SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.10 EPS

SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.10, Zacks reports. SK Telecom had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 2.84%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion.

Here are the key takeaways from SK Telecom’s conference call:

• SK Telecom reported Q1 consolidated revenue of KRW 4.3923 trillion (up 1.5% Q/Q) and operating income of KRW 537.6 billion, stating results have recovered to pre-cybersecurity-incident levels.
• The company resumed quarterly dividends with Q1 DPS of KRW 830, plans to pursue stable dividend payments for 2026 and transferred KRW 1.7 trillion to retained earnings to enable tax-exempt year-end dividends.
• MNO saw roughly 210,000 handset net adds in Q1 and intends to grow subscribers by targeting high‑LTV segments while avoiding excessive spend, prioritizing profitability.
• AI/data‑center revenue grew ~89% YoY; SKT is expanding capacity (Gasan, Pangyo, Ulsan, planned Seoul sites) and pursuing global partners, but it has not disclosed detailed AIDC profitability metrics beyond saying they are comparable to telecom.

SK Telecom Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SKM traded up $1.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $37.81. 2,546,749 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,006,170. The company’s 50 day moving average is $32.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.51 billion, a PE ratio of 63.01, a PEG ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. SK Telecom has a 52 week low of $19.66 and a 52 week high of $40.49.

Institutional Trading of SK Telecom

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SKM. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of SK Telecom during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SK Telecom during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of SK Telecom during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SK Telecom during the 1st quarter worth approximately $85,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of SK Telecom by 408.9% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 4,265 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 3,427 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on SKM. Zacks Research lowered SK Telecom from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. HSBC raised SK Telecom from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised SK Telecom from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered SK Telecom from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of SK Telecom from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom Co, Ltd. (NYSE:SKM) is South Korea’s largest wireless carrier, offering a comprehensive range of mobile telecommunications services. The company operates 5G, 4G LTE and IoT networks, providing voice, data and messaging solutions to consumers and businesses. Beyond traditional wireless services, SK Telecom delivers fixed-line broadband, digital content platforms, cloud computing and cybersecurity offerings designed to support enterprise digital transformation and the growing demand for high-speed connectivity.

Established in 1984 as Korea Mobile Telecommunications Services, SK Telecom pioneered cellular service commercialization in South Korea and has continually expanded into new technology areas.