[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] The number of SamsungElectronics’ small shareholders has increased by more than 2.81 million in a year and a half, approaching 8 million. This means that more than half of domestic retail investors hold SamsungElectronics stock. Retail investors also flocked to sectors that have recently led the stock market, including SK hynix, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, and power equipment.

On the 10th, Leaders Index, a corporate analysis research institute, surveyed 1,992 domestic listed companies to compare the status of small shareholders at the end of 2024 and the end of the first half of 2026. The results showed that the number of SamsungElectronics’ small shareholders rose from 5,160,210 to 7,971,242—an increase of 2,811,032 (54.5%). This is the largest number among the companies surveyed and accounts for approximately 55% of South Korea’s 14.42 million individual investors.

SK hynix’s number of small shareholders also rose by 2,680,659 during the same period, from 780,867 to 3,461,526. The growth rate was 343.3%, meaning the number increased 4.4-fold in just a year and a half. Combined, the increase in small shareholders at SamsungElectronics and SK hynix totaled approximately 5.49 million, indicating a significant surge in retail investors’ interest in semiconductor stocks.

Next was DOOSAN ENERBILITY with 1,732,023 shareholders, followed by Kakao with 1,486,523, Naver with 1,399,782, and LGELECTRONICS with 1,227,359. A total of six domestically listed companies were found to have more than 1 million small shareholders.

In terms of growth rate, LS Electric stood out the most. The number of LS Electric’s small shareholders surged by 720.3%, from 65,389 to 536,418. DOOSAN ENERBILITY (279.9%), HANMISemiconductorCO.,Ltd. (198.5%), SamsungHeavyIndustries (177.5%), LGELECTRONICS (148.6%), and Doosan Robotics (143.0%) also saw significant increases. Many of the sectors that have recently driven stock price gains—including semiconductors, AI infrastructure, power equipment, nuclear power and energy, robotics, and shipbuilding—were among the top performers in terms of growth rates.

Conversely, the number of Kakao’s small shareholders fell by 12.1%, from 1,692,101 to 1,486,523. KakaoBank Corp. and Kakao Games Corp. also saw declines of 17.2% and 23.6%, respectively. The number of POSCO Holdings’ small shareholders likewise decreased by 1.8% over the same period.

The total number of minority shareholders across all listed companies rose by 24.2%, from 65,516,465 to 81,366,821. This figure includes investors who hold shares in multiple companies and were counted multiple times. Among the companies surveyed, only 601 saw an increase in the number of small shareholders, while 1,384 saw a decrease. The overall upward trend was driven by a few large-cap stocks, such as SamsungElectronics and SK hynix.

In contrast to the rise in the number of shareholders, the number of shares held by retail investors decreased by 10.3%, from 42,720,140,000 to 38,329,880,000. Their share of total outstanding shares also fell by 1.9 percentage points, from 49.5% to 47.6%.

Leaders Index analyzed that a trend toward diversified investing has emerged, with individual investors holding a greater number of stocks while the number of shares held per stock has decreased. In fact, while the average number of stocks held by a single individual investor rose from 5.79 in 2024 to 6.03 last year, the average number of shares held per stock decreased by 4.9%, from 4,112 to 3,910.