"Believed in Samsung at 500,000 won and Hynix at 3.2 million won" ... Retail investors bet 4 trillion won in a day

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[The Financial News] Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares plunged sharply, but individual investors instead launched record-breaking buying. As bullish forecasts poured in from the securities industry, including target prices of 500,000 won for Samsung Electronics and 3.2 million won for SK hynix, retail money flowed heavily into the leading semiconductor stocks.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 20th, Samsung Electronics closed at 273,500 won on the KOSPI Market the previous day, down 2.67% from the prior session. SK hynix ended the day at 1,719,000 won, plunging 6.58%.
Despite the stock price correction, individual investors made aggressive net purchases. On that day alone, they bought 213.41 billion won worth of Samsung Electronics shares on a net basis. They also purchased 216.32 billion won worth of SK hynix shares. Retail investors posted net buying in Samsung Electronics for a third straight session, while SK hynix extended its net buying streak to 10 consecutive trading days.
As of May, cumulative net buying by individual investors reached 1.02821 trillion won for Samsung Electronics and 1.4701 trillion won for SK hynix. The inflow is being interpreted as concentrated retail money entering the semiconductor rally.
The backdrop is an aggressive wave of target price upgrades from securities firms. On the 18th, Eugene Investment & Securities raised its target price for Samsung Electronics from 360,000 won to 500,000 won. Son In-jun, a researcher at Eugene Investment & Securities, said, "Strong demand for AI servers is lifting profitability across DRAM, NAND flash memory, and HBM products," and analyzed that "a prolonged memory supercycle and the potential for large-scale shareholder returns will drive Samsung Electronics' long-term stock gains."
Target price upgrades for SK hynix are also continuing. On the 18th, Mirae Asset Securities raised its target price for SK hynix from 2.7 million won to 3.2 million won. Kim Young-geon, a research analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, said that he had raised his earnings estimates to reflect stronger NAND prices.
\r\nIn addition, Kim said, "As forecast by market research firm TrendForce, the trend of rising Enterprise SSD adoption is expanding," and added that "the NAND market is highly likely to remain in a state of excess demand through 2027."
The securities industry sees expanding investment in AI servers and surging HBM demand as driving a structural shift in the memory market. In particular, as global big tech companies intensify their competition to invest in AI infrastructure, concerns over memory supply shortages are also growing.
However, concerns over short-term overheating and the possibility of profit-taking sell-offs remain key variables. With recent foreign selling, a sharp rise in U.S. interest rates, and increased exchange-rate volatility, the leading semiconductor stocks have also become more volatile.
\r\nA securities industry official said, "There is still a possibility of greater volatility following the recent short-term rally, but among individual investors, expectations for the structural growth of the AI semiconductor industry remain strong." The official added, "As long as the outlook for expanding memory demand centered on HBM and AI servers continues, the long-term buying trend in leading semiconductor stocks is likely to persist for some time."
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dschoi@fnnews.com Choi Du-seon Reporter