[Edaily Reporter SOYEON KIM ] SamsungElectronics plans to implement its largest-ever shareholder return program this year, totaling approximately 110 trillion won. Having posted record-breaking earnings, SamsungElectronics plans to implement its largest-ever shareholder return policy by adding a cash dividend of 30 trillion won in the third quarter of this year, in accordance with its principle of returning free cash flow (FCF) generated during the economic boom to shareholders.

SamsungElectronics announced in a regulatory filing on the 21st that it held a board of directors meeting that day and approved a plan for its 2026 shareholder return program, expected to total approximately 90 trillion to 110 trillion won this year. This is the largest amount ever by a South Korean company. With SamsungElectronics deciding to share over 100 trillion won with its shareholders, shareholder value is expected to increase.

◇ “Company Performance Benefits Shareholders… A Virtuous Cycle of Enhanced Shareholder Value”
The scale of SamsungElectronics’ shareholder returns this year is at a record high, amounting to approximately five times the previous record of 20.3 trillion won set in 2020. It is also about seven times the average annual shareholder return of 13.8 trillion won over the 10-year period from 2016 to 2025.

The company explained that this record-breaking shareholder return is intended to ensure that the results of the company’s growth translate into tangible benefits for shareholders, thereby sustaining a virtuous cycle where the company’s growth and enhanced shareholder value reinforce one another.

Previously, SamsungElectronics had announced a three-year shareholder return policy (2024–2026) stating that 50% of its free cash flow would be allocated to shareholder returns. This announcement is part of the company’s efforts to implement that policy.

SamsungElectronics paid regular dividends totaling 19.6 trillion won—9.8 trillion won annually—over the two-year period from 2024 to 2025. In 2025, the company also paid a special dividend of 1.3 trillion won and carried out a share buyback and cancellation program worth 8.4 trillion won. The total shareholder returns for the two-year period from 2024 to 2025 amounted to 29.3 trillion won.

◇ 30 Trillion Won in Cash Dividends for the Third Quarter… DPS Expected to Be 5,570 Won
The company plans to pay cash dividends totaling approximately 30 trillion won in the third quarter, including regular dividends. Specific details are expected to be finalized at a board meeting in late October. Assuming the regular quarterly dividend is roughly 2.45 trillion won, the special dividend for the third quarter is expected to reach 27.55 trillion won.

SamsungElectronics stated that it plans to make a separate announcement after finalizing the scale of the remaining shareholder returns and the specific implementation plans at a board meeting scheduled for late January 2027, following the 2026 fiscal year-end settlement.

Accordingly, the market estimates that the projected dividend per share (DPS), reflecting the third-quarter cash dividend, will be approximately 5,570 won. Excluding 2020, when a special dividend was paid (approximately 2,990 won), SamsungElectronics’ DPS has typically been in the 1,400-won range. Lee Su-rim, an analyst at DS Securities, predicted, “If the board decides at its meeting next January to allocate a portion of the remaining 60 trillion to 80 trillion won toward additional cash dividends, the final DPS could rise further.”

SamsungElectronics has continuously expanded shareholder returns, including dividends. Cumulative cash dividends alone from 2015 to 2025 amount to over 100 trillion won. Since listing on the Korean stock market in 1975, SamsungElectronics has paid cash dividends every year, with the exception of 1980, when it recorded a net loss due to the oil crisis. Since announcing a shareholder value enhancement policy in 2016—pledging to allocate 50% of its free cash flow (FCF) toward shareholder returns—the company has consistently adhered to this policy, thereby increasing predictability for investors.

Starting in 2017, the company began paying quarterly dividends, expanding the number of annual dividend payments to four. Despite fluctuations in business performance, SamsungElectronics has paid regular dividends of 9.6 trillion won annually since 2018 and 9.8 trillion won annually since 2021. In accordance with its policy of returning additional funds if surplus capital remains after regular dividends, the company also paid special dividends totaling 10.7 trillion won in the fourth quarter of 2020 and 1.3 trillion won in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Meanwhile, SamsungElectronics’ board of directors also approved a share buyback program worth approximately 15 trillion won for employee compensation during the meeting held that day. This share buyback for employee compensation is also expected to enhance shareholder value. SamsungElectronics stated, “We will continue to faithfully implement our shareholder return policy while actively communicating our shareholder return plans with shareholders and the market.”