Samsung Electronics shares surged nearly 9% to ₩269,750 on Thursday, led by investor optimism over expanded shareholder returns and sustained demand for high-margin AI-related memory chips.
The rally follows local media reports that Samsung plans to announce a shareholder return package worth up to 100 trillion won ($72 billion), with SK Hynix separately disclosing plans to repurchase ₩2 trillion ($26.3 billion) of treasury shares. Both companies have benefited from exceptional pricing power in the memory market, driven by robust AI infrastructure build-outs and U.S. export restrictions on advanced chipmaking equipment that limit supply from competitors.
Samsung also increased prices for advanced contract chipmaking services by up to 15% for new orders, reflecting sustained pricing power amid tight supply conditions. Demand remains particularly strong from Chinese customers, which analysts attribute to ongoing substitution for restricted high-end components.
The gains extended to the broader market, with the KOSPI index climbing over 4%, as a pullback in U.S. Treasury yields triggered a relief rally across South Korean technology and semiconductor equities. The rebound unwound much of the prior session’s sharp decline.
In contrast, Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) consumer division reported its first-ever quarterly operating loss, as the unit pursues an aggressive market-share expansion strategy to stabilize long-term performance amid competitive pricing pressures in smartphones and consumer electronics.
