Foreign investors cut Samsung holdings to an 18-year low as its quarterly profit tops 100 trillion won
Foreign ownership of Samsung Electronics fell to 46.38%, its lowest since January 2008, in the week Samsung posted a record 107 trillion won quarterly profit. The six points foreign funds sold went to domestic holders and a Samsung buyback that Yuanta Securities says has ended.
The Investor · Invest desk
Foreign ownership of Samsung Electronics fell from a peak of 52.40% early this year to 46.38% as of Thursday, down 6.02 percentage points and the lowest since Jan. 11, 2008.
| Measure | Value | As of | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak, early this year | 52.4% | Early this year | 2 |
| Lowest since Jan. 2008 | 46.38% | Thursday | 1 |
What happened
- SK hynix's foreign stake slipped below 50% in late September and stands at 49.59%, down from 54.64% early in the year after holding above half since 2023.
- The Samsung stake broke below 50% in March amid the shock from the Middle East conflict, then reached the 48% range in May and the 47% range in July.
- Net foreign selling of Kospi shares has passed 197 trillion won so far this year.
- Foreign holdings across the Kospi electrical and electronics sector fell to 38.09% from 40.87% at the start of the year.
Why it matters
- Who's exposed exposure Any further foreign selling in Samsung now lands on domestic holders alone, since the company's own buyback is no longer bidding for shares.
- What it limits constraint A record quarter did not turn foreign flows. The trigger Yuanta's Lee names for their return is a calmer US bond market.
- Who has to decide decision Local funds weighing whether to buy now are being told by Yuanta to wait until foreign selling eases, even though the same analyst calls chip fundamentals solid.
Next story · Invest · 22h ago
Hot US inflation hit a Kospi whose 55 trillion won of chipmaker buybacks had wound downConfirmed4 publishers
Foreign investors' slice of Samsung fell from 52.40% early this year to 46.38% [2][1], so the slice held by everyone else rose from 47.60% to 53.62% [12]. The shift happened while the Kospi rallied [4]. One buyer is on the record: Samsung itself, through a share buyback whose end weakened buying support, according to Yuanta Securities analyst Lee Jae-won [15]. The coverage does not say which domestic investors took the rest, or how Samsung's own share price moved over the period.
The selling reached past one name. SK hynix lost 5.05 points of foreign ownership over the same stretch [13], slightly less than Samsung's 6.02 [2]. Seoul Economic Daily compared Samsung's current level with December 1998, when the aftershocks of the IMF currency crisis still lingered [16].
Samsung's preliminary 107.4 trillion won of operating profit came on 195 trillion won of revenue [7], a margin of about 55% [14]. Lee's explanation for why it moved no foreign money is that the result was largely anticipated and did little to lift forecasts for 2027 and beyond [8]. Higher US bond yields, oil prices and selling pressure overshadowed it, he said [15]. "Strong earnings alone are unlikely to reverse investor flows in the current environment," Lee said. "Political and geopolitical events do not automatically bring foreign investors back." [10]
In the version Lee's advice implies, the selling is tied to US yields and oil, and a calmer bond market is what lets foreign funds return [15][9]. The domestic holders who took six points were then simply early. In a second version, foreign funds are treating a 55% margin as a memory-cycle high and selling the 2027 forecasts the quarter failed to raise [14][8]. In a third, foreign selling carries on at this year's pace and domestic holders absorb it without the company's buyback [6][15].
We think the third case is the one to size for, or rather, it is the only one of the three that the record already shows happening. Seoul Economic Daily reported concern that the market's underlying strength is weakening sharply regardless of corporate earnings or external conditions [19]. The view is wrong if the next Korea Exchange prints show the foreign stake climbing off Tuesday's 46.37% [18] while US yields stay high. In that case the selling would have run out on its own, with no help from the bond market.
What to watch
- Weekly Korea Exchange ownership data: a Samsung foreign stake back above Tuesday's 46.37% low, or SK hynix getting back to 50%.
- US bond yields, since Yuanta's Lee wants calmer US bond markets before investors add to Samsung positions.
- Samsung's final third-quarter accounts, and whether it announces another buyback now that the last one has ended.
Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence82
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+10
- Incentives
- Not scored
- Confidence74
Perspective Coverage
3 publishers- Builder
- Builder 7%
- Operator
- Operator 13%
- Investor
- Investor 80%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Foreign investors held 46.38 percent of Samsung Electronics shares as of Thursday, according to Korea Exchange data, the lowest since Jan. 11, 2008, when the stake stood at 46.35 percent.
- [2]
Samsung's foreign ownership is down 6.02 percentage points from a peak of 52.40 percent early this year.
- [3]
Foreign ownership of Samsung fell below 50% in March amid the shock from the Middle East conflict, reached the 48% range in May and the 47% range in July, and dropped to the low 46% range this month.
- [4]
Samsung's foreign ownership ratio continued to slide even during the KOSPI rally.
- [5]
Foreign ownership of SK hynix fell to 49.59%, from 54.64% early this year; it had held above 50% since 2023, reached 56.41% in 2024, and slipped below 50% starting late September.
- [6]
Net foreign selling of Kospi shares has exceeded 197 trillion won this year.
- [7]
Samsung reported preliminary third-quarter operating profit of 107.4 trillion won on revenue of 195 trillion won, making it the first South Korean company to exceed 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit.
- [8]
Lee said the strong earnings were largely anticipated and likely limited their ability to lift forecasts for 2027 and beyond, or draw foreign investors back.
- [9]
Lee said semiconductor fundamentals remained solid, citing memory prices and AI server supply chain bottlenecks, and advised investors to watch for calmer US bond markets and easing foreign selling before adding to positions.
- [10]
"Strong earnings alone are unlikely to reverse investor flows in the current environment," Lee said. "Political and geopolitical events do not automatically bring foreign investors back."
- [11]
Foreign holdings in the KOSPI electrical and electronics sector fell to 38.09% from 40.87% at the start of the year.
- [12]
The share of Samsung held by non-foreign holders rose from 47.60% to 53.62%.
- [13]
SK hynix's foreign ownership fell 5.05 percentage points this year.
- [14]
Samsung's preliminary third-quarter operating margin was about 55%.
- [15]
Yuanta Securities analyst Lee Jae-won said higher US bond yields, oil prices and selling pressure had overshadowed Samsung's earnings improvement, while the end of its share buyback weakened buying support.
- [16]
Samsung's foreign ownership level is comparable to December 1998, when the aftershocks of the IMF currency crisis still lingered.
- [17]
Foreign holdings in the KOSPI electrical and electronics sector fell 2.78 percentage points this year.
- [18]
Foreign ownership of Samsung touched 46.37 percent on Tuesday, its lowest since Jan. 11, 2008.
- [19]
Foreign selling has fueled concern that the underlying strength of the domestic market is weakening sharply regardless of corporate earnings or external conditions.
Sources
3 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- en.sedaily.comForeign Ownership of Samsung Falls to Financial-Crisis Level
1 article · October 10, 2026
- koreaherald.comForeign ownership of Samsung falls to 18-year low
1 article · October 10, 2026
- koreajoongangdaily.comForeign stake in Samsung hits 2009 low
1 article · October 11, 2026