"A stock split like Samsung Electronics?"... The rumor keeping SK hynix shareholders up at night

[Financial News] As Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK, recently bought SK hynix shares himself and signaled confidence in the semiconductor business, a so-called "giraesi" rumor has spread, suggesting higher dividends and a possible stock split. Investors are now on edge.
According to News 1 on the 4th, a post titled "Why Chairman Chey Tae-won said to buy SK hynix" has been spreading rapidly across major stock and investment forums, including the anonymous workplace community NOW Talk, stoking investor sentiment.
In the post, the author, identified as A and believed to work for a large conglomerate, claimed that SK hynix plans to raise dividends to a level that would yield 2.5% based on a share price of 2 million won, and that it would consider a stock split like Samsung Electronics after assessing market conditions following the U.S. midterm elections. While acknowledging that the information was a "giraesi," A also left room for speculation, saying there could be a temporary increase in dividends, similar to Samsung Electronics' special dividend, during a period of sharply rising profits.
As the rumor spread, retail investors became sharply divided in their views.
Some investors expressed optimism, saying, "Even for a tech stock, it is not an impossible figure if you consider the high PER," and "I even prepared a loan so I can trade short term in line with the stock split and shareholder return policy momentum." Others were more skeptical, saying, "No matter how much profit it makes, the numbers are unrealistic," and "Competition from rivals in the High Bandwidth Memory market will intensify next year, but people are indulging in excessive wishful thinking."
However, the post is nothing more than an unverified rumor, and SK hynix has made no official announcement regarding higher dividends or a stock split.
The background to the rumor lies in Chey Tae-won's recent moves and remarks emphasizing responsible management. According to DART, Chey bought 3,620 common shares of SK hynix worth about 4.8 billion won on the open market on the 30th of last month. As a result, his holdings in SK hynix increased from zero shares to 3,620 shares.
SK said at the time that the purchase was intended to show confidence in the value of the semiconductor business and a commitment, as a major shareholder, to responsible management during the recent stock price decline.
Earlier, at the 49th KCCI Jeju Forum held in Jeju on the 17th of last month, Chey also expressed strong confidence in the business, saying in reference to SK hynix's stock price, "Don't buy and sell. Just hold on to it. I believe it will bring good results for asset preservation."
Market experts say a chief executive's stock purchase can be a positive signal of responsible management, but warn that using it as a trigger for unverified market rumors, excessive leveraged investing, or short-term trading is risky. A market source urged investors to "look carefully at objective indicators such as the company's earnings and the semiconductor industry outlook, rather than making investment decisions based only on unconfirmed rumors."


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