Samsung posts record $57 trillion won operating profit

Apr 07, 2026, 03:18 pm

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Samsung Electronics earnings data graphic / Financial Supervisory Service, DART / Yonhap News

Samsung Electronics reported a record-breaking operating profit of 57.2 trillion won in the first quarter, marking the highest ever for a South Korean company.

According to data released by the Financial Supervisory Service on April 7, the company posted revenue of 133 trillion won, up 68.06% year-on-year, while operating profit surged 755.01% compared to the same period last year.

Market expectations had estimated operating profit at around 40 trillion won, with some forecasts suggesting it could exceed 50 trillion won. However, the actual figure far surpassed those projections. Notably, the quarterly revenue alone exceeded last year’s annual revenue of 43.6 trillion won, and it marked the first time Samsung’s quarterly sales topped 100 trillion won.

While detailed earnings by division were not disclosed, the Device Solutions (DS) division—responsible for semiconductors—is believed to have generated over 50 trillion won in operating profit, accounting for the bulk of the total.

Analysts attribute the strong performance to booming demand driven by the expansion of the artificial intelligence industry. As AI infrastructure investment accelerates, Samsung’s memory products, including DRAM and NAND, are seeing unprecedented demand.

Nvidia was also referenced in forecasts suggesting Samsung could surpass it to become the world’s top company in operating profit as early as next year.

KB Securities noted that AI data center companies are absorbing about 60% of Samsung’s DRAM and NAND shipments, adding that global AI infrastructure investment—expected to exceed 1,000 trillion won annually—is structurally driving memory demand.

The brokerage projected that Samsung could achieve operating profits of 327 trillion won in 2026 and 488 trillion won in 2027, potentially making it the global leader in operating profit. It also raised its target stock price for Samsung to 360,000 won.

Following the earnings announcement, Samsung’s stock price rose above 200,000 won during intraday trading. According to FnGuide, the consensus target price stands at 263,520 won.

Samsung is scheduled to release detailed earnings by business division on April 30 during its official earnings conference.

#Samsung Electronics #earnings #operating profit #AI demand #semiconductor