SK Square surged in early trading after joining the so-called “emperor stock” club, a term for shares priced at 1 million won or more.
According to the Korea Exchange, SK Square was trading at 1.10 million won as of 9:24 a.m. on Tuesday, up 109,000 won, or 11.00%, from the previous session. It briefly climbed to 1.149 million won, setting a new intraday record high.
Its market capitalization rose to about 145 trillion won, ranking it roughly third on the benchmark KOSPI behind Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Its market-cap weighting expanded to the mid-2% range.
The rally has been attributed to a sharp rise in the value of key subsidiary SK hynix, as an AI-driven boom in memory semiconductors has highlighted the value of SK Square’s stake.
Investor sentiment has also been supported by an aggressive shareholder-return policy. SK Square has continued share buybacks and cancellations in recent years and is also planning a 200 billion won cash dividend this year, raising expectations for improved shareholder value.
Analysts are watching whether structural changes in the semiconductor cycle could further lift SK Square’s valuation.
“A trend toward ‘layering of computing’ driven by the spread of AI is expanding overall memory demand, not only for HBM but also for server DRAM and eSSD,” said Ahn Jaemin, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. “If this trend continues, SK Square’s value is likely to rise alongside improved results at SK hynix.”
He added that a stronger virtuous cycle could take hold, with cash inflows from higher subsidiary dividends feeding back into shareholder returns and semiconductor-related investment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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