mobile. Telecom Core operating income rose about 19.5% to roughly ¥211 billion in the quarter. Because each ¥100 of monthly ARPU across 33 million smartphones is worth tens of billions of yen a year, modest price gains move earnings meaningfully.
2. The finance and lifestyle ecosystem
KDDI's second pillar is using its au customer base to offer financial products. au PAY, au PAY Card, au Jibun Bank, au Kabucom Securities and insurance are bundled with mobile plans, and KDDI reports rising adoption of its higher-tier au PAY Gold Card (up about 1.6x in selection rate). Lawson, which KDDI took private together with Mitsubishi Corporation in 2024 at a cost of roughly ¥500 billion, adds about 14,000 domestic stores as a physical channel for Ponta points, payments and telecom sign-ups. The thesis is that these services raise lifetime value and lower churn. The risk is that Lawson's retail margins and the bank's credit costs make the earnings mix more complex than a pure carrier.
3. AI data centers and enterprise DX
KDDI's Business Growth segment is its fastest-growing area: revenue rose about 11.7% to roughly ¥165 billion in the June 2026 quarter, with AI integration and cybersecurity up about 19% and connected IoT solutions up about 15%. The company converted part of Sharp's former Sakai LCD factory into an AI data center using Nvidia rack-scale systems, aimed at Japanese companies and government users who want domestic, sovereign AI compute. KDDI also owns the Telehouse data center brand overseas and works with Google and others on generative AI services. This area is still small relative to ¥6 trillion of revenue, so it shapes the growth narrative more than current profit, but it is where incremental capital is going.
4. Capital returns and share count reduction
KDDI has raised its dividend for more than 20 consecutive years and plans ¥84 per share for the year ending March 2027, a payout ratio of about 43% and a yield near 2.9% at recent prices. On top of that, the board approved repurchases of up to ¥300 billion, including a tender offer of up to ¥250 billion, and the cancellation of more than 5% of issued shares. At a market value of roughly ¥11 trillion, that program alone retires around 2.7% of the company. Combined with mid-single-digit profit growth, steady repurchases are a large part of how per-share earnings have compounded, and why the stock behaves more like a total-return utility than a growth name.
What are the risks to KDDI Corp. (KDDIY)?
The most specific risk is governance. KDDI disclosed in early 2026 that two employees at BIGLOBE and G-Plan ran fictitious circular advertising transactions dating back to 2018, involving 21 agencies, which forced restatements of roughly ¥246 billion of revenue and provisions for external outflows. A special committee reported on March 31, 2026, and Rosen Law Firm announced an investigation on behalf of KDDIY holders in February 2026; no filed US complaint was found as of October 2026, but one could follow. Regulation is a standing risk: Japan's government has repeatedly pushed carriers to cut prices, and renewed pressure could cap ARPU gains. Competition from Rakuten Mobile's low-cost plans, SoftBank and NTT Docomo is intense. Currency is a large factor for US holders: KDDI earns almost entirely in yen, so a weaker yen reduces the dollar value of earnings and dividends. Lawson and the AI data center push add capital intensity and execution risk outside telecom. Finally, KDDIY is an unsponsored OTC ADR with thinner trading, wider spreads and possible depositary fees compared with the Tokyo listing.
Is KDDIY a buy or a sell?
We give no verdict on KDDI Corp.. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.
The case for buying. Mobile pricing power and lower churn. The core engine is still Japanese mobile.
The case against. The most specific risk is governance.
Read the full bull and bear case on KDDIY, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
How is KDDI Corp. (KDDIY) valued? (approximate, October 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see KDDI Corp.'s investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (TTM): ~¥6.14 trillion (~$38 billion)
- Operating income (TTM): ~¥1.14 trillion (~$7.1 billion)
- Net income (TTM): ~¥730 billion (~$4.5 billion)
- Market cap: ~$69.5 billion
- P/E (TTM): ~15x
- Dividend yield: ~2.9% (¥84 planned for FY3/2027)
Figures are approximate as of October 2026, combining the fiscal year ended March 2026 with the April to June 2026 quarter, converted at roughly ¥161 per dollar. The ADR quoted at about $18.16 on October 26, 2026, within a 52-week range of about $14.67 to $20.54, while the Tokyo shares traded near ¥2,930. A multiple around 15x earnings sits in the middle of Japanese telecom peers, reflecting low but steady growth plus a rising dividend. KDDI reports interim results around November 6, 2026, which will update the trailing numbers.
