Foreign investors keep trimming their exposure to Samsung Electronics even as the company prepares to report one of the strongest quarters in its history. Their stake in the South Korean tech giant has slipped to 46.38%, after touching 46.37% on Tuesday — the lowest level in roughly 18 years. The retreat marks a 6.02 percentage point decline from this year’s peak of 52.40%, and it has unfolded against a broader wave of offshore selling across the Kospi, where net foreign outflows have already topped 197 trillion won in 2026.
Yuanta Securities analysts point to elevated US bond yields, rising oil prices and persistent selling pressure as the main drags on demand for the stock. Their read separates two distinct stories: Samsung’s core business continues to ride the AI boom, while the capital markets backdrop is pushing foreign money toward the exits. In that environment, the brokerage argues, strong earnings alone are unlikely to reverse the tide of outbound capital flows.
A Buyer Steps Away
Complicating the picture further, Samsung’s share buyback program wrapped up on Tuesday, removing a source of corporate demand just as overseas investors continue to sell. That combination can blunt the market’s response to otherwise bullish company news, though the end of a repurchase plan does not by itself guarantee further declines.
The operational counterweight remains substantial. Last week Samsung guided toward a preliminary operating profit of 107.4 trillion won on revenue of 195 trillion won for the third quarter of 2026 — a record figure that stands in sharp contrast to the foreign pullback. According to Reuters, demand for memory chips used in AI infrastructure, including HBM, is powering the business. The upswing is not evenly spread across the conglomerate, however: higher component prices are weighing on consumer electronics, and the foundry division continues to face headwinds. A memory boom, in other words, should not be mistaken for across-the-board strength.
Supply-Chain Rumble in Mobile
A separate thread has emerged around Samsung’s handset operations. Media reports on Thursday said the Mobile eXperience division has asked suppliers to cut product deliveries by 20% to 30% in the fourth quarter of 2026, citing sharply higher memory costs. Samsung has not publicly confirmed the reported reduction.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Samsung Electronics?
For investors, this touches a different layer than group-level earnings: it hints at possible pressure on the mobile unit’s supply planning. Yet a request to suppliers does not establish that production cuts have actually been implemented, nor does it prove a corresponding drop in sales. The report’s own caveat matters most — the delivery reduction is not a publicly confirmed corporate announcement. It offers a signal of possible cost trouble, not a firm basis for revising profit estimates.
The stock came under pressure on Friday amid a weak technology tape, falling 2.4% on the day. The pullback extended a sell-off that had already hit Samsung on Thursday, when media reports cited selling by foreign and institutional investors as well as profit-taking after the earnings guidance. Nvidia, Broadcom and Micron also declined. Other coverage pointed to higher oil prices and inflation worries weighing on the South Korean market, which means Samsung’s weakness cannot be read purely as a reaction to company-specific news.
What the October 29 Call Must Answer
Samsung has scheduled the release of its full quarterly results and an accompanying conference call for October 29, 2026. The key question for investors is whether management addresses the reported supply adjustments and explains the impact of higher memory costs.
Until then, the dividing line is clear: the earnings guidance comes from Samsung itself, while the possible cut to delivery orders remains an unconfirmed media report. A group-wide profit forecast, after all, does not answer every question about how individual divisions are faring — and a record headline number has so far failed to spark a turnaround in foreign capital flows. More durable support would likely require easing selling pressure to accompany the earnings strength, a shift that has yet to materialize.
Ad
Samsung Electronics Stock: Buy or Sell?! New Samsung Electronics Analysis from October 11 delivers the answer:
The latest Samsung Electronics figures speak for themselves: Urgent action needed for Samsung Electronics investors. Is it worth buying or should you sell? Find out what to do now in the current free analysis from October 11.
Samsung Electronics: Buy or sell? Read more here...
