Samsung Life Insurance (032830) 🔎 In-depth
KOSPI · Price as of 2026-08-06 · Updated 2026-08-09
Samsung Life Insurance offers whole-life, health and annuity policies and invests the premiums it collects in bonds and equities to earn interest and dividends; it is Korea's largest life insurer, with assets in the ₩350 trillion range, and it is also a major shareholder of Samsung Electronics, holding 497.66 million shares. First-quarter 2026 net profit was ₩1.2403 trillion, up 83.1% from a year earlier, and in March the company disposed of 6.24 million Samsung Electronics shares for ₩1.302 trillion to pre-emptively remove the risk of breaching financial regulations, disclosing at the same time a corporate value enhancement plan targeting a medium- to long-term shareholder return ratio of 50%. What stands out right now is that the market value of its Samsung Electronics stake is more than twice its own market capitalization, so on a net-asset yardstick the discount is wide — but the share price also tracks Samsung Electronics closely, which leaves it 42.2% below its June high.
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30-second brief
Pulled directly from the computed values below — not a separately written opinion.
What do the SourceComputedEstimateReading tags mean?
Source filings and exchange data · Computed calculated from public data · Estimate our own unverified projection · Reading drafted automatically, then rule-checked. See AI & Automation.
Core valuation metric
This stock's effective sub-sector is “Insurance” (Financials), a type typically read first through P/B.
For insurers, the base of the business is the pool of assets and reserves they hold, while accounting profit can swing sharply year to year with investment results and reserve changes. That makes price-to-book (P/B) — the price against net asset value — a steadier gauge than earnings multiples.
Price against assets alone says little about where the cycle stands. Reading it together with price against this year's expected earnings shows how far profits have recovered.
This note explains how each sector is typically valued and is educational context only, not investment advice.
At-a-glance assessment financial health · growth · profitability · valuation
- For financial companies, debt and interest costs are large by the nature of the business, so the debt ratio and interest coverage cannot be read on the same yardstick as an ordinary company.
- ROE is 3.5% (controlling-interest basis). It is above the sector average.
- A sector-metric and in-depth research verdict — see “Valuation vs peers” below for the basis.
Ownership & governance As of 2025-12-31
Largest shareholder Samsung C&T 19.34% (corporate)
Controlling bloc incl. related parties 43.55%
With the controlling bloc holding 44%, the ownership structure is stable.
🔎 In-depth analysis Reading
Samsung Life Insurance offers customers whole-life, health, annuity and savings-type policies and collects premiums. Until claims are paid out, it puts that money to work in bonds, equities, loans and real estate to generate returns. So money comes in through two channels: insurance profit, which is premiums received less claims and expenses, and investment profit from the assets it has accumulated. The revenue the company discloses is also the sum of the two (insurance service revenue plus investment service revenue). Total assets are in the ₩350 trillion range, the largest of any Korean life insurer. There is one more decisive feature specific to this company: it holds large stakes in affiliates, including 497.66 million common shares of Samsung Electronics. Dividends from those stakes are a major pillar of investment profit, and the market value of the stakes themselves has a large influence on the company's net assets. The Samsung Electronics stake disclosed right after the March disposal was 8.41%; since then, as Samsung Electronics' listed share count has fallen, it works back up to around 8.5% as of early August. Its place in the ownership structure is also worth noting. The largest shareholder is Samsung C&T (19.34%), and including related parties the total is 43.56%, while Samsung Life Insurance is in turn a major shareholder of Samsung Electronics. In other words, it stands as a middle link in the group's ownership chain.
The latest close is ₩287,500 and the market capitalization is ₩57.5 trillion. The price sits below its 20-day moving average (₩307,375) and below its 60-day moving average (₩360,758). It is under both its short- and medium-term moving averages, so the trend looks subdued. The RSI (a supplementary indicator that gauges the strength of gains versus losses over the past 14 days on a 0-100 scale) is 42.1, a neutral level. The one-month change is -23.3%, the three-month change is -3.5%, and the position relative to the 52-week high is -42.1%. Relative strength versus the KOSPI is 71 (on a 1-99 scale, converted from returns against the index over the past year with more weight on recent performance; higher means stronger than the market). It is stronger than roughly 71% of all stocks. Over the past three months it outpaced the index by 14.0%. Chart interpretation is best done alongside trading volume and the dates on which disclosures occur.
