Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 20
SK Hynix Jumps 4% After 40 Trillion Won Buyback as Memory Stocks Beat a 1% QQQ Drop
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 20

SK Hynix Jumps 4% After 40 Trillion Won Buyback as Memory Stocks Beat a 1% QQQ Drop

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 20

Summary

  • SK Hynix ADRs rose 4% to $162.04 on Thursday, leading a rare pocket of gains in tech after the company unveiled a record 40 trillion won share buyback.
  • The plan commits more than half of SK Hynix's cumulative 2025-2027 free cash flow to shareholders, a step up from its prior payout commitment of up to 50%.
  • That capital-return catalyst helped memory names outperform a weak broader market: Micron gained 2%, SanDisk and Western Digital each rose 1%, while the Nasdaq 100 tracker QQQ fell 1% to $711.06.
  • The trade builds on an already huge sector run, with SanDisk up 561% year to date, Micron 229%, Western Digital 168% and QQQ just 17%.
  • A reported Samsung Electronics shareholder-return plan worth more than 100 trillion won added to the view that Korean memory makers are becoming both AI and payout plays.

Insights

Could SK Hynix's massive $28B payout actually jeopardize its dominance in the hyper-competitive, capital-intensive AI memory race?
Does returning over 50% of cash flow signal peak AI memory profits, or absolute confidence in a prolonged supercycle?