[Edaily Reporter Ryu junha ] On the 30th, as Japanese memory semiconductor company Kioxia Holdings projected a net profit of 1.36 trillion yen for the October–December period this year, the stock prices of SamsungElectronics(005930)and SK hynix(000660) extended their losses in after-hours trading.

According to MP Doctor, as of 7:08 p.m., the stock price of SamsungElectronics(005930) was trading at 220,500 won, down 4.9% from the previous trading day, while the stock price of SK hynix(000660) was trading at 1,393,000 won, down 8.72%. The decline has widened compared to the regular trading session.

Kioxia had previously provided revenue guidance of 2.4 trillion yen and operating profit guidance of 1.9 trillion yen for the second quarter of this year. However, the operating profit guidance for October through December announced today was 1.36 trillion yen, a level similar to that of the first quarter of this year.

Earlier, Charles Henri Moncho, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Banque Sizes, remarked, “Since the market is already anticipating strong quarterly results, even another round of solid earnings may not do much to shift investor sentiment.”

In fact, the market is focusing on the future direction of the semiconductor cycle—driven by the continued rise in semiconductor prices and long-term supply contracts with hyperscalers (large-scale data center operators)—rather than past earnings data.

Investor disappointment over these earnings forecasts is expected to further dampen sentiment in the semiconductor sector. Kioxia’s NAND flash market share lags behind that of SamsungElectronics(005930)and SK hynix(000660), while South Korean semiconductor companies are in a favorable position to secure data center customers due to their ability to bundle high-bandwidth memory (HBM) with storage semiconductors; however, stock prices of related domestic companies have recently shown significant volatility depending on the earnings of semiconductor-related stocks.

SanDisk, a competitor and joint venture partner of Kioxia, saw its stock price fall in after-hours trading despite announcing earnings and outlook figures that exceeded market expectations the previous day. A domestic fund manager noted, “I’d prefer to avoid touching the memory sector right now if at all possible,” adding, “There’s a growing sense of uncertainty regarding the direction of the semiconductor market.”

Meanwhile, with market interest rates also remaining high, volatility in semiconductor stock prices is expected to continue for the time being.