Vividat
EARNINGS SURPRISE

SK Hynix: 'Triple Surprise' in Earnings & Returns

Record 19T Q4 Profit. Completing 'Growth & Distribution' with 12T Cancellation and Employee Bonuses.

2026.01.28 SK Hynix

Key Takeaways

Record Profits

Annual OP 47T KRW, 49% Margin

Stock Cancellation

12.2T KRW (2.1% of shares) Cancelled

Cash Dividend

1.3T KRW Total (1,875 KRW/share)

01

Earnings Highlight (Annual & Q4)

19T OP in Q4 Alone... No Winter for Chips

Financial Performance (YoY)

Achieved 97T KRW annual revenue and 47T KRW operating profit in 2025. Q4 alone saw 32.8T revenue (YoY +66%) and 19.2T OP (YoY +137%), marking the highest quarterly performance ever and proving accelerated growth.

Market & Employee Voice

"58% OP margin in Q4? Thought it was a typo."

Excited

"Stock bonus for 12k employees, great morale booster."

Positive

"Assets over 176T, debt down. Strong fundamentals."

Analytical

"The Q4 surprise confirms that the shift to high-value products like HBM has structurally settled."

02

Financials & Returns

Sharing Success: Cancellation, Dividends, and Bonuses

Shareholder Return

Category 1
Operating Profit
NEW
Stock Cancellation
12.2T KRW
2.1% Shares
Surprise
Cash Dividend
1.3T KRW
Year-end 1,875 KRW
Change
Value Up

Canceling full 15.3M treasury shares (12.2T KRW), reducing total shares to 712M. Immediate EPS boost. Also granting 450k shares to 12,151 employees to share the fruit of growth.

Key Metrics (Consolidated)

Annual OP
23.5T ('24)47.2T ('25)
+101%
4Q OP
SURPRISE
8.1T ('24.4Q)19.2T ('25.4Q)
+137%
Total Assets
119.8T ('24)176.1T ('25)
+47%

Key Announcements

  • Cancellation: 15.3M Shares (2.1% of total)
  • Emp Bonus: 451k shares for 12,151 staff
  • Dividend: 1,875 KRW Year-end

"Beyond simple cash dividends, implemented 'Advanced Shareholder Return' by fundamentally increasing share value via cancellation."

03

Inv. Points & Valuation

2026: Year of Valuation Re-rating

Upside Scenarios

EPS Boost
Core

EPS to rise after cancellation (Feb 9) reduces share count.

Fundamentals
++

Equity over 120T. Lower debt ratio enables massive capex.

HBM Leader
+

Overwhelming cash flow funds next-gen packaging/process.

Event Timeline

Jan 29

Earnings Call

Detailed guidance check

Feb 09

Cancellation

15.3M shares removed (728M -> 712M shares)

Feb 28

Dividend Record

Rights to 1,875 KRW/share confirmed

Vividat Verdict

"Level-up in profits, improved financials, strong returns. The perfect conditions for a 'Growth Value Stock'."