Biotech company Celltrion said Monday that its operating profit for the third quarter of 2026 is expected to surpass the 500 billion won ($374.3 million) mark for the first time, driven by robust sales in global markets. In its earnings guidance released Monday, the company forecast 1.5 trillion won in sales and 510 billion won in operating profit for the three-month period, representing year-on-year increases of 45.8 percent and 69.2 percent, respectively. Both sales and operating profit reached record quarterly highs, with operating profit surpassing 500 billion won for the first time since the company's establishment. Celltrion said its profitability has improved due to a growing share of high-margin products in its sales mix and improvements in its cost structure. Earlier this year, Celltrion set quarterly operating profit targets of more than 300 billion won for the first quarter, 400 billion won for the second and 500 billion won for the third. The company said it has exceeded its targets in each of the first three quarters, demonstrating that its profit growth has progressed as p