Chip giant's rally lifts Kospi to record high
Samsung Electronics shares surged past the 180,000 won threshold on Friday, setting a record high after the company announced the world's first mass production and shipment of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, a key component for AI chips.
The stock climbed above 180,000 won in after-hours trading Thursday and extended gains during Friday's session, marking a historic milestone driven by strong institutional and foreign buying. The stock closed at 181,200 won, up 1.46 percent, after touching an intraday high of 184,400 won.
The chip giant's surge has lifted South Korea's broader stock market, pushing the benchmark Kospi index to unprecedented levels. On Friday, the Kospi opened 0.16 percent lower at 5,513.71 but rebounded shortly after the opening bell to hit an intraday record of 5,583.74. The index closed at 5.507.01, down 15.26 points or 0.28 percent from the previous session.
Analysts project that continued growth in memory demand driven by the AI boom could propel the index toward the 6,000 level.
Samsung's move on Friday caps a steep yearlong rally and signals the arrival of what investors have dubbed the "180,000-won Samsung era." The company's market capitalization has reached approximately 1,071 trillion won, exceeding the combined valuation of the Kosdaq market, which stands at around 600 trillion won.
Samsung now accounts for nearly 28.2 percent of the Kospi's total market capitalization of roughly 4,500 trillion won.
The surge was largely fueled by the company's announcement Thursday that it had begun mass production of its industry-leading HBM4 products, and started shipments to major clients.
The company originally planned to begin mass shipments of HBM4 shortly after the Lunar New Year holiday next week, but the schedule was reportedly brought forward by a week following discussions with key customers, including Nvidia.
The development is widely viewed as placing Samsung ahead of rivals in the next-generation technology and easing market concerns about its competitiveness in the HBM segment.
Brokerages quickly raised their price targets, citing stronger earnings prospects and improved fundamentals. Major securities firms, including KB Securities, projected that Samsung's operating profit could exceed 170 trillion won this year, lifting their target price to as high as 240,000 won.
"Samsung Electronics is projected to account for about 9 percent of the combined operating profits of the world's top 10 companies in 2026, with operating profit estimated at 170 trillion won. Its share of global market capitalization remains at just around 3 percent," said Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities.
"This suggests considerable upside potential for the company's corporate value."
herim@heraldcorp.com
