SK Hynix Q3 2026 Earnings Date: Can HBM4 Demand Deliver Another Record Profit?

Key Takeaways

• The SK Hynix Q3 2026 earnings date is Wednesday, October 28, with the results scheduled before 9:00 a.m. Korea Standard Time.
• Analysts expect record quarterly revenue of approximately KRW 98.23 trillion and operating profit of KRW 76.96 trillion.
• HBM4 shipments, conventional DRAM price increases and enterprise NAND demand will be the main operating catalysts.
• SK Hynix will also announce new shareholder-return measures, although a reported KRW 16 trillion special dividend has not been confirmed.

SK Hynix will report its third-quarter 2026 financial results on Wednesday as investors assess whether surging artificial intelligence infrastructure demand can extend the memory-chip maker’s record earnings streak.

Expectations are exceptionally high. Analysts forecast another sharp increase in revenue and operating profit as shipments of high-bandwidth memory expand and tight supplies lift prices across conventional DRAM and NAND products.

Beyond the headline figures, investors will focus on HBM4 production, contracts with major AI customers and a possible expansion of shareholder returns.

When Is the SK Hynix Q3 2026 Earnings Date?

The official SK Hynix Q3 2026 earnings date is October 28, 2026.

The company will publish its earnings release before 9:00 a.m. Korea Standard Time. A conference call with consecutive Korean-English interpretation will begin at 9:00 a.m. KST.

The corresponding schedule for major markets is:

The timing means the results should become available after Tuesday’s US trading session but before the South Korean stock market opens on Wednesday.

SK Hynix shares trade under ticker 000660 on the Korea Exchange, while its American depositary shares trade under the ticker SKHY on Nasdaq.

What Does Wall Street Expect From SK Hynix?

Analysts expect SK Hynix to report another record quarter.

The latest FnGuide consensus calls for consolidated revenue of approximately KRW 98.23 trillion, equivalent to about $74 billion. Operating profit is projected at KRW 76.96 trillion, or roughly $58 billion.

Compared with the same period last year, consensus estimates imply revenue growth of approximately 302% and an operating-profit increase of roughly 576%.

The projected operating margin of more than 78% would be extraordinary for a semiconductor manufacturer. It would also demonstrate how severely limited memory supply and rapidly rising average selling prices have shifted pricing power toward producers.

HBM4 Shipments Become the Main Earnings Catalyst

SK Hynix’s leadership in high-bandwidth memory remains central to the earnings outlook.

HBM is used alongside graphics processors and other AI accelerators to move large volumes of data rapidly while controlling power consumption. Demand has increased as technology companies build larger data centers and train increasingly complex artificial intelligence models.

SK Hynix began mass shipments of HBM4 during the second quarter and said production would ramp up during the second half of 2026. The company also reported that the product met customer requirements for speed while delivering competitive power efficiency and manufacturing costs.

The third-quarter report should therefore provide the first clearer indication of how much HBM4 is contributing to revenue and margins.

Investors will be looking for updates on:

• The pace of HBM4 production and customer qualification
• HBM4 supply for Nvidia’s next-generation AI platforms
• HBM3E and HBM4 average selling prices
• Production yields and advanced packaging capacity
• Progress on HBM4E samples and commercialization
• Long-term supply agreements with hyperscale customers

SK Hynix previously said it had finalized long-term agreements with around 10 customers and was discussing additional multiyear contracts. Any increase in committed orders could strengthen expectations that the AI memory cycle will continue through 2027 and beyond.

Conventional DRAM and NAND Prices May Provide a Second Growth Engine

The earnings story extends beyond HBM.

Conventional DRAM supplies have tightened as manufacturers allocate more production capacity to high-value AI memory. At the same time, data-center operators require increasing quantities of server DRAM and enterprise solid-state storage.

Analysts estimate that SK Hynix’s DRAM average selling prices may have risen approximately 21% from the second quarter. That would follow a roughly 30% sequential increase during Q2. NAND prices increased by more than 50% in the previous quarter, supported by enterprise storage demand and disciplined industry supply.

This broader price recovery is important because it reduces SK Hynix’s dependence on a single product category. Rising prices for server DRAM, conventional memory and enterprise SSDs could allow the company to maintain high profitability even if HBM shipment growth moderates.

Management’s outlook for fourth-quarter pricing may therefore prove as important as the reported Q3 numbers.

Will SK Hynix Announce a $12 Billion Special Dividend?

Shareholder returns could become one of the largest catalysts during the earnings announcement.

South Korean media reported that SK Hynix was considering a special dividend of approximately KRW 16 trillion, equivalent to about $12 billion. The proposed funding could partly come from proceeds related to the company’s investment in Japanese memory manufacturer Kioxia.

SK Hynix has not confirmed the reported dividend amount. The company said only that it was reviewing several options to enhance shareholder value and would announce additional measures alongside its third-quarter results.

Possible measures could include:

• A special cash dividend
• An expansion of the existing share-repurchase program
• Additional share cancellations
• A higher recurring dividend
• A revised framework linking distributions to free cash flow

The distinction is important. Investors should not treat the reported KRW 16 trillion payment as confirmed until SK Hynix publishes its board-approved plan.

Record Earnings May Not Be Enough for SK Hynix Stock

SK Hynix enters the report with a high expectations problem.

The company delivered record second-quarter revenue of KRW 79.32 trillion and operating profit of KRW 60.54 trillion. Revenue increased 257% year over year, while operating profit surged 557%.

Despite those extraordinary growth rates, the stock fell after the announcement because both revenue and operating profit missed elevated market forecasts. Investors also questioned whether AI companies could continue financing enormous infrastructure programs as interest rates and corporate borrowing costs increased.

That reaction illustrates the challenge facing SK Hynix this quarter. Simply reporting record earnings may not be sufficient if:

• HBM4 shipments fall short of aggressive expectations
• Management signals slower customer spending
• Capital expenditure rises faster than free cash flow
• Conventional memory price growth begins to moderate
• Shareholder returns disappoint the market
• New capacity threatens the current supply shortage

Conversely, an earnings beat combined with strong HBM4 guidance and a substantial capital-return plan could reinforce the company’s position as one of the largest beneficiaries of global AI investment.

Why SK Hynix Earnings Matter for Other Chip Stocks

The report will provide a significant read-through for Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology and the broader semiconductor sector.

SK Hynix is a major supplier of memory used with Nvidia and other AI accelerators. Its comments about customer orders can therefore offer clues about future demand for GPUs, servers, networking equipment and data-center power infrastructure.

Strong HBM pricing and long-term supply commitments would support the view that AI hardware demand remains supply-constrained. Weakening orders or customer requests to delay deliveries would intensify concerns that the industry has invested too aggressively.

The report arrives after the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell more than 20% from its October high, briefly entering technical bear-market territory. Even strong results from several major chip companies have recently received muted or negative stock-market reactions as investors focus on AI financing risks.

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What to Watch During the SK Hynix Earnings Call

The most important questions for the October 28 conference call will be:

1. How quickly will HBM4 shipments increase during the fourth quarter?
2. Is HBM capacity already committed for 2027?
3. How much further can DRAM and NAND prices rise?
4. Will supply shortages persist as new factories begin production?
5. How much will SK Hynix spend on capacity and advanced packaging?
6. What shareholder-return measures have been approved?
7. Are higher interest rates affecting AI customers’ infrastructure plans?

SK Hynix is expected to deliver another quarter of exceptional growth, but the stock’s reaction will depend on more than the headline profit figure. HBM4 guidance, future pricing, capital expenditure and the shareholder-return announcement will determine whether record earnings are enough to satisfy investors.