For a life insurer, the P/B (how many times book net assets the price is) comes before the P/E (how many times a year's earnings the price is). Earnings swing sharply with accounting assumptions and one-off items, whereas net assets are relatively easy to compare across companies. Dividing the current price of ₩287,500 by net assets per share of ₩313,622 gives a headline P/B of 0.92x, slightly above the life insurance peer group (Hanwha Life 0.27x, Tongyang Life 0.83x, Mirae Asset Life 0.83x). But there is a timing gap hidden in that number. The net assets used here are as of the end of 2025. The Samsung Electronics stake the company holds is reflected in equity at market value, and that valuation gain goes straight into equity without passing through net profit. Samsung Electronics' share price rose from ₩119,900 at the end of 2025 to ₩239,500 on August 3. Multiplying by the shares held, the valuation gain alone adds about ₩59 trillion. On a simple calculation assuming 20-25% tax and ignoring other valuation changes, net assets per share come to around ₩540,000, which would take the P/B down to the 0.5x range. Because bond valuation gains and losses and changes in the insurance liability discount rate move at the same time, this is an in-house calculation that shows direction rather than a fixed figure. The same reason explains why profitability metrics look suppressed. ROE (return on equity — profit against capital) is 3.7%, because equity keeps growing on stake valuation gains while those gains are not captured in earnings. Even so, it is above the peer average of 3.0%. The debt ratio of 459% and interest coverage of 0.08x reflect the nature of a financial business, where insurance liabilities and interest expense are large by construction, and should not be read on the same yardstick as a manufacturer. For the same reason, metrics such as net debt and enterprise value (EV) are not produced for this company. The dividend is ₩5,300 per share with a payout ratio of 41.3%, and at the current price the dividend yield is 1.84%. The disclosed dividend yield calculated on the share price around the record date was 3.3%, and it has come down since as the share price rose. With premiums coming in steadily and the business profitable, this is not a company where running out of cash is a concern.
The earnings picture has to be read in three layers. First, annually. Controlling-interest net profit rose for three straight years: ₩1.90 trillion in 2023 → ₩2.11 trillion in 2024 → ₩2.30 trillion in 2025. That is a 10.2% average increase over two years — steady, but not explosive. Lining up five years on the same basis is difficult, because insurance accounting standards changed from 2023 and earlier figures are not directly comparable. Second, quarterly. First-quarter 2026 consolidated net profit was ₩1.2403 trillion, up 83.1% from a year earlier. In a single quarter the company earned more than half of last year's full-year controlling-interest net profit (₩2.3028 trillion). The first quarter is unusually large at this company: year-end dividends from affiliates are recognised all at once, and this time a one-off provision reversal came on top. The fourth quarter, by contrast, is the weakest, as actuarial assumptions are reset and expenses are settled. Third, the full year. Adding the normal earnings power of the remaining three quarters on top of confirmed first-quarter results, stripping out the one-off and seasonal factors specific to the first quarter, and rebuilding quarter by quarter, this year's annual profit lands above last year's. On that estimate the forward P/E for this year is 19.60x. It is not simply the first quarter multiplied by four but a figure built up quarter by quarter, and it is below the P/E of 25.0x calculated on last year's earnings, because this year's profit is higher. One thing worth remembering, though, is that the force pushing earnings up sits more in Samsung Electronics dividend income and investment profit than in the core insurance result. Dividends are captured in earnings while changes in the market value of the stake are not, so at this company the growth story cannot be fully explained by the profit growth rate alone.
This year's disclosures read along three strands. The first is shareholder returns. On January 29 a year-end dividend of ₩5,300 per share, ₩951.7 billion in total, was set, and on March 19 the company voluntarily disclosed a corporate value enhancement plan targeting a medium- to long-term shareholder return ratio of 50% and a K-ICS ratio (the capital capacity to cover insurance claims) of 180% or more. That disclosure also noted that total dividends rose 17.8% from the prior year. The second is adjustment of affiliate stakes. At the same board meeting on March 19 it resolved to dispose of 6,244,658 Samsung Electronics shares, stating the purpose as pre-emptively removing the risk of breaching the Act on the Structural Improvement of the Financial Industry. The disposal value was ₩1.302 trillion based on the close the day before the board meeting, and after the disposal it held 497.66 million shares (an 8.41% stake at the time). The third is results and business expansion. Preliminary first-quarter results were released as a fair disclosure on May 14, and on July 24 the company agreed to acquire the entire stake in a UK-based asset management entity held by an affiliated asset manager for about ₩59.4 billion. That put into practice the expansion of overseas asset management set out in the March plan. On July 27 it announced that a first-half results briefing would be held on August 13, where second-quarter results and progress on first-half shareholder returns can be confirmed.
