SEOUL, January 25, 2026, 00:13 (KST) — The market has closed.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) shares closed down 0.1% at 152,100 won on Friday. With the Seoul market closed for the weekend, focus shifts to the chipmaker’s quarterly results due next week. The stock traded between 150,100 and 156,000 during the day and remains close to the upper edge of its 52-week range, according to data. 1
Why it matters now: Samsung stands as South Korea’s largest publicly traded company and a major force in the nation’s stock index. Even minor shifts in its stock price can ripple through the broader market. Its upcoming earnings outlook often sets the tone for memory-chip makers and the wider electronics supply chain.
Investors are doubling down on a straightforward bet: scarce memory supply plus robust data centre demand keep chip prices climbing, and Samsung’s earnings reflect that. Monday’s open raises the question—has the rally outpaced what the company will report on volumes, pricing, and margins?
Samsung kicked off Friday trading at 154,700 won, climbed to a peak of 156,000, then slid to a low of 150,100. Volume came in around 25.4 million shares, according to market data. 2
Samsung’s investor relations page lists the Q4 2025 earnings call for 10 a.m. on Jan. 29. Investors can submit questions up until the call begins. 3
Samsung projected its fourth-quarter operating profit at 20 trillion won, up sharply from 6.49 trillion won a year ago, according to a regulatory filing and a Reuters report. Revenue is expected to hit a record 93 trillion won, marking a 23% increase. Co-CEO TM Roh told Reuters that some impact from rising memory prices was “inevitable” and didn’t rule out raising product prices. 4
On Jan. 7, the company announced plans to buy back 2.5 trillion won ($1.73 billion) of its own shares from the market between Jan. 8 and April 7. The move aims to support employee and executive compensation, according to a regulatory filing. 5
Higher memory prices aren’t all good news. A Reuters piece this week cited IDC and Counterpoint forecasting global smartphone sales to drop at least 2% in 2026. The PC market is expected to shrink too, as rising costs bite. Emarketer’s Jacob Bourne pointed out the shortage will translate to “higher prices for consumers.” Morningstar’s William Kerwin sees Apple as “better-positioned” thanks to contract pricing, but he warned the company “isn’t immune” to these rising input costs. 6
Samsung is pushing hard to catch SK Hynix in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the stacked chips powering AI servers. Co-CEO and chip head Jun Young-hyun told Reuters that clients have even said, “Samsung is back” on HBM4. According to the same Reuters story, Counterpoint data puts SK Hynix on top of the HBM market in Q3 2025, with Samsung and Micron trailing behind. 7
Global risk appetite is shifting as traders gear up for the new week. A Reuters markets report on Friday highlighted a “wait-and-see approach” ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting, major economic data, and a packed earnings schedule — a setup that could weigh on Asia tech and chip stocks. 8
Samsung shares face a critical test on the Jan. 29 call. Investors will zero in on any shifts in memory pricing, updates on advanced HBM product development, and whether rising component costs are compelling tougher decisions in the company’s mobile and consumer electronics divisions.
