[Anchor]

Despite announcing record-breaking earnings, Samsung Electronics saw its stock price plunge by more than 4%. Analysts attribute the drop to investor disappointment after the company postponed its decision on additional shareholder return measures until January next year.

Reporter Choi Seung-hun has the details.

[Reporter]

At 9 a.m. yesterday (October 29), Samsung Electronics shares started the session on an upward trend.

The rise was driven by anticipation ahead of the earnings release an hour later, but the mood shifted as soon as the announcement began.

Even though the company reported third-quarter revenue of 195 trillion won and an operating profit of 107 trillion won—marking roughly a ninefold increase compared to the same period a year earlier—the stock price turned downward.

As Samsung Electronics had previously signaled record-high earnings, investors' focus shifted to additional shareholder return policies.

However, analysts point out that frustration grew as no new plans were unveiled.

Samsung Electronics had previously announced plans to return more than 100 trillion won to shareholders this year, but the finalized announcement yesterday only included a 30 trillion won cash dividend.

The company deferred its decision on how to utilize the remaining up to 75 trillion won until January next year.

[Park Soon-cheol / CFO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics: The new shareholder return policy and the final scale of shareholder returns will be finalized at the board of directors meeting scheduled for late January 2027.]

Immediately following this announcement, Samsung Electronics shares tumbled by over 6%, ultimately finishing the trading day down 4.13% at 232,000 won.

Although the company stated its intention to use a significant portion of the 75 trillion won for share buybacks and cancellations, evaluations suggest it failed to meet heightened investor expectations.

The KOSPI index, which had risen 10% over the previous two days, also fell by more than 1%, relinquishing the 6,000 milestone just a day later.

In contrast, SK Hynix—which had announced a day earlier that it would provide an additional 60 trillion won in shareholder returns—finished the session up 2.6%.

(Video by: Choi Ho-jun | Video Editing by: Kim Jong-mi | Design by: Kim Han-gil)