Samsung Electronics plans record shareholder return of up to $79.6 bil.

t Samsung Electronics expects to return up to 110 trillion won ($79.6 billion) to shareholders this year, marking the largest shareholder payout ever by a domestic company.

The chipmaker announced Friday that its board approved a shareholder-return plan totaling an estimated 90 trillion won to 110 trillion won for 2026, including about 30 trillion won in cash dividends to be paid in the third quarter.

The exact amount and terms will be finalized at a board meeting in late October.

The figure is nearly five times the company’s previous annual record of about 20.3 trillion won in 2020 and more than nine times its regular annual dividend of 9.8 trillion won under its current three-year policy.

The large payout comes in the final year of the company’s shareholder-return policy from 2024 to 2026, under which it pledged to use 50 percent of its free cash flow for shareholder returns. “The record shareholder return is intended to ensure that the benefits of the company’s growth are shared meaningfully with shareholders, helping sustain a virtuous cycle between its growth and enhanced sha