SK Hynix Cracks 2,000 Trillion Won Market Cap as HBM4E Samples and $75 Billion Buyback Buzz Lift Stock 308%
20.06.2026 - 07:54:13 | boerse-global.de
SK Hynix briefly pushed its market capitalization above 2,000 trillion won on Friday, shrinking the valuation gap with Samsung Electronics to less than 100 trillion won for the first time in the company’s history. The milestone capped a week in which the stock surged 28.56%, bringing its year-to-date gain to 308%.
Two distinct catalysts converged to drive the rally. SK Hynix has begun shipping samples of its next-generation HBM4E memory to major customers — earlier than originally planned — while unconfirmed reports circulated that the company is considering a shareholder return program worth as much as 100 trillion won ($75 billion), combining share buybacks and dividends. SK Hynix said it is reviewing various measures to boost shareholder value but has not examined the specific figures mentioned in local media.
The HBM4E chips stack 12 layers of DRAM into a 48?gigabyte module offering roughly 4 terabytes per second of bandwidth. That represents a 50% performance improvement over the previous HBM4 generation and a 20% jump in energy efficiency. Designed for Nvidia’s upcoming Rubin Ultra processors and AMD’s MI500 series, the chips reinforce SK Hynix’s dominance in the high-bandwidth memory market, where it already commands a 58% share.
The broader memory market is expected to swell to 1,500 trillion won by the end of 2026, driven largely by AI and server demand. Analysts predict that server memory alone will account for 56% of total consumption, overtaking combined demand from PCs and smartphones for the first time.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying SK Hynix?
On the capital returns front, investors already have a reference point. SK Hynix’s existing shareholder return plan for 2025–2027 includes an annual fixed dividend raised to 1,500 won per share from 1,200 won, plus additional distributions linked to free cash flow. The 100?trillion?won rumor remains unconfirmed, but it added momentum to a stock already riding a wave of foreign buying: overseas investors purchased a net 3.79 trillion won of SK Hynix shares in the five trading sessions through June 17.
The stock closed Friday at 2,764,000 won after hitting an intraday 52?week high of 2,891,000 won on Thursday. The weekly gain was 28.56%.
Yet the technical picture suggests the rally may be overheating. The relative strength index sits at 73.5, firmly in overbought territory. The stock trades roughly 59% above its 50?day moving average of 1,738,380 won, and its annualized 30?day volatility has climbed to nearly 96%. KB Securities projects second?quarter operating profit of about 69 trillion won — a 649% surge from a year earlier — but such elevated expectations leave little room for error.
SK Hynix at a turning point? This analysis reveals what investors need to know now.
The divergence from Samsung Electronics has become increasingly stark. Samsung shares fell 2.34% on Friday to 354,000 won, widening the performance gap. The valuation spread between the two Korean chip titans narrowed to just 99.67 trillion won, a figure that would have seemed improbable a year ago. In a further twist, Intel has hired former SK Hynix CEO Seok?Hee Lee as an executive vice president for its foundry advanced packaging business.
Whether SK Hynix can sustain its momentum now hinges on a concrete shareholder return announcement and the speed at which HBM4E production ramps up. After a 308% annual gain and a week of near?vertical ascent, the next catalyst will need to match the hype.
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