(Bloomberg) -- Memory-chip makers may have found a new defense against the inevitable cooling of their boom: giving more cash back to shareholders.
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SK Hynix Inc. last Friday set a third quarter timeline for unveiling shareholder-return details. Larger peer Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to follow suit, helping send its shares up 4.1% on Tuesday. Both companies are generating surging cash flows as artificial-intelligence demand strains memory supply. With pricing gains starting to slow, buybacks and dividends could provide the next catalyst and potentially a floor for shares as investors look beyond peak earnings growth.
"Given the rally and the talks around peak memory, buybacks will support share prices and even attract more institutional investors to the memory chip stocks," said Jun Bei Liu, co-founder and lead portfolio manager at Ten Cap Investment. "Buybacks and special dividends can become a regular feature for the memory companies from here onward."
The shift toward capital returns comes as investors confront a familiar problem for memory stocks, where prices don't need to fall for the shares to weaken. TrendForce forecasts conventional DRAM contract prices to rise 58%–63% in the second quarter of 2026, followed by a slower 13%–18% increase for server DRAM in the third quarter. Memory stocks have historically weakened at this stage because the market discounts future earnings revisions before reported earnings peak. From their June highs, SK Hynix and Samsung have fallen roughly 50% and 34%, respectively, despite record earnings.
This time, however, memory makers have another potential buffer against the cycle. Long-term supply agreements could make those payouts more sustainable. SK Hynix has disclosed such contracts with about 10 customers, while Samsung expects multi-year contracts to eventually cover 60% to 70% of planned capacity. Micron Technology Inc. had signed 16 long-term supply agreements as of the end of the June quarter.
Such contracts can improve demand visibility and reduce some of the earnings volatility that has historically made investors reluctant to value memory producers on normalized cash flows.