Samsung Electronics' Seocho headquarters in Seoul. [Yonhap News Agency] 사진 확대 Samsung Electronics’ Seocho headquarters in Seoul. [Yonhap News Agency]

The number of retail shareholders holding Samsung Electronics stock approached 8 million in the first half of this year. Given that the adult population of the Republic of Korea stands at 43 million, that means one in five adults owns Samsung Electronics shares.

According to Yonhap News Agency and the Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System (DART) on the 14th, Samsung Electronics’ semiannual report showed that as of the end of June, the number of retail shareholders had reached a record 7,971,242. That was up by about 2.92 million from 5,049,985 a year earlier at the end of June last year.

Retail shareholders held 66.24% of Samsung Electronics’ total outstanding shares. Compared with the end of last year, when there were 4,195,927 retail shareholders, the number rose by about 3.77 million in six months.

Samsung Electronics extended its weakness in the second half of 2024 before rebounding in the latter half of last year. Its average share price rose from 65,087 won in July to 108,724 won in December.

By the end of January this year, it had climbed above 150,000 won, and on June 19 it hit a peak of 374,500 won.

Some existing investors moved to lock in profits, but expectations of further gains and a booming domestic stock market appear to have drawn in a large number of new individual investors.

Fueled by the stock investment craze, the number of retail shareholders in Samsung Electronics more than doubled in just one year, rising from 2,153,969 at the end of 2020 to 5,066,351 at the end of 2021. It then surpassed 6 million for the first time in September 2022.

This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.