This stock has to be viewed with two faces at once: an insurer, and a major shareholder of Samsung Electronics. Start with what is worth watching. First, multiplying the 497.66 million Samsung Electronics shares it holds by the August 3 close gives about ₩119 trillion — more than twice the company's own market capitalization of ₩57.5 trillion. A single stake is worth twice the company's price tag, with the value of the core insurance business layered on top. On a net asset value (NAV — the value of assets recalculated at market prices) yardstick, that is grounds for seeing a wide discount. Second, the medium- to long-term shareholder return ratio of 50% is pinned down in a voluntary disclosure, and with a payout ratio of 41.3% the company is already heading that way. Third, first-quarter net profit rose 83.1%, so underlying earnings power improved as well. The cautions are equally clear. First, the share price follows Samsung Electronics more than the core business. After the June 19 high, this stock fell further than Samsung Electronics did on the way down, and the late-July rebound came together as well. It rises with the value of the stake, and falls with it too. Second, stake disposals may not end with one. The 8.41% holding right after the March disposal works back up to around 8.5% in early August as Samsung Electronics' listed share count falls. Because the ratio rises on its own when the denominator shrinks, even without disposing of anything, there is room for further disposals for the same reason. Third, on an earnings yardstick it is not cheap. This year's forward P/E of 19.60x is above the life insurance peer group's forward P/E median of 10.7x. Fourth, ROE of 3.7% is low. Equity grows on stake valuation gains while core earnings power does not keep pace, which is also why the discount to net assets does not close easily. Fifth, with dividend recognition and one-off items concentrated in the first quarter, profit in the remaining quarters will not continue at first-quarter levels. In sum, this is a structure that is strong when the value of the Samsung Electronics stake and the execution of shareholder returns are in focus, and weak when Samsung Electronics is soft or the burden of repeated stake disposals grows.
🔎 Valuation vs peers Inconclusive
Three listed Korean life insurers and one large non-life insurer. All figures are calculated on the same basis on this site, and the P/E and P/B are based on the most recent full-year results.
| Peer | P/E | P/B | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanwha Life Insurance | 6.20x | 0.26x | 4.84% |
| Mirae Asset Life Insurance | 17.57x | 0.95x | 6.61% |
| Tongyang Life Insurance | 10.34x | 0.70x | 5.60% |
| Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance | 14.33x | 1.20x | 8.47% |
(a) Position against the peer group: this year's forward P/E of 19.60x is above the life insurance peer group's forward P/E median of 10.7x. On the P/E based on the most recent full-year results, Hanwha Life at 5.7x, Tongyang Life at 10.3x, Samsung Fire & Marine at 13.6x and Mirae Asset Life at 15.5x are all below it. The P/B, by contrast, is 0.92x, only slightly above the life insurance peer group's 0.27-0.83x. (b) Premium and discount: on an earnings yardstick this is a clear premium. On a net-asset yardstick the situation is the opposite. The market value of the Samsung Electronics stake alone is about ₩119 trillion, more than twice the market capitalization of ₩57.5 trillion, and recalculating with the stake valuation gains since the net asset reference date takes the P/B down to the 0.5x range. On a net asset value basis that is a substantial discount. (c) Limits of the trailing figure and the forward basis: the P/E of 25.0x calculated on last year's earnings does not capture the surge in first-quarter profit, so this year's forward P/E of 19.6x — built up quarter by quarter on confirmed first-quarter results — is the more accurate yardstick. Even the forward P/E struggles to be a complete yardstick at this company, though. Changes in the value of its largest asset, the affiliate stakes, accumulate straight into equity without passing through net profit, so that portion never enters the denominator of the P/E. Because the earnings yardstick and the net-asset yardstick point in opposite directions, the assessment is left inconclusive rather than settled on one side. In practice it is better viewed by considering the value of the Samsung Electronics stake, the pace of shareholder return execution, and the possibility of repeated stake disposals together.
Price history Close · MA20 · MA60
The latest close is ₩287,500 and the market capitalization is ₩57.5 trillion. The price sits below its 20-day moving average (₩307,375) and below its 60-day moving average (₩360,758). It is under both its short- and medium-term moving averages, so the trend looks subdued. The RSI (a supplementary indicator that gauges the strength of gains versus losses over the past 14 days on a 0-100 scale) is 42.1, a neutral level. The one-month change is -23.3%, the three-month change is -3.5%, and the position relative to the 52-week high is -42.1%. Relative strength versus the KOSPI is 71 (on a 1-99 scale, converted from returns against the index over the past year with more weight on recent performance; higher means stronger than the market). It is stronger than roughly 71% of all stocks. Over the past three months it outpaced the index by 14.0%. Chart interpretation is best done alongside trading volume and the dates on which disclosures occur.