Who competes with KDDI Corp. (KDDIY)?
Japanese mobile carriers
NTT Docomo (part of NTT, Inc.), SoftBank Corp and Rakuten Mobile compete directly with au, UQ mobile and povo for the same roughly 125 million people. Docomo is the largest by subscribers, SoftBank runs the similar multi-brand model with Y!mobile and LINEMO, and Rakuten Mobile is the low-price disruptor whose plans pressure everyone's pricing.
Payments and financial ecosystems
PayPay and the SoftBank/LY Corporation ecosystem, Rakuten Group (Rakuten Card, Rakuten Bank, Rakuten Securities) and NTT Docomo's d Payment and Docomo SMBC partnership all compete with au PAY and au Jibun Bank to own Japanese consumers' everyday payments, points and savings, which is where KDDI is trying to grow beyond connectivity.
Enterprise ICT, data centers and retail
In business services KDDI faces NTT Data, SoftBank's AI data center build-out, Fujitsu and global clouds such as AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Through Lawson it also competes in convenience retail with Seven-Eleven Japan (Seven & i Holdings) and FamilyMart (Itochu), which shapes the returns on its largest non-telecom investment.
What stocks are similar to KDDI Corp. (KDDIY)?
Other names that sit close to KDDIY: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.
How to invest in KDDI Corp. (KDDIY)
There are three common ways to get KDDIY exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so KDDIY sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where KDDIY fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.
The bottom line on KDDI Corp. (KDDIY)
KDDIY is a steady Japanese telecom with rising mobile ARPU, a growing non-telecom side, a ~2.9% yield and heavy repurchases near 15x earnings, tempered by yen exposure and a subsidiary accounting scandal.
More on KDDI Corp. (KDDIY)
Whether KDDIY is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is KDDIY a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the KDDIY stock forecast.
For income investors, whether KDDIY pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does KDDIY pay a dividend? And to weigh KDDIY against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: KDDIY vs PAYP and KDDIY vs PAY.
Wondering how KDDIY fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in KDDI Corp. with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how KDDIY fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is KDDIY?
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KDDIY is the ticker for an American depositary receipt representing shares of KDDI Corporation, the Tokyo-listed Japanese telecom (code 9433). It trades over the counter in the US, not on the NYSE or Nasdaq, and is quoted in US dollars. The program is unsponsored, meaning the depositary (Citibank) set it up rather than KDDI itself, so KDDI does not file annual reports with the SEC for it. Since KDDI's 2-for-1 stock split took effect in April 2025, the depositary changed the ratio so that one ADR represents one ordinary share. At about $18.16 in late October 2026, the ADR price roughly equals the Tokyo price of about ¥2,930 converted at the prevailing exchange rate, give or take small spreads and timing differences.
How do people invest in KDDI from the US?
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US investors usually access KDDI in one of three ways. The simplest is the KDDIY ADR, which many US brokerages can trade, sometimes with OTC restrictions, wider bid-ask spreads or an extra fee. Some brokers with international access let customers hold the Tokyo shares (9433) directly in yen, which offers more liquidity but involves currency conversion and minimum lot sizes. The third route is indirect: Japan-focused ETFs such as broad Japan index funds hold KDDI as one of their larger communication-services weights. Each route carries the same underlying business exposure and yen risk, but differs in cost, liquidity and how dividends are paid and taxed. Japan generally withholds tax on dividends paid to foreign holders.
Did the 2025 stock split change KDDIY?
