SK hynix Sets 100 Trillion Won Return Target After Record Q3 Operating Profit

SK hynix’s preliminary third-quarter revenue and operating profit set quarterly records at 104.6155 trillion won and 83.3338 trillion won, as the company outlined roughly 100 trillion won in shareholder returns for 2026.

Revenue rose 32% from the second quarter and 328% from a year earlier. Operating profit increased 38% sequentially and 632% year over year. Net income was 39.7756 trillion won, down 58% from Q2 but up 216% from the same period a year earlier.

For comparison, SK hynix recorded Q2 revenue of 79.3187 trillion won and operating profit of 60.5426 trillion won. The company linked its latest results to higher prices for key products and rising demand for AI memory. Server DDR5 sales also increased.

HBM4 shipments gained pace during the quarter. SK hynix expects HBM4 to surpass HBM3E in Q4 by both units shipped and revenue. It also projects memory demand will remain ahead of supply through 2030. Agreements with 14 customers represent over half of the capacity SK hynix plans for each of 2027 and 2028.

“The customer trust built through our technological competitiveness is leading to long-term contracts,” SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung said.

The 2026 return plan sets a minimum of 30 trillion won in cash dividends and at least 60 trillion won for share repurchases and cancellations. For the third quarter, the board set a dividend of 20,000 won per share: a 10,000-won regular dividend and a 10,000-won special dividend tied to gains from the company’s Kioxia investment.

SK hynix partially sold its Kioxia stake in the first and second quarters, generating gains linked to the special dividend. The board’s decision follows the company’s earlier pre-results review of additional shareholder returns. SK hynix became an investor through a consortium that acquired Toshiba’s NAND business in 2018; that business took the Kioxia name in 2019.

Nasdaq began trading SK hynix American depositary receipts under ticker SKHY on July 10. Each American depositary share represents one-tenth of a common share. The reported results remain preliminary and may change during the independent audit.