Seoul, Feb 1, 2026, 00:38 KST — Market closed
- SK hynix last closed at 909,000 won, up 5.57%, after briefly trading above 930,000 won. (매일경제)
- Korea Ratings lifted its unsecured bond rating on the chipmaker to AA+ (stable). (Chosunbiz)
- A regulatory filing said the company plans to cancel 15.3 million treasury shares on Feb. 9. (AJU PRESS)
SK hynix shares ended the last session at 909,000 won, up 5.57%, for their first close above the 900,000-won mark, after hitting an intraday high of 931,000 won. Seoul Economic Daily said the move was drawing fresh overseas retail attention, with investors swapping tips online on how to access the Korea-listed stock. (Seoul Economic Daily)
That sprint lands as price gauges for memory chips — the products that drive most of the company’s earnings — jump again. DRAMeXchange put the January fixed price for a mainstream 128-gigabit MLC NAND flash product at $9.46, up 64.83% from the prior month, while average prices for some DDR5 modules surged close to 90%. (Seoul Economic Daily)
Broker notes have followed quickly. Korea Investment & Securities raised its target price to 1.3 million won, and analyst Chae Min-sook said higher average selling prices — the average price customers pay — for DRAM and NAND “due to supply shortages will continue for a considerable period.” The stock moved in tandem with a broader chip-led push that sent the benchmark index to another intraday record, with individuals buying while foreigners sold, exchange data showed. (Seoul Economic Daily)
Credit metrics also turned into a talking point late in the week. Korea Ratings said it upgraded the company’s unsecured bond rating to AA+ (stable) from AA (positive), its first lift in eight years, and argued the business has built a steadier profit base than the old boom-and-bust memory cycle implied. “The company will utilize a significant portion of generated cash flow to build financial buffers,” the agency said. (Seoul Economic Daily)
The company’s own numbers gave the rally its base. In a Jan. 28 statement, it reported record 2025 results and said it would pay an additional 1 trillion won dividend, equivalent to 1,500 won per share, alongside a plan to cancel 15.3 million treasury shares. Song Hyun Jong said the company would “strengthen our role as a core infrastructure partner in the AI era.” (SK hynix Newsroom –)
Next up is the mechanics. A disclosure report said the treasury-share cancellation is scheduled for Feb. 9; those shares are stock the company holds in its own name, and cancelling them reduces the share count, lifting per-share metrics if profits hold. (Seoul Economic Daily)
Demand expectations are doing the heavier lifting. High-bandwidth memory (HBM) — a premium form of DRAM used alongside AI accelerators — has been a key driver, and the company has flagged tight supply and strong AI-linked orders even as rivals press harder. Nvidia counts among the major customers in the AI supply chain, and Samsung Electronics is working to close the gap in next-generation HBM, analysts have said. (Reuters)
With the market shut for the weekend, traders will look first for follow-through when Seoul trading resumes on Monday, Feb. 2. Another round of target changes, and any fresh read-through on memory pricing, could decide whether the stock consolidates or keeps running.
But the risk is plain: memory remains cyclical, and a fast move leaves little room for disappointment. A stumble in chip prices, slower AI data-center spending, or quicker progress by competitors would test the profit assumptions built into the latest targets.
For now, the next clear marker is Feb. 9’s planned share cancellation — and whether buyers still show up for the next session after a 900,000-won close.