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Yes. KDDI split its ordinary shares 2-for-1 with an effective date of April 1, 2025, which roughly halved the Tokyo share price and doubled the share count. Before the split, two KDDIY ADRs represented one ordinary share. Citibank adjusted the ADR ratio to one ADR per ordinary share, which meant the number of ADRs held did not change and the ADR price was not cut in half. That is why historical charts for KDDIY look continuous while the Tokyo line shows a step. Anyone comparing per-share figures such as earnings per share or dividends per share across 2024 and 2025 needs to check whether the data has been adjusted for the split, because older reports quote pre-split numbers that look about twice as large.
How did KDDI do in its latest results?
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The most recent report covers April to June 2026, the first quarter of KDDI's fiscal year ending March 2027. Revenue rose 5.1% to about ¥1.49 trillion and operating income rose about 21% to roughly ¥314 billion, partly because the prior-year quarter carried one-off promotional costs. Telecom Core operating income grew about 19.5%, mobile ARPU rose 3.8% to ¥4,400, and smartphone churn improved to 1.17%. The Business Growth segment, which includes AI, cybersecurity and IoT, grew revenue by about 11.7%. Management kept its full-year guidance of about ¥6.41 trillion in revenue and ¥1.21 trillion in adjusted operating income unchanged. The next report, covering the first half, is scheduled for around November 6, 2026.
What happened with the BIGLOBE accounting problem?
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In early 2026 KDDI disclosed that two employees at its internet subsidiary BIGLOBE and that company's advertising unit G-Plan had run fictitious circular advertising transactions with no real work behind them. The scheme began around 2018 to cover a deficit and eventually involved 21 advertising agencies. KDDI delayed results, formed a special investigation committee that reported on March 31, 2026, and estimated that revenue for the prior three fiscal years would be lowered by about ¥246 billion. It also booked provisions for cash that had flowed out to outside parties, including about ¥17 billion in the year ended March 2026. The amounts are small relative to KDDI's size, but the episode raised questions about subsidiary oversight and prompted a US law firm investigation.
Does KDDIY pay a dividend?
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Yes. KDDI pays dividends twice a year, and holders of the ADR receive them in US dollars after conversion from yen, less Japanese withholding tax and any depositary fees. KDDI has raised its annual dividend for over two decades and plans ¥84 per share for the fiscal year ending March 2027, a payout ratio of around 43%. At a Tokyo price near ¥2,930 that works out to a yield of roughly 2.9%. Because the dividend is fixed in yen, the dollar amount an ADR holder receives moves with the exchange rate: a weaker yen shrinks the payment even when KDDI raises it. Data providers quoting a trailing dollar dividend near $0.52 reflect that conversion effect.
Is KDDIY expensive compared with other telecom stocks?
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At about $18.16 and a market value near $69.5 billion, KDDIY trades around 15x trailing earnings, according to October 2026 data. That is broadly in line with Japanese peers and a little above many US and European carriers, which often trade near 9x to 13x earnings but carry more debt or slower growth. KDDI's premium reflects its record of rising dividends, a large repurchase program, profit growth in finance and enterprise services, and the steady improvement in mobile ARPU. A valuation comparison also depends on the yen: on a dollar basis the stock has been held back by currency weakness even when its yen price rose. Whether the multiple is reasonable depends on how much growth the non-telecom businesses deliver.
What could move KDDIY stock from here?
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Several identifiable events drive the shares. The November 2026 interim results will show whether the strong first quarter continues and whether management raises guidance. Progress on the up to ¥300 billion repurchase and tender offer affects share count and per-share earnings. Any new government push on mobile pricing would weigh on the outlook, while continued ARPU growth would support it. Demand for the Sakai AI data center and enterprise AI services could change how investors value the growth side of the business. For US holders, the yen exchange rate can move the ADR as much as company news. Finally, any filed US securities lawsuit or new findings related to the BIGLOBE transactions would be a negative headline worth tracking.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with KDDI Corp.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.