Bull of the Day: SK Telecom (SKM)

AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA Stocks Bull of the Day: SK Telecom (SKM) March 30, 2026 — 04:00 am EDT Written by Andrew Rocco for Zacks-> South Korea: An AI Powerhouse in the MakingIn the global, cutthroat race for artificial intelligence domination, the United States and China garner the most attention due to their sheer size and long history of technological advancement. However, it would be a mistake for investors to overlook South Korea. In fact, South Korea has all the ingredients necessary to be a top player in the AI revolution, including manufacturing prowess (SK has the highest density of industrial robots in the world), semiconductor dominance (Samsung, SK Hynix), and a strong consumer electronics ecosystem/infrastructure that can be used to run AI applications. Additionally, the South Korean government has approved a sizable $71.5B investment through 2030 to ensure South Korea becomes a dominant player in the race for AI supremacy.SK Telecom: The South Korean AI LeaderWith a market share of ~50% and 23 million clients,SK Telecom (SKM) is South Korea’s largest telecommunications company. Similar to AT&T (T), SKM is a leader in wireless, 5G, internet, and IoT services. However, unlike most legacy telecom companies which are content to grow slowly and generate predictable cash flow, SKM is transforming into an AI powerhouse. The company has three main AI verticals, including:· Infrastructure: SKM builds and operates the AI data centers required to train complex AI models.· In-House AI Optimization: SKM is leveraging AI in-house to optimize its mobile traffic and contact centers for enterprise clients.· Agentic AI: SKM is an early Agentic AI leader. Its flagship AI agent, A-Dot, is a personal assistant that can handle everything from real-time translation to sleep tracking. Recently, NVIDIA (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang called Agentic AI a “multi-trillion-dollar opportunity.”SKM: Early Anthropic InvestorIn addition to its in-house AI efforts, SK Telecom made one of the most astute and timely private AI investments among publicly traded companies. In 2023, SKM invested $100 million into AI start-up Anthropic. At the time, Anthropic’s valuation was ~$5 billion. Since then, Anthropic has released several groundbreaking products while its valuation has swelled to ~$380 billion!Today, SKM’s stake is likely to be valued at ~$2 billion. With a valuation of $11.54 billion total, SKM’s Anthropic investment should move the needle. Meanwhile, recent activity suggests that Anthropic is targeting an IPO date in the second half of 2026. Should the IPO occur, it will be one of the most anticipated IPOs in years and will likely drive its valuation even higher (thus, increasing SKM’s stake).SK Telecom: Wall Street is BullishSKM earns a best-possible Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Meanwhile, Wall Street expects its YoY EPS growth rate to explode to 283.10% in 2026.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchSKM: Bullish Price ActionWhile many domestic AI stocks have succumbed to market volatility, SKM shares have outperformed, registering gains of 40.6% YTD versus the S&P 500’s -5.1%.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchSKM shares currently offer investors a juicy reward-to-risk setup as they pull back uniformly to the rising 50-day moving average.Image Source: TradingViewBottom LineSouth Korea is an AI-first nation capable of competing on the technological world stage. Between its AI-first mindset and its prudent Anthropic investment, SKM is an AI leader in the making. Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI Explosion The next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives. Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains. But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies. Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportAT&T Inc. (T) : Free Stock Analysis ReportNVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis ReportSK Telecom Co., Ltd. (SKM) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Tags StocksInvestingHow to Invest Zacks Zacks is the leading investment research firm focusing on stock research, analysis and recommendations. In 1978, our founder discovered the power of earnings estimate revisions to enable profitable investment decisions. Today, that discovery is still the heart of the Zacks Rank. A wealth of resources for individual investors is available at www.zacks.com. More articles by this source-> Stocks mentioned T NVDA SKM More Related Articles This data feed is not available at this time. Data is currently not available • Sign up for the TradeTalks newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trading news, trends and education. Delivered Wednesdays.