Samsung Considers Record-Shattering Shareholder Return Plan
Samsung Electronics is considering a massive shareholder return plan worth over KRW 100 trillion by 2026, according to Seoul Economic Daily. The company's semiconductor division generated a record-breaking operating profit of KRW 89.5 trillion in the second quarter of this year, driven largely by demand for AI-related memory.
The proposed payout would come after a quarter powered by increased sales of high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) used in AI computing systems. Samsung's chief financial officer, Park Soon-cheol, indicated that board members and management are discussing how to implement a shareholder-return policy, including a special dividend.
The company's existing framework commits it to return 50% of cumulative free cash flow over FY2024-2026, but the reported deliberations put a focus on how Samsung will deploy cash generated during the current memory upcycle. A decision on a return exceeding KRW 100 trillion would test the practical reach of that provision.