A Samsung logo is displayed at the Samsung Electronics Seocho building in Seoul on July 30, 2026. The South Korean tech heavyweight reported a 19-fold surge in second-quarter operating profit from the same period a year earlier, driven by continued AI-fueled demand for memory chips. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images)
Jung Yeon-je | AFP | Getty Images
Samsung Electronics unveiled a major shareholder return plan, capping a standout week for investor payouts among South Korea’s leading semiconductor companies after rival SK Hynix announced a share buyback.
The company said Friday that total shareholder returns are expected to reach between 90 trillion won and 110 trillion won, or roughly $65.1 billion to $79.52 billion, in 2026.
Samsung described the planned return as “the largest ever by a Korean company.”
The announcement comes as Samsung works to narrow the gap with SK Hynix in high-bandwidth memory chips, a critical component for artificial intelligence systems. Samsung shares have climbed about 135% so far this year.
Samsung also said it plans to distribute about 30 trillion won in cash dividends during the third quarter, a figure that includes its regular quarterly dividend.
Final terms of the payout are expected to be approved at a board meeting scheduled for late October, the company said.
Samsung’s announcement comes just days after SK Hynix announced a 40 trillion won share buyback.
Samsung said it will decide the size and details of the remaining shareholder returns at a board meeting in late January 2027, considering a combination of cash dividends and share buybacks and cancellations.
Friday’s announcement follows Samsung’s 2024-2026 shareholder return program, under which the company pledged to return 50% of free cash flow generated between 2024 and 2026 while maintaining annual regular dividends of 9.8 trillion won.
In a corporate value enhancement plan released in March, Samsung said it paid 20.9 trillion won in cash dividends in 2024 and 2025 and spent 8.4 trillion won on share repurchases for cancellation.
