Samsung's operating profit for the third quarter was 107.4 trillion won, SK Hynix announced its financial report on Wednesday

According to the "Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily," South Korean memory chip companies SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics will announce their performance for the third quarter of 2026 this week, with SK Hynix set to release on Wednesday and Samsung Electronics on Thursday. The report states that with the rising demand for AI chips and increasing prices for memory chips, both companies are expected to deliver strong results, with a combined operating profit for the third quarter projected to reach 184.4 trillion won, approximately 139.1 billion dollars.

Samsung Electronics' preliminary results released on October 8 show that third-quarter revenue increased by 127% year-on-year, reaching 195 trillion won; operating profit was 107.4 trillion won, approximately 80.17 billion dollars, compared to 12.17 trillion won in the same period last year, an increase of nearly 8 times. Analysts surveyed by FnGuide expect SK Hynix's third-quarter revenue to be 98.2 trillion won, with operating profit at 77 trillion won. In 2025, Samsung and SK Hynix's operating profits are projected to be 43.6 trillion won and 47.2 trillion won, respectively, totaling 90.8 trillion won. If these predictions come true, Samsung will become the first South Korean company to exceed 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit.

As of the market close on October 23, the stock prices of Samsung and SK Hynix have fallen by 36% and 52%, respectively, since the end of June. The report indicates that investors view the impressive financial reports as expected, with focus areas including HBM4 supply, long-term agreements, and shareholder returns. TrendForce predicts that the average selling price of HBM will increase by 121% next year compared to this year, and the production capacity of Samsung and SK Hynix for next year is already sold out. In the second-quarter financial report, Samsung disclosed long-term agreements with five data center customers, while SK Hynix finalized multi-year contracts with over ten customers. Samsung announced a shareholder return plan of 90 trillion to 110 trillion won this year and will determine a cash dividend of about 30 trillion won for the third quarter by the end of this month. SK Hynix announced a 40 trillion won buyback plan in August and halted the evaluation for Solidigm's IPO. Kim Dong-won, head of KB Securities, stated that despite the significant stock price correction, the profit expectations for both companies have been raised, and the key catalyst for stock revaluation is expected to be the sustainability of profit growth and whether shareholder returns can be further increased.