Samsung Electronics Nears 8 Million Minority Shareholders… About 1 in 5 South Korean Adults

The number of minority shareholders holding shares of Samsung Electronics, often called the "national stock," neared 8 million in the first half of this year.

Given that South Korea's adult population stands at 43 million, this means approximately 1 in every 5 adults in the country is a Samsung Electronics shareholder.

The surge in Samsung Electronics' minority shareholders is attributed to a combination of retail investment fever driven by the upward trend of the KOSPI and profit-taking fueled by rising share prices.

According to Samsung Electronics' half-year report disclosed on August 14, minority shareholders reached an all-time high of 7,971,242 as of the end of June this year, an increase of about 2.92 million from a year earlier at the end of June last year (5,049,085).

Minority shareholders hold 66.24% of Samsung Electronics' total issued shares.

Compared to 6 months ago at the end of last year (4,195,927), the number of minority shareholders surged by approximately 3.77 million.

This rapid increase in minority shareholders is seen as a result of a sharp upward trend in Samsung Electronics' share price this year, which expanded the inflow of individual investors.

Samsung Electronics' share price remained weak through the second half of 2024.

The average price of common stock fell from 84,383 won in July 2024 to 54,035 won in December of the same year.

However, as it turned to a rebound from the second half of last year, the average price rose from 65,087 won in July to 108,724 won in December.

Maintaining its upward momentum into this year, the stock surpassed 150,000 won at the end of January and hit a record high of 374,500 won on June 19.

While some existing investors engaged in profit-taking during the price rise, analysts note that a massive influx of new retail investors poured in, driven by expectations of further gains and a booming domestic stock market.

Previously, boosted by the stock investment craze, Samsung Electronics minority shareholders surged more than twofold in a single year from 2,153,969 at the end of 2020 to 5,066,351 at the end of 2021, before surpassing 6 million for the first time in September 2022.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics plans to prepare shareholder value-enhancement measures based on its record-breaking performance (operating profit of 146.7 trillion won for the first and second quarters of 2026).

Samsung Electronics announced at the end of last month, "We will formulate key elements of our shareholder return policy in a direction that maximizes the effect of enhancing shareholder value while securing an optimal balance between reinvestment for future growth and shareholder returns, and we will share them with shareholders soon."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.