Q3 Operating Profit Hits 107 Trillion Won... First Among Global Big Tech to Exceed 100 Trillion

[Anchor]

Samsung Electronics has recorded an operating profit of 107 trillion won for the third quarter. Surpassing 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit is a milestone that even global big tech companies have not achieved.

Here is a report by Jeon Hyeong-u.

[Reporter]

Samsung Electronics announced in a regulatory filing that its preliminary consolidated operating profit for the third quarter of this year was 107.4 trillion won.

Surpassing 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit makes Samsung the second in the world to do so, following Saudi Arabia's state-owned enterprise Saudi Aramco, a feat that global big tech giants like Apple and Nvidia have yet to accomplish.

Driven by a semiconductor boom, Samsung Electronics has continued its streak of record-breaking performances for four consecutive quarters starting from the fourth quarter of last year.

After posting an operating profit in the 89 trillion won range in the second quarter of this year, the company broke its own record by reaching the 107 trillion won range in the third quarter.

Sales rose to 195 trillion won, a 126.6% increase compared to the same period last year, while the operating profit margin hit an all-time high of 55.1%.

Although earnings by division and business unit were not disclosed, it is analyzed that the memory business within the semiconductor division drove performance once again this quarter.

This is thanks to overlapping demand for HBM, DRAM, and NAND flash driven by the global hegemony race aimed at achieving general artificial intelligence.

With HBM4, which Samsung Electronics began mass-producing for the first time, expected to contribute in earnest to earnings improvements starting next year, Samsung's operating profit forecast for next year is hovering around 550 trillion won.

However, the Device Experience (DX) division, which handles finished products such as home appliances and smartphones, is analyzed to have continued posting losses.

Despite the record-breaking performance, Samsung Electronics stock and the KOSPI showed weak trends in early trading.

Analysts attribute this to the disappearance of short-term favorable factors and rate-related pressures weighing down stock prices.

[Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.