Samsung Estimates Third-Quarter Profit at 107.40 Trillion Won Ahead of Final Results
Key Facts
Samsung Electronics estimated consolidated operating profit of about 107.40 trillion won in the third quarter of 2026, according to preliminary guidance published by the company on October 8, with sales estimated at 195 trillion won. The two figures are preliminary estimates, not final results, as the company scheduled its results call for October 29 at 10 a.m. Korea time. With this guidance, Samsung forecast operating profit of more than twice the previous quarter's level and far above profit in the same period last year. The company said the estimates are based on “K-IFRS” standards and that the two announced figures represent the midpoints of their respective ranges. It estimated sales in a range of 194 to 196 trillion won and operating profit in a range of 107.3 to 107.5 trillion won.
On a quarterly basis, Samsung forecast sales to rise 13.70% and operating profit to increase 20.01% compared with the second quarter of 2026. The company reported sales of 171.5 trillion won and operating profit of 89.49 trillion won in that quarter. The guidance means the expected increase in profit exceeded the estimated rise in sales, and would mark a new record for operating profit if the final figures confirm it. Estimated sales of 195 trillion won are above the previous quarter's level by an amount reflected in the growth rate announced by the company. This comparison places the guidance in the context of successive improvement during 2026, without resolving how much each business segment contributed to the expected performance.
The increase looks larger against the third quarter of 2025, when sales were 86.06 trillion won and operating profit was 12.17 trillion won. According to Samsung's Korean disclosure, estimated sales for the current third quarter are up 126.59% year on year, while estimated operating profit is up 782.50%. This annual rate applies to the company's preliminary estimate and does not describe an announced final result. The comparison also measures current guidance against figures for the same period last year, not against market expectations. The arithmetic comparison base explains the scale of the growth rate, while the estimated profit figure itself, at 107.40 trillion won, remains the central number in the guidance.
Second-quarter results provide context for reading Samsung's outlook for the memory business, although the preliminary third-quarter guidance does not break out its effect on the new profit estimate. In the second quarter, the Device Solutions division posted consolidated revenue of 127.5 trillion won and operating profit of 89.2 trillion won, and the company said its memory business achieved record quarterly revenue and profit. In its results for that quarter, Samsung forecast continued strength in memory demand in the second half of 2026, with demand centered on servers. The company attributed its outlook to continued spending on AI infrastructure and broader adoption of agentic AI. It also said demand growth for server memory, solid-state drives and high-bandwidth memory was set to accelerate, with supply remaining tight despite increased production and a partial moderation in demand for phones and PCs expected.
Samsung's shares did not immediately reflect the strength of the guidance, falling 2.4% on October 8 and contributing to a 2.6% decline in the Kospi index, according to The Associated Press. The agency reported that the strong guidance was not enough to satisfy investors that day. In trading on October 28, EL7 data recorded the shares' close at 4524, without specifying the currency. That close came ahead of the results call scheduled for the following day, and the available facts do not include a daily high or low for that date. The call scheduled for October 29 remains the next milestone for the results announcement, with the company expected to provide final third-quarter figures following the preliminary guidance published on October 8.