---
endpoint: analytics
pattern: Technology
status: done
latency_ms: 139524
conversation_id: 1af64df9-64cd-4967-a565-534d19c91353
citations: 3
created: 2026-05-31 18:12:25Z
---

# Who are the key shareholders of Samsung Electronics?

## Samsung Electronics (005930-KR) — Key Shareholders

### Largest shareholders (≥5% voting interest, as of 30 June 2025)

Per Samsung Electronics' own DART interim report (Q2 2025), the shareholders disclosed as holding more than 5% of voting shares are [3]:

| Shareholder | Shares (m) | Share ratio | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Samsung Life Insurance** | 509.0 | **8.60%** | Including special accounts; serves as the formal largest shareholder |
| **National Pension Service (NPS)** | 448.1 | **7.57%** | Korea's national pension fund |
| **BlackRock Fund Advisors** | 300.4 | **5.07%** | Based on a Feb-2019 mass-holding disclosure (stale; carried forward in filings) |
| **Samsung C&T Corporation** | 298.8 | **5.05%** | Group affiliate / cross-holding |

CLSA's 11-Jun-2025 Samsung Electronics initiation/recap note ("O-PF, Weak 2Q but valuation support") flags the same two majors on its cover page — **Samsung Life 8.6%** and **NPS 7.3%** — alongside a **49.8% foreign shareholding** and an estimated **74.1% free float** on 6,792.7m shares in issue [1].

### Group / family control layer (the "real" controller)

Samsung Electronics' formal top shareholder is **Samsung Life Insurance**, but the practical control sits in the Lee family through a chain that runs *Lee Jae-yong → Samsung C&T → Samsung Life → Samsung Electronics*:

- **Samsung Life Insurance became Samsung Electronics' top shareholder on 29 April 2021**, when the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee's stake was inherited by his beneficiaries. The combined holding of Samsung Life and its related parties at that point was **1,263.1m shares, or 21.16% of voting rights** [5].
- **Samsung C&T owns 19.34% of Samsung Life Insurance** (as of 30 June 2025) — making Samsung C&T the major shareholder of Samsung's top shareholder [3].
- **Lee Jae-yong (Jay Y. Lee), Executive Chairman of Samsung Electronics, owns 19.93% of Samsung C&T** (as of 30 June 2025) — the ratio rose from 19.06% to 19.93% on 5 Feb 2025 after Samsung C&T cancelled 7.81m treasury shares. This is the apex of the Lee-family control chain into Samsung Electronics [4].

So while DART discloses Samsung Life as the formal "largest shareholder," control ultimately rests with **Jay Y. Lee through Samsung C&T → Samsung Life**.

### Float / ownership composition (CLSA view)

CLSA estimates **foreign shareholding at 49.8%** (June 2025) and **free float at 74.1%** [1]. Foreign ownership has been volatile across cycles — peaked at ~58% in Jul-2019 and again at 56.6% in Jul-2024, before falling back to ~49.8% by mid-2025 [2]:

| Date | Foreign Ownership |
|---|---|
| Jun-2015 | ~51.5% |
| Jan-2016 | 49.0% |
| May-2017 | 54.0% |
| Jul-2019 | 58.0% |
| Oct-2022 | 49.3% |
| Jul-2024 | 56.6% |
| Jun-2025 | 49.8% |

### Minority shareholders

As of 30 June 2025, **5,049,085 minority shareholders** collectively hold **4,000.5m shares (67.58% of total shares outstanding)** [3]. The very large minority base reflects the deep retail participation in 005930 — historically the most widely-held name on the KOSPI.

### Takeaways for an investor

1. **Formal top holder ≠ controller.** Samsung Life (8.60%) is the disclosed largest shareholder, but actual control runs through *Lee Jae-yong → Samsung C&T → Samsung Life → Samsung Electronics*. Any governance / succession / insurance-law overhang therefore affects the *Samsung Life ↔ Samsung Electronics* leg directly.
2. **Foreign investors are effectively the swing vote.** With foreigners at 49.8% and the controlling-family bloc only in the high single digits, foreign sentiment dictates day-to-day price action — the recent foreign outflow (CLSA shows roughly **₩22.5tn of net foreign selling through the 12 months to Jun-2025**, absorbed largely by domestic retail) is the principal explanation for the share price discount [2].
3. **BlackRock's 5.07% is stale.** It is reported on the basis of a Jan-28-2019 5% disclosure — the actual current holding may differ but has not crossed a reporting threshold since.
4. **No state shareholding apart from NPS.** Unlike SK Hynix (where the Korean government has no direct stake but NPS is significant), Samsung Electronics has no government holding; NPS at 7.57% is the only "quasi-public" block.

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**Sources**
[1] Samsung Electronics – O-PF (Weak 2Q but valuation support) — CLSA (11 Jun 2025) — 607961798LinqAlpha.PDF (cover page: shareholder table)
[2] Samsung Electronics – O-PF (Weak 2Q but valuation support) — CLSA (11 Jun 2025) — 607961798LinqAlpha.PDF (Figure 22, foreign ownership history)
[3] Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930-KR) — Interim Report for period end 30-Jun-2025 (DART, English) — Share ownership table (≥5% holders)
[4] Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930-KR) — Interim Report for period end 30-Jun-2025 (DART, English) — Samsung C&T ownership: Jae-yong Lee 19.93%
[5] Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930-KR) — Interim Report for period end 30-Jun-2025 (DART, English) — Change of major shareholder (Apr-2021 inheritance)

## Citations

- [3] **Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930-KR) - Interim Report for period end 30-Jun-2025 (English) - PDF** · external
- [4] **Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930-KR) - Interim Report for period end 30-Jun-2025 (English) - PDF** · external
- [5] **Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930-KR) - Interim Report for period end 30-Jun-2025 (English) - PDF** · external

