South Korean media: Samsung Electronics plans to launch a shareholder return program of about 150 trillion won

On August 20, according to the Korea Economic Daily, Samsung Electronics plans to announce a shareholder return plan worth approximately 150 trillion won this month, exceeding the previously reported amount of 100 trillion won. It is expected to include measures such as stock buybacks and special dividends, potentially setting a new historical high for listed companies in South Korea. Industry insiders revealed that Samsung Electronics plans to hold a board meeting this month to review the relevant proposals. Earlier, the market had anticipated that the return scale could reach as high as 200 trillion won, but considering the company's basic principle of using 50% of free cash flow (FCF) for shareholder returns, the final scale is expected to be between 150 trillion and 160 trillion won.

Samsung Electronics executives stated that with the recovery of the memory chip industry, the company's cash generation ability has significantly improved. Brokerages expect Samsung Electronics' total free cash flow for this year to be approximately 263 trillion won, and the cumulative free cash flow during the shareholder return policy period from 2024 to 2026 is expected to be around 319 trillion won. Based on a 50% return ratio, the total return funds are about 160 trillion won. After deducting the 39.1 trillion won already executed and planned for execution, the remaining funds are close to 120 trillion won.

The market expects that Samsung Electronics may use the remaining funds to add a large-scale special dividend in addition to maintaining the regular dividend of 1,668 won per share each year, and to promote large-scale stock buybacks. Industry insiders indicate that following SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics' launch of a large-scale shareholder return plan may become an important factor in driving the valuation increase of the South Korean stock market.