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SK Hynix posts record third-quarter profit and unveils $75 billion shareholder return plan

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix posted a seven-fold surge in operating profit to 83.33 trillion won on historic AI chip demand, pairing the results with a 100 trillion won shareholder return program.

An illuminated SK Hynix logo sign displayed above an event or conference floor.
Image: @StockMKTNewz

SK Hynix posted historic third-quarter earnings driven by an accelerating global rollout of artificial intelligence infrastructure, lifting quarterly revenue above 100 trillion won for the first time in the company's history. Operating profit soared 632% year-over-year to 83.33 trillion won, or roughly $62.8 billion, beating analyst forecasts of 77.5 trillion won. Sales climbed 328% from a year earlier to 104.62 trillion won, surpassing expectations of 98.96 trillion won and delivering an 80% operating margin.[1][2][5][9][10]

The memory maker attributed the momentum to strong shipments of high-bandwidth memory HBM4, server DDR5 DRAM, and data center solid-state drives. SK Hynix confirmed it finalized 2027 supply negotiations for next-generation HBM and signed five-year agreements with 14 major customers, securing over half of its production capacity for 2027 and 2028. The company indicated it expects memory demand to continue outpacing industry supply through 2030.[1][10][12]

Alongside the earnings surge, SK Hynix rolled out a massive shareholder return program totaling approximately 100 trillion won, or about $75 billion, for 2026. The Wall Street Journal reported that the blueprint includes more than $22 billion in dividends and roughly $15 billion in buybacks, coming on top of a $30 billion share repurchase executed in August. In tandem with the capital return program, SK Hynix withdrew its plans for an initial public offering of subsidiary Solidigm to focus on shareholder value, according to Asia Economy.[3][4][5][6][7][8][11]

Key facts

  • SK Hynix reported third-quarter 2026 operating profit of 83.33 trillion won ($62.8 billion), up roughly seven-fold (632%) year-over-year and beating estimates of 77.5 trillion won.
  • Quarterly sales reached a record 104.62 trillion won ($78.9 billion), topping 100 trillion won for the first time and beating the 98.96 trillion won consensus estimate.
  • SK Hynix announced a 2026 shareholder return program valued at roughly 100 trillion won ($75 billion / S$96 billion).
  • The shareholder returns include over $22 billion in dividends and roughly $15 billion in buybacks, following a $30 billion buyback completed in August, according to The Wall Street Journal.
  • The company signed five-year agreements with 14 major customers, securing over 50% of its 2027–2028 production capacity, and expects memory demand to outpace supply through 2030.
  • SK Hynix canceled an initial public offering review for its subsidiary Solidigm to focus on shareholder value, according to Asia Economy.

Sources · 10 sources

  1. WS

    Wall St Engine@wallstenginePost on X ·

    SK HYNIX $SKHY Q3’26 EARNINGS HIGHLIGHTS 🔹 Revenue: $78.9B (Est. $74.8B) 🟢; +328% YoY 🔹 Oper Profit: $62.8B (Est. $58.5B) 🟢; +632% YoY 🔹 Oper Margin: 80%; +3,300 bps YoY; record high 🔹 QoQ: Revenue +32% / Oper Profit +38% Q4 Guide: 🔹 DRAM Bit Growth: Mid-20% QoQ 🔹 NAND Bit Growth: Mid-single% QoQ incl. Solidigm Q3 Pricing & Volume: 🔹 DRAM ASP: High-20% QoQ; bits ~+10% QoQ 🔹 NAND ASP: Mid-20% QoQ; bits slightly lower QoQ Profitability: 🔹 Gross Margin: 85.7% (Est. 85.2%) 🟢 🔹 EBITDA: $66.1B; 84% margin; +486% YoY 🔹 EPS: $41.07; +205% YoY Financials: 🔹 Cash: $86.3B; +311% YoY 🔹 Interest-Bearing Debt: $11.9B; -34% YoY 🔹 Net Debt-to-Equity: -32%; -2,800 bps YoY 🔹 Operating Cash Flow: $41.3B; +281% YoY 🔹 Total Assets: $295.5B 2027 Market Outlook: 🔹 DRAM Demand Bit Growth: +mid-20% YoY 🔹 NAND Demand Bit Growth: +high-teens% YoY 🔹 2027 CapEx: To rise significantly vs 2026 🔸 Memory demand expected to outpace supply through 2030 Product & Technology: 🔹 HBM4: Expected to surpass HBM3E in HBM shipment and revenue share in Q4 🔹 2027 HBM: Negotiations finalized; profitability gap with conventional DRAM expected to narrow meaningfully 🔹 M15X: Ramp-up accelerating to full capacity by end-2026 🔹 321L NAND: Over 50% of domestic capacity in Q4 Business Highlights: 🔹 LTAs: Signed with 14 key customers incl. major global CSPs; standard 5-year term; over 50% of 2027-2028 capacity secured 🔹 Q3 Dividend: ~₩20,000/share (~$15.08), incl. a ₩10,000 special dividend from realized Kioxia gains 🔹 Share Acquisition: ₩20T (~$15.1B) for the quarter, incl. ~₩10T for executive & employee compensation 🔸 Quarterly revenue topped ₩100T for the first time Note: 🔹 Net Profit: $30.0B; +216% YoY 🔸 Includes a $24.6B non-operating loss: a $17.3B investment-asset loss and an $8.8B FX loss as the won strengthened FX used for USD conversion: $1 = ₩1,326 (mid-market; Oct 27, 2026)