Relative performance stock vs index · start = 100
Excess return vs index · 3M +14.00% / 6M +26.26% / 12M +16.73%
Key metrics Computed vs whole-market median
Valuation
The P/E of 24.97x is above the whole-market median (12.97x). The P/B of 0.71x is below the whole-market median (0.84x). That said, this P/E is based on last year's (trailing) results. With recent quarterly earnings up sharply, the trailing P/E can look higher than it really is, so a precise read is best done on this year's expected (forward) earnings.
Profitability & financials
Return on equity (ROE) is 3.5%, above the whole-market average (3.0%). The debt ratio is 354.7%, but for financial firms deposits and insurance liabilities count as debt, so it cannot be read on the same yardstick as an ordinary company.
Growth FY2025 · annual report (consolidated)
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | — | — | — | — |
| Operating profit | $97.2M | $107.8M | $104.4M | -3.09% ↓ slower |
| Net profit | $1.3B | $1.5B | $1.6B | +9.30% ↓ slower |
| 5-year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | — | — | — | — | — |
| Operating profit | — | — | $97.2M | $107.8M | $104.4M |
| Net profit | — | — | $1.3B | $1.5B | $1.6B |
Operating profit fell 3.1% year over year. The decline widened.
Latest quarterly results Source
No recent quarterly results confirmed from DART.
Technical indicators Computed
What stands out
- —
Points to watch
- The price is high versus peers, so expectations already appear priced in.
Recent news & events searched · sourced
- 2026-03-19FilingVoluntary disclosure of a corporate value enhancement plan. Targets a medium- to long-term shareholder return ratio of 50% and a K-ICS ratio of 180% or more, and sets out a shift toward a life-care composite financial platform and expansion of overseas asset management. Payout ratio for the prior fiscal year was 41.3%, with total dividends up 17.8% year on yearMedium term: formalises the direction for dividend and return funding and the capital management baseline. Detailed execution measures such as the use of treasury shares were not presented Source
- 2026-03-19FilingDecision to dispose of shares in another company. Disposal of 6,244,658 Samsung Electronics common shares for ₩1.302 trillion based on the close the day before the board meeting (block trade on 2026-03-20), leaving 497,660,185 shares and an 8.41% stake. The stated purpose is the pre-emptive removal of the risk of breaching the Act on the Structural Improvement of the Financial IndustryShort term: ₩1.3 trillion of liquidity secured. Medium term: if Samsung Electronics' shares outstanding decline, the stake ratio rises automatically, leaving the possibility of further disposals for the same reason Source
- 2026-05-14EarningsFair disclosure of preliminary consolidated results for Q1 2026. Revenue ₩14.7194 trillion (+75.0% year on year), operating profit ₩1.3578 trillion (+80.1%), controlling-interest net profit ₩1.2036 trillion (+89.5%)Short term: the jump in quarterly profit widens the capacity for shareholder returns. Medium term: because the quarter combined recognition of year-end dividends from affiliates with one-off items, sustainability needs separate confirmation Source
- 2026-01-29DividendYear-end cash dividend decided. ₩5,300 per common share, ₩951.7 billion in total, record date 2025-12-31, disclosed dividend yield 3.3%. The same disclosure stated FY2025 controlling-interest consolidated net profit of ₩2.3028 trillionMedium term: confirms a return stance around a payout ratio of 41.3%. At the current price the dividend yield has fallen to 1.84% as the share price rose Source
- 2026-07-24FilingDecision to acquire shares from a related party. Off-market acquisition of the entire stake (10 million shares, 100%) in a UK-based asset management entity held by an affiliated asset manager for GBP 29.8 million (about ₩59.4 billion at the end-March exchange rate), with payment due in October 2026Medium term: an actual example of the overseas asset management expansion set out in the March corporate value enhancement plan. The size is small relative to equity, so the financial impact is limited Source
- 2026-07-24FilingLarge shareholding report from the largest shareholder side (reporting date 2026-07-20). Combined holdings of the reporting party and special related parties, including Samsung C&T's 19.34%, remain at 43.56%, unchanged from the previous report; the reason for the change was an amendment to a share pledge agreementMedium term: confirms no change in the ownership structure Source
