Samsung plans up to $80 billion in shareholder returns after SK Hynix buyback

Samsung Electronics has announced a shareholder return package, marking a blockbuster week for shareholder returns among South Korea's chip giants following SK Hynix's share buyback.

The company announced Friday that it expects shareholder returns to total between 90 trillion won and 110 trillion won ($65.1 billion to $79.52 billion) in 2026.

The company has been seeking to catch up with its domestic rival SK Hynix in high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI systems. The stock is up around 135% year-to-date.

The company also announced it would pay around 30 trillion won in cash dividends in the third quarter, including its regular quarterly dividend.

Details of the payout will be finalized at a board meeting in 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.