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  2. WS

    Wall St Engine@wallstenginePost on X ·

    SK HYNIX $SKHY EARNINGS ARE OUT 3Q OPER PROFIT 83.33T WON, EST. 77.5T WON 3Q SALES 104.62T WON, EST. 98.96T WON

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  3. TS

    The Straits Times@straits_timesPost on X ·

    SK Hynix unveils shareholder return plan worth S$96 billion after posting 7-fold jump in Q3 profit https://t.co/P4KlzcVN1Q

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  4. WS

    Wall St Engine@wallstenginePost on X ·

    SK HYNIX $SKHY PLANS ~₩100 TRILLION (~$75B) IN SHAREHOLDER RETURNS FOR 2026

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  5. BL

    Bloomberg@businessPost on X ·

    SK Hynix posted a stronger-than-expected seven-fold surge in quarterly profit and unveiled an additional shareholder return program for 2026 worth $75 billion, underscoring relentless demand for AI hardware https://t.co/LdnNHmIvFp

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  6. EV

    Evan@StockMKTNewzPost on X ·

    South Korean 🇰🇷 memory-chip maker SK Hynix said it plans to return a total of $75 billion to shareholders this year - WSJ https://t.co/vM2KZREYHZ

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  7. TE

    Techmeme@TechmemePost on X ·

    SK Hynix plans to return $22B+ in dividends and ~$15B in buybacks to shareholders, on top of its ~$30B buyback program completed in August (@kwanwoo / Wall Street Journal) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

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  8. TE

    TechmemeArticle ·

    SK Hynix plans to return $22B+ in dividends and ~$15B in buybacks to shareholders, on top of its ~$30B buyback program completed in August (Kwanwoo Jun/Wall Street Journal) Kwanwoo Jun / Wall Street Journal : SK Hynix plans to return $22B+ in dividends and ~$15B in buybacks to shareholders, on top of its ~$30B buyback program completed in August — The South Korean memory-chip maker's net profit more than tripled in the third quarter — South Korean memory-chip titan SK Hynix plans to return …

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  9. CN

    CNBC@CNBCPost on X ·

    South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix on Wednesday released its third-quarter earnings results, reporting revenue and operating profit for the July-to-September period. Revenue rose 327.9% from a year earlier, while operating profit climbed 632.1% year on year. Compared with the previous quarter, revenue climbed 31.9%, while operating profit surged 37.6%. Click here for the full numbers: https://t.co/kIE0Gj1jJV

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  10. SH

    SK hynix@SKhynixPost on X ·

    @SKhynix posted record results in 3Q26, with revenue surpassing KRW 100 trillion for the first time. Growth was driven by server DDR5 and data center SSDs, alongside HBM4 shipments. LTAs cover over 50% of 2027–2028 capacity. 🔗 https://t.co/FXTz5QSiU8 #SKhynix #FI3Q26 https://t.co/KQwk7dsKO6

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  11. 아시

    아시아경제@asiae_dailyPost on X ·

    역대급 실적 쌓은 SK하이닉스…‘연간 100조’ 주주환원 보따리 푼다 SK하이닉스가 올해 3분기 매출 100조원 돌파 신기록에 힘입어 역대 최대 규모의 주주환원 보따리를 풉니다. 자회사 솔리다임의 기업공개(IPO) 검토를 전격 철회하며 주주가치 제고를 최우선 과제로 내세운 데 이어, 파격적인 추가 환원책까지 더해 기업가치를 본궤도에 올려놓겠다는 구상입니다. 증권가에서는 SK하이닉스의 연간 영업이익이 올해 260조원대를 돌파, 내년에는 400조원 고지에 안착할 것으로 내다보고 있습니다. #SK하이닉스 #주주환원 #100조 https://t.co/n6PNvKLNmO

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  12. SB

    Shay Boloor@StockSavvyShayPost on X ·

    $SKHY ABSOLUTELY CRUSGED THEIR Q3 EARNINGS • Revenue: $78.9B vs. Est. $74.8B • Operating profit: $62.8B vs. Est. $58.5B • Gross Margin: 86% vs. Est. 85% • DRAM ASP: +28% QoQ • NAND ASP: +25% QoQ • Cash: $86.3B Q4 Guidance • DRAM shipments: +25% QoQ • NAND shipments: +5% QoQ FY27 Guidance • DRAM demand: +25% YoY • NAND demand: +18% YoY Signed 5-year LTAs with 14 major customers securing over 50% of its 2027 and 2028 capacity.

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