South Korea’s electronics giant Samsung reportedly is considering a stock split to keep restless investors happy and make it easier for retail investors to buy shares, which closed yesterday at KRW1.343 million (about $1,236).

The company’s head of investor relations, Robert Yi, said it had been considering a split but no decision has been made.

Its shares, which are down from a peak of KRW1.495 million last year, are among the most expensive in South Korea, Reuters reported, noting that they are traded at a discount because of governance issues, complex cross-share holdings and a low dividend.

In an effort to boost its share price, the company announced a $2 billion share buyback in November and said it would boost its yearend dividend 50 per cent.

Samsung announced in early January that its Q4 operating profit was expected to drop 37 per cent and that its profit for the full year would fall by nearly a third as it continues to lose market share to low-cost rivals. The firm said its Q4 operating profit would be about KRW5.2 trillion ($4.74 billion), leading to a full-year profit of KRW25 trillion — its lowest since 2011.

The market leader saw its smartphone share in Q3 fall to 24.4 per cent from 32 per cent in Q3 2013. Its smartphone sales dropped to 73.2 million units from 80.4 million a year earlier.