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Samsung Electronics has announced that it will implement up to KRW 110 trillion in shareholder returns this year. Starting with a KRW 30 trillion regular dividend in the third quarter, the company plans to finalize detailed return plans, but its stock price actually turned weak in after-hours trading following the announcement.
Reporter Kim Hye-min has the details.
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Samsung Electronics held a board of directors meeting this afternoon (August 21) and approved a plan to implement shareholder returns for this year, expected to be in the range of approximately KRW 90 trillion to KRW 110 trillion.
This is about five times the size of the record-high scale in 2020.
First, the company will pay out approximately KRW 30 trillion in cash dividends in the third quarter of this year, including regular quarterly dividends, with the specific amount to be finalized at a board meeting at the end of October.
The remaining shareholder return methods will be finalized and announced at the board meeting in January of next year, when this year's management performance is confirmed.
This round of returns follows the three-year shareholder return policy announced in 2024.
Samsung Electronics decided to return 50% of the free cash flow generated from 2024 through this year to shareholders.
Accordingly, over the past two years, a total of KRW 29.3 trillion has been returned through regular and special dividends, as well as the purchase and retirement of treasury shares.
Adding the KRW 90 trillion to KRW 110 trillion scheduled for this year, the total shareholder return scale over the three-year period is projected to reach between KRW 120 trillion and KRW 140 trillion.
Separately, Samsung Electronics also approved a plan to purchase KRW 15 trillion worth of treasury shares.
Aimed at payments such as special management performance bonuses agreed upon with the labor union, the company plans to acquire them on the open market over three months starting from the 24th.
Driven by expectations of a large-scale shareholder return announcement, Samsung Electronics' stock price rose 3.8% in today's regular session, and the KOSPI also gained 0.88%.
[Interview / Han Ji-young, Researcher at Kiom Securities: Since the scale itself is KRW 100 trillion, the amount is quite substantial. Next week, both SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics stocks as a whole will serve as a safety valve for domestic supply and demand.]
However, following the public disclosure, Samsung Electronics gave up its gains on the alternative trading system.
Along with interpretations that profit-taking occurred due to the fading of expectations, opinions were also raised that it appeared insufficient compared to SK Hynix, which had promised 50% "or more" of its free cash flow for shareholder returns.
(Video reporting: Lee Moo-jin, Video editing: Choi Hye-young, Design: Im Chan-hyuk)
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