Samsung GDRs rise 5.9% as record $72 billion shareholder return plan lifts shares

Tech Hardware & Electrical Equipment Written by: Ian Lyall 08:02 Thu 20 Aug 2026 --> Edited by: Jamie Ashcroft Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ian Lyall Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. Samsung Electronics ( KRX:005930 LSE:BC94 ) View Price & Profile Samsung GDRs rise 5.9% as record $72 billion shareholder return plan lifts shares Last updated: 08:02 20 Aug 2026 BST, First published: 08:33 20 Aug 2026 BST Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930, LSE:BC94) Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930, LSE:BC94 shares rose over 9% as investors welcomed expectations of a shareholder-return programme exceeding 100 trillion won, or about $72 billion. The knock-on impact was to help South Korea’s benchmark Kospi rebound 6.1% after the previous session’s sharp sell-off in technology stocks. Samsung's London-listed global depositary receipts rose 5.88%. A MoneyToday report said the South Korean technology company is planning this as record chip profits strengthen its capacity to reward investors. The programme is expected to include a special dividend and will be considered at a board meeting scheduled for the end of August. Samsung plans to allocate 50% of its free cash flow to shareholder returns under the new programme, extending a policy that has made cash distributions a larger part of its capital allocation. The move would represent a significant increase from Samsung’s existing policy for 2024 to 2026, which commits the company to returning 50% of free cash flow and paying an annual regular dividend of 9.8 trillion won. Samsung has already signalled that it could make additional distributions in 2026 if 50% of free cash flow for the three-year period exceeds the value of dividends and other shareholder returns made during the period. The potential payout comes as Samsung benefits from strong demand for artificial intelligence chips, with the company investing heavily to expand its semiconductor capabilities while seeking to improve returns to shareholders. The plan follows rival SK Hynix’s announcement of a 40 trillion won share buyback and cancellation programme, the largest such shareholder return announced by a South Korean listed company. Samsung has yet to comment on the reported new programme. Continue reading