Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SSNLF) reported fourth-quarter revenue of 93.8 trillion Korean won, a 24% increase year-over-year, surpassing the LSEG SmartEstimate consensus of 93.318 trillion won. Operating profit for the quarter climbed over 200% to 20.1 trillion won, beating the expected 20.018 trillion won and exceeding the previous record of 17.6 trillion won set in Q3 2018. These results also matched the company’s own guidance of around 20 trillion won for the period.

The memory business set all-time highs for both quarterly revenue and operating profit, fueled by a broad market price surge and strong sales of high-value-added products. Samsung’s strategic shift toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) paid off, with HBM sales accounting for a significant portion of segment revenue. Elevated average selling prices across DRAM and NAND product lines contributed substantially to year-over-year margin expansion.

Global demand for AI server components, particularly from leading chipset makers, intensified competition for limited HBM supply. Samsung’s focus on supplying HBM for data-center accelerators positioned it to capitalize on a market where demand continues to outpace capacity. The resulting shortage of memory chips for PCs and mobile devices further lifted average selling prices, benefiting both Samsung and its industry peers.

SSNLF reaffirmed its commitment to ramping up production capacity for advanced memory technologies in 2026, with planned capital expenditures concentrated on fabrication facilities for HBM and next-generation DRAM. Management indicated that investments will be prioritized to sustain technology leadership and meet long-term demand from hyperscale cloud providers. Shareholders can expect continued cash returns through dividends and share repurchases, aligned with the company’s robust free cash flow generation.