Goldman Sachs: SK Hynix's 40 trillion won buyback is just the beginning, expects another 70 trillion won on the way

According to TechFlow Research, Goldman Sachs pointed out in its August 19 research report that SK Hynix announced after hours a 40 trillion won (approximately 28.3 billion USD) stock buyback and cancellation plan, equivalent to canceling approximately 3.3% of issued shares; the buyback will start on August 20 and be executed within three months. Goldman Sachs maintained its Buy rating and target price of 3.5 million won, representing 133% upside compared to the current 1.5 million won. Goldman Sachs estimates cumulative free cash flow from 2025 to 2027 will be approximately 252 trillion won; based on a shareholder return ratio of approximately 55%, this would ultimately return approximately 140 trillion won to shareholders, and after deducting this 40 trillion won buyback and approximately 30 trillion won in dividends, there is still approximately 70 trillion won of additional buyback capacity. The research report indicates that the company hinted this is not a one-off event, and more follow-up buyback and dividend plans will be announced at the Q3 earnings conference at the end of October. This buyback can cancel approximately 24 million shares, far exceeding the 17.7 million share dilution effect brought by the recent ADR listing. Goldman Sachs raised its expected shareholder return rates for 2026 and 2027 to 3.5% and 8%, respectively, and raised its earnings per share forecasts for 2026 to 2028 by 4%, 10%, and 10%, respectively. The current stock price corresponds to a P/E ratio of approximately 3.8 times for 2026 and approximately 3.0 times for 2027; Goldman Sachs believes the valuation is still at the lower end of the historical range.