- 2026-07-27IRNotice of an investor relations (IR) event. First-half fiscal 2026 results to be presented by conference call at 2 p.m. on August 13, 2026Short term: a scheduled occasion to confirm second-quarter results and progress on first-half shareholder returns Source
Figure cross-check computed ↔ external
| Metric | Computed | External | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precise recalculation of the P/B (the first metric to look at in life insurance) | 0.92x | — | Unverified | link |
| FY2025 controlling-interest consolidated net profit | 2₩302.8 billion | 2₩302.8 billion | Confirmed | link |
| Q1 2026 consolidated net profit | 1₩240.3 billion | 1₩240.3 billion / 1₩203.6 billion | Confirmed | link |
| Q1 2026 operating profit | ₩36.7 billion | 1₩357.8 billion | Mismatch | link |
| Samsung Electronics shares held and stake ratio | 497,660,185 · 8.41% | 497,660,185 · 8.41% | Confirmed | link |
| Value of the Samsung Electronics stake and its multiple of market capitalization | ₩57.5 trillion | — | Unverified | link |
| Dividend per share and payout ratio | ₩5,300 · 41.3% | ₩5,300 · 41.3% | Confirmed | link |
| Estimated full-year 2026 net profit (the basis for the forward P/E of 18x) | self-estimate | — | Unverified | link |
Recent filings Source
- 2026-06-02Disclosure
- 2026-06-01Large-business-group status disclosure
- 2026-05-22OwnershipOwnership-change filing
- 2026-05-15PeriodicQuarterly report
- 2026-05-14EarningsFair-disclosure notice
- 2026-05-06Disclosure
- 2026-04-24OwnershipOwnership-change filing
- 2026-04-24Disclosure
- 2026-04-14Disclosure
- 2026-04-14Disclosure
- 2026-04-14Disclosure
- 2026-03-31PeriodicAnnual business report (amended)
📖 Plain-language glossary — expand if you are new to this
- P/E
- How many times a year's net profit the price is worth (lower is cheaper relative to earnings). The P/E here is on trailing (last full-year) results; for companies whose earnings swing fast (memory chips and other cyclicals/high-growth), a forward P/E on this year's expected earnings is more accurate.
- P/B
- Price relative to net assets (equity). Around 1x means it trades near book value; below 1x means below book.
- P/S
- Price relative to a year's revenue — useful for growth companies with thin earnings.
- Net debt / EV
- Net debt = interest-bearing debt − cash. Negative means more cash than debt (net cash). EV (enterprise value) = market cap + net debt, closer to what it would cost to buy the whole business.
- EV/EBIT · EV/EBITDA · EV/Sales
- Enterprise value against operating profit (EBIT), EBITDA, or revenue. Unlike P/E these reflect debt and cash; lower is cheaper relative to earnings power or sales.
- FCF / FCF yield
- Free cash flow = operating cash − capex, the cash actually left over. FCF yield = FCF ÷ market cap; higher means more cash generated per unit of market value.
- Intrinsic value (DCF)
- Future free cash flow (or, for some capex-heavy but profitable names, forecast earnings) discounted to today to estimate per-share value. Because it shifts a lot with the discount-rate and growth assumptions, it is shown as a bear/base/bull range, and the basis and assumptions are disclosed in one line beneath it.
- ROE
- How much profit the company earns in a year on its equity (%). Higher means better returns on capital.
- EPS / BPS
- Earnings per share / net assets (book value) per share.
- Operating / net margin
- Profit left from the core business / final profit after tax and interest, per unit of revenue.
- Debt ratio
- Debt relative to equity (%). Higher means more reliance on borrowing (norms vary by sector).
- Current ratio
- Assets convertible to cash within a year against debt due within a year. Above 100% leaves some short-term headroom.
- Interest coverage
- How many times operating profit covers the interest owed. Below 1x means operating profit alone struggles to cover interest.
- Dividend yield / payout ratio
- The year's dividend as a % of today's price / the share of earnings paid out as dividends.
- Revenue CAGR
- Multi-year growth expressed as a single yearly average (compound annual growth rate).
- RSI (short-term signal)
- Whether recent price action is overheated or beaten down. Above 70 is overbought, below 30 oversold.
- MA20 / MA60 (moving averages)
- The 20- and 60-day average price. Price above them signals a firmer short-term trend.
- vs 52-week high
- How far below the past year's peak the price sits now (%).
All figures are for reference only; how they read varies by sector and over time.
Sources: Korea FSC market-price API (data.go.kr), OpenDART, KRX/KIND — public data only.
Bong Stocks presents public-data-based information for reference only. It is not investment advice and contains no target prices, ratings, or buy/sell recommendations. Verify independently before making any decision.