On the 17th in early trading, SK Square hit a 52-week high. It is seen as stemming from the rising appeal of SK hynix's dividends.
As of 9:40 a.m., SK Square was trading on the Korea Exchange at 1,576,000 won, up 75,000 won (5%) from the previous session. In early trading, it changed hands at 1,612,000 won, setting a new high again.
Expectations for SK hynix's shareholder returns are seen lifting the share price. SK Square is an intermediate holding company that owns 20.5% equity in SK hynix.
Choi Gwansoon of SK Securities said, "Expectations for gains in the value of holdings and for expanded shareholder returns remain intact," adding, "In particular, from 2026, SK hynix's earnings improvement is expected to meaningfully begin, leading to direct benefits from expanded shareholder returns." He raised the target price to 1.85 million won.
Earlier, SK hynix released a new dividend policy to raise its fixed dividend per share for 2025–2027 to 1,500 won from 1,200 won and to use 50% of the free cash flow (FCF) generated over three years as resources for shareholder returns.
Choi said, "SK hynix's 2025 FCF and cash dividends are each expected to be 21.5 trillion won and 2.1 trillion won," adding, "Based on FnGuide consensus, FCF in 2026 and 2027 is projected to reach 146 trillion won and 240 trillion won, respectively, so expectations are high for larger shareholder returns under the FCF-based dividend policy going forward."