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Samsung Electronics projects optimistic third-quarter earnings of 2026, helped by growth in memory chips. This highlights how surging artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending is reshaping the global semiconductor industry.
Overview of Samsung's Q3’26 Earnings Estimate Forecast
Samsung announced its earnings guidance for the third quarter of 2026 on Oct. 8, 2026, projecting substantial increases in consolidated sales and operating profit on a year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter basis. The preliminary results indicate strong revenue growth alongside a significant improvement in operating profitability.
According to the announcement, Samsung expects consolidated sales of 195 trillion won, suggesting a 126.5% surge from the 86.06 trillion won reported in third-quarter 2025. It anticipates consolidated operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, which indicates 782.3% whopping growth for the third quarter of 2026.
Samsung reported sales of 171.5 trillion won and operating profit of 89.49 trillion won in second-quarter of 2026, marking quarter-over-quarter growth of 13.7% and 20.0%, respectively.
This suggests that Samsung expects its business performance to strengthen, with operating profit growing faster than revenues.
What Is Driving Samsung's Expected Earnings Growth?
The primary driver is the imbalance between demand for memory chips and available supply. AI data centers require substantial quantities of Dynamic Random-Access Memory, Not And storage and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which helps AI processors access large of data efficiently.
Samsung is benefiting from higher prices for conventional memory chips and growing demand for advanced HBM products. Its efforts to narrow the technology gap with rival SK Hynix (SKHY - Free Report) in advanced HBM production could also strengthen its position in the AI supply chain.
The shortage is not expected to disappear immediately. Samsung and U.S.-based Micron Technology (MU - Free Report) have indicated that tight memory supply could persist into 2028, supporting the industry's earnings outlook, per The Motley Fool, as quoted on Yahoo Finance. However, the pace of price increases is already showing signs of moderation, making the sustainability of profit growth a critical issue for investors.
Can the Memory Chip Boom Last?
If memory-price increases continue to moderate, investors may reassess earnings forecasts and valuations across the sector. Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron are benefiting from current supply constraints, but capacity expansion by existing manufacturers and new competitors could eventually ease the shortage. A faster-than-expected improvement in supply-demand conditions could weaken chip pricing and profit margins.
ETFs in Focus
Samsung’s results offer exposure opportunities through ETFs that focus on Samsung- heavy, South Korean equities, global memory-chip manufacturers and the broader semiconductor ETFs. They differ in how directly they capture Samsung’s earnings momentum.
Samsung-heavy ETFs
Samsung-heavy ETFs could benefit from the company’s record profit growth, driven by surging demand for AI memory chips and higher chip prices.
As Samsung accounts for a significant share of these ETFs’ portfolios, an increase in its stock price could lift their overall returns.
Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM - Free Report) is the basic memory technology behind modern computing, while HBM is its high-speed, AI-focused evolution. Samsungholds a massive weightage of 24.63%, MU has 29.17% and SK Hynix holds a 20.38% weightage (as of Oct. 16, 2026), which further accentuates the fund.
DRAM has assets under management worth $22.77 billion and an expense ratio of 0.65%. The fund trades at an average daily volume of 46 million shares (as of Oct. 16, 2026).
South Korea Equity ETFs
South Korea equity ETFs could benefit from Samsung Electronics’ record earnings as the company is one of South Korea’s largest publicly traded firms and a major contributor to its stock market performance.
Strong AI-driven memory-chip demand could also boost investor sentiment toward other South Korean semiconductor companies, such as SK Hynix. Gains across major technology stocks could support South Korea equity ETFs.
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY - Free Report) is one of the main U.S.-listed ETFs for gaining broad exposure to South Korean equities with a major memory-chip component.
Samsungholds a massive weightage of 22.91% and SK Hynix has 22.70% (as of Oct. 16, 2026). EWY has assets under management worth $23.62 billion and an expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund trades at an average daily volume of 17.25 million shares (as of Oct. 16, 2026).
Semiconductor ETFs
The forecast profit might have implications beyond Samsung itself. Semiconductor ETFs could benefit from Samsung’s third-quarter earnings growth as its profit highlights strong AI-driven demand for memory chips and improving pricing power across the semiconductor industry.
iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX - Free Report) is a semiconductor-focused ETF that provides exposure to companies across the semiconductor value chain, including chipmakers and semiconductor-equipment manufacturers.
SOXX warrants close attention, with a 7.45% weightage of MU (as of Oct. 16, 2026), making the ETF well-positioned to benefit from the memory chip surge.
SOXX has assets under management worth $44.66 billion and an expense ratio of 0.33%. The fund trades at a three-month average volume of 8.1 million shares (as of Oct. 16, 2026).
