Samsung Electronics likely to announce $72.4 bil. shareholder returns: sources

Samsung Electronics is expected to announce a shareholder return of at least 100 trillion won ($72.4 billion), its largest ever, at a board meeting as early as Friday or next week, according to industry sources. The move follows a similar announcement by rival SK hynix and comes amid record earnings driven by the AI boom, with Samsung's second-quarter net profit surging nearly 1,300 percent to 90 trillion won.

Samsung Electronics is poised to return at least 100 trillion won $72.4 billion to shareholders, industry sources said Friday, following a similar announcement by its chipmaking rival SK hynix amid record earnings driven by the artificial intelligence AI boom. The world's largest memory chip maker is expected to announce what could be its largest-ever shareholder-return initiative at a board meeting as early as later Friday or next week, according to the sources. It would mark the final year of Samsung Electronics' three-year shareholder-return policy for 2024-26, which calls for returning 50 percent of its free cash flow to shareholders. In particular, industry observers expect the company to return more than 100 trillion won through a special dividend, based on an estimated annual operating profit of 390 trillion won. The company may also buy back its own shares to fund special performance bonuses for employees. Samsung Electronics' second-quarter net profit jumped nearly 1,300 percent to 90 trillion won from a year earlier, on the back of strong demand for semiconductors linked to