LG Electronics reported consolidated revenue of 23.8241 trillion won and operating profit of 781.9 billion won in the third quarter of 2026.
The figures were up 8.9% and 13.5%, respectively, from a year earlier. Cumulative revenue from January through September this year reached 71.3778 trillion won, while cumulative operating profit came to 4.0347 trillion won.
In particular, cumulative operating profit through the third quarter rose 55.9% from the same period last year, surpassing 4 trillion won for the first time. The home appliance and automotive components businesses maintained profitability, while results improved significantly in the media and entertainment business, including TVs. The business-to-business (B2B) and subscription businesses also contributed to revenue growth.
TV Profitability Recovers as Automotive Components Business Grows
Among the business divisions, the turnaround in the Media Entertainment Solution (MS) division stands out.
The MS division, which recorded an operating loss of 302.6 billion won in the third quarter of last year, generated revenue of 5.0215 trillion won and operating profit of 146.7 billion won in the same period this year, improving its operating result by 449.3 billion won in one year.
The gains reflect stronger sales of premium products such as OLED TVs, growth in the webOS platform business, lower costs and more efficient marketing spending. In particular, the growing role of content and platform services in generating revenue beyond TV hardware sales illustrates how LG Electronics’ profit model is changing.
The Home Appliance Solution (HS) division maintained stable profitability, posting third-quarter revenue of 7.0444 trillion won and operating profit of 259.2 billion won. The Vehicle Solution (VS) division, which handles automotive components, posted revenue of 2.8261 trillion won and operating profit of 190.3 billion won, both third-quarter records.
In the automotive components business, previously secured orders translated into revenue, while sales of in-vehicle infotainment products increased. This shows that LG Electronics is expanding its business beyond consumer appliances to corporate customers such as automakers.
How B2B and Subscriptions Are Reshaping Revenue
LG Electronics’ B2B revenue reached 6.1 trillion won in the third quarter of 2026, up 3.4% from a year earlier.
Unlike consumer appliances, businesses such as automotive components, commercial displays, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment are influenced by corporate capital spending and long-term supply contracts.
That gives the company a more diverse customer base and a way to generate revenue beyond demand for its existing home appliances.
The subscription business, which includes products and services, also continued to grow. Third-quarter revenue rose 8.6% year over year to 760 billion won, supported by growth in home appliance subscriptions in South Korea and the expansion of overseas operations.
Unlike one-time product sales, subscriptions generate revenue from products and services throughout the contract period. The expansion of its B2B and subscription businesses therefore means LG Electronics is diversifying both its customers and the ways it generates revenue.
AI Data Center Cooling Solutions Emerge as a New Growth Driver
Another notable point in the earnings announcement was the increase in orders for AI data center cooling solutions.
According to LG Electronics, cumulative orders for AI data center cooling solutions, which stood at around 600 billion won in the first half of this year, exceeded 3 trillion won as of the end of September. To meet growing demand, the company is investing an additional approximately 220 billion won and working to expand production capacity in South Korea and overseas, including by securing a production base in the United States.
AI data centers pack high-performance semiconductors densely to carry out large-scale computations, making it essential to manage the heat generated by servers efficiently.
Insufficient cooling capacity can affect equipment stability and power efficiency. As a result, cooling systems are becoming increasingly important from the data center design stage onward.
LG Electronics is therefore drawing on technology developed in its commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning business to expand its offerings to include chillers, coolant distribution units (CDUs) and liquid-cooling products.
Last September, its high-capacity 2.6 MW CDU received NVIDIA DSX Ready certification. Its 600 kW and 1 MW models had previously met NVIDIA’s related specifications, giving LG Electronics a range of AI data center cooling equipment at different capacities.
Market research firm Grand View Research forecasts that the global data center cooling market will grow from $26.3 billion in 2025 to $31.4 billion in 2026 and reach $128.3 billion by 2033.
In assessing future growth, it is important to consider not only additional orders but also how project progress and deliveries translate into revenue, the costs of expanding production capacity, and changes in the profitability of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning business.
Beyond cooling solutions, LG Electronics is expanding into robotics and AI homes as new business areas.
A data factory that combines data on robots’ real-world movements with virtual data for training has begun partial operations. The company is also working to build infrastructure for mass-producing actuators, a core robot component.
Fourth-Quarter Outlook and Shareholder Return Plans
LG Electronics plans to continue expanding its B2B, subscription and online businesses in the fourth quarter while strengthening cost competitiveness and supply chain efficiency.
In its vehicle components business, the company plans to continue converting its existing order backlog into revenue. In its heating, ventilation and air-conditioning business, it will focus on meeting the needs of large AI data center projects.
The shareholder return policy is another factor to consider alongside the earnings results.
LG Electronics’ annual dividend per common share rose from 700 won in 2022 to 1,350 won in 2025, and the company paid an interim dividend of 500 won per share in 2026.
LG Electronics plans to cancel all roughly 730,000 treasury shares it bought this year by the end of the fourth quarter.
LG Electronics’ third-quarter 2026 results reflect improved profitability in its established businesses, including home appliances and TVs, alongside growth in its automotive components, B2B and subscription businesses. With orders for AI data center cooling solutions also rising rapidly, the potential to commercialize a future growth driver is becoming more tangible.
Looking ahead, key questions are how much of the orders secured will translate into sales and profit, whether investment in expanded production capacity can improve profitability, and whether the recovery in its core businesses can continue. Still, these results appear significant because they show LG Electronics broadening its business beyond its traditional focus on home appliances to supply both business solutions and AI infrastructure.