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Samsung Appears to Be a Good Bet Ahead of Q3: ETFs in Focus
Key Takeaways
Samsung Electronics projects optimistic third-quarter earnings of 2026, helped by growth in memory chips. This highlights how surging artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending is reshaping the global semiconductor industry.
Overview of Samsung's Q3’26 Earnings Estimate Forecast
Samsung announced its earnings guidance for the third quarter of 2026 on Oct. 8, 2026, projecting substantial increases in consolidated sales and operating profit on a year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter basis. The preliminary results indicate strong revenue growth alongside a significant improvement in operating profitability.
According to the announcement, Samsung expects consolidated sales of 195 trillion won, suggesting a 126.5% surge from the 86.06 trillion won reported in third-quarter 2025. It anticipates consolidated operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, which indicates 782.3% whopping growth for the third quarter of 2026.
Samsung reported sales of 171.5 trillion won and operating profit of 89.49 trillion won in second-quarter of 2026, marking quarter-over-quarter growth of 13.7% and 20.0%, respectively.
This suggests that Samsung expects its business performance to strengthen, with operating profit growing faster than revenues.
What Is Driving Samsung's Expected Earnings Growth?
The primary driver is the imbalance between demand for memory chips and available supply. AI data centers require substantial quantities of Dynamic Random-Access Memory, Not And storage and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which helps AI processors access large of data efficiently.
Samsung is benefiting from higher prices for conventional memory chips and growing demand for advanced HBM products. Its efforts to narrow the technology gap with rival SK Hynix (SKHY - Free Report) in advanced HBM production could also strengthen its position in the AI supply chain.
The shortage is not expected to disappear immediately. Samsung and U.S.-based Micron Technology (MU - Free Report) have indicated that tight memory supply could persist into 2028, supporting the industry's earnings outlook, per The Motley Fool, as quoted on Yahoo Finance. However, the pace of price increases is already showing signs of moderation, making the sustainability of profit growth a critical issue for investors.
Can the Memory Chip Boom Last?
If memory-price increases continue to moderate, investors may reassess earnings forecasts and valuations across the sector. Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron are benefiting from current supply constraints, but capacity expansion by existing manufacturers and new competitors could eventually ease the shortage. A faster-than-expected improvement in supply-demand conditions could weaken chip pricing and profit margins.
ETFs in Focus
Samsung’s results offer exposure opportunities through ETFs that focus on Samsung- heavy, South Korean equities, global memory-chip manufacturers and the broader semiconductor ETFs. They differ in how directly they capture Samsung’s earnings momentum.
Samsung-heavy ETFs
Samsung-heavy ETFs could benefit from the company’s record profit growth, driven by surging demand for AI memory chips and higher chip prices.
As Samsung accounts for a significant share of these ETFs’ portfolios, an increase in its stock price could lift their overall returns.
Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM - Free Report) is the basic memory technology behind modern computing, while HBM is its high-speed, AI-focused evolution. Samsungholds a massive weightage of 24.63%, MU has 29.17% and SK Hynix holds a 20.38% weightage (as of Oct. 16, 2026), which further accentuates the fund.
DRAM has assets under management worth $22.77 billion and an expense ratio of 0.65%. The fund trades at an average daily volume of 46 million shares (as of Oct. 16, 2026).
South Korea Equity ETFs
South Korea equity ETFs could benefit from Samsung Electronics’ record earnings as the company is one of South Korea’s largest publicly traded firms and a major contributor to its stock market performance.
Strong AI-driven memory-chip demand could also boost investor sentiment toward other South Korean semiconductor companies, such as SK Hynix. Gains across major technology stocks could support South Korea equity ETFs.
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY - Free Report) is one of the main U.S.-listed ETFs for gaining broad exposure to South Korean equities with a major memory-chip component.
Samsungholds a massive weightage of 22.91% and SK Hynix has 22.70% (as of Oct. 16, 2026). EWY has assets under management worth $23.62 billion and an expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund trades at an average daily volume of 17.25 million shares (as of Oct. 16, 2026).
Semiconductor ETFs
The forecast profit might have implications beyond Samsung itself. Semiconductor ETFs could benefit from Samsung’s third-quarter earnings growth as its profit highlights strong AI-driven demand for memory chips and improving pricing power across the semiconductor industry.
iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX - Free Report) is a semiconductor-focused ETF that provides exposure to companies across the semiconductor value chain, including chipmakers and semiconductor-equipment manufacturers.
SOXX warrants close attention, with a 7.45% weightage of MU (as of Oct. 16, 2026), making the ETF well-positioned to benefit from the memory chip surge.
SOXX has assets under management worth $44.66 billion and an expense ratio of 0.33%. The fund trades at a three-month average volume of 8.1 million shares (as of Oct. 16, 2026).