SK Hynix Q2 Profit Soars Sixfold, Still 'Misses Expectations'; Secures Long-Term Agreements with 10 Clients, HBM4 to Accelerate Volume Ramp in Second Half
SK Hynix reported record-breaking Q2 2026 financial results, with operating profit soaring 557% year-over-year to 60.5 trillion won and revenue increasing 257% to 79.3 trillion won, driven by strong demand for AI server memory, HBM, and enterprise SSDs. The operating profit margin reached 76.3%. However, both figures fell short of analyst expectations, leading to a drop in its share price.
The company attributed the earnings miss to three factors: a high sales mix of HBM, which limited upside from surging prices of general-purpose DRAM; a deceleration in memory price increases compared to Q1; and long-term supply agreements (LTAs) with major customers that lock in prices, reducing sensitivity to spot market gains. SK Hynix has signed LTAs with about 10 clients, covering roughly half of its sales.
Despite the miss, the company remains optimistic about AI-driven demand. Its net profit of 93.9 trillion won was significantly boosted by a one-time gain from the partial sale of its Kioxia stake. Financially, it strengthened its cash position, ending the quarter with a net cash position of 69.4 trillion won. Looking ahead, SK Hynix plans capital expenditures at the high end of its 40-50 trillion won range for 2026 to expand capacity for HBM and advanced NAND products, including accelerating the mass production of HBM4 in the second half of the year.
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