SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SKM) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SKM) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation, one has issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company.

SKM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HSBC raised shares of SK Telecom from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research upgraded SK Telecom from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded SK Telecom from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of SK Telecom from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of SK Telecom from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th.

SK Telecom Price Performance

NYSE SKM opened at $39.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $15.10 billion, a PE ratio of 31.48 and a beta of 0.64. SK Telecom has a 52 week low of $19.66 and a 52 week high of $47.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.41.

SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.96 billion. SK Telecom had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 5.59%. Research analysts predict that SK Telecom will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting SK Telecom

Here are the key news stories impacting SK Telecom this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI data-center spin-off attracts ₩3.08 trillion: SK Telecom is creating SK Horizon, a dedicated AI data-center infrastructure company, and plans to raise approximately ₩3.08 trillion through a partial sale and capital injection backed by KKR and IMM. The transaction provides funding and external validation for SKM’s AI growth strategy while allowing the new unit to pursue focused investment. SK Telecom to Raise ₩3.08 Trillion via Partial Sale and Capital Injection into New Data Center Unit SK Horizon
• Positive Sentiment: Infrastructure strategy gains investor focus: Coverage describes SK Horizon as a potential new AI growth engine and highlights the roughly $2.2 billion data-center deal. Separating the infrastructure business may improve decision-making, attract specialist capital and clarify the value of SK Telecom’s data-center operations. SK Telecom’s SK Horizon Spinoff: A New AI Growth Engine for SKM?
• Positive Sentiment: Cybersecurity AI partnership: SK Telecom is working with Upstage and AhnLab on an AI model for cybersecurity, supporting its broader effort to build AI-related products and services beyond traditional wireless communications. SK Telecom teams up with Upstage, AhnLab on AI model for cybersecurity
• Neutral Sentiment: Independent directors to receive treasury shares: SK Telecom plans to grant treasury shares to independent directors as bonus compensation. The move may align directors with shareholders, although investors could scrutinize the size and terms of the awards as part of governance and capital-allocation discussions. SK Telecom to Grant Treasury Shares to Independent Directors as Bonus Compensation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance remains cautious: SKM has received a consensus “Hold” rating, suggesting analysts see a balanced risk-reward profile while the company executes its AI and data-center transformation. SK Telecom Receives Consensus Rating of Hold

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SK Telecom

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in SK Telecom by 8.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 43,999 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 3,316 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SK Telecom in the 1st quarter valued at about $85,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of SK Telecom by 160.7% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 226,848 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $4,823,000 after acquiring an additional 139,829 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SK Telecom by 46.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 260,140 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $5,531,000 after purchasing an additional 83,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of SK Telecom by 10.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,732 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the last quarter.

SK Telecom Company Profile

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.