Samsung Electronics Co. has gone on a bit of a tear this year and is now hovering a touch below its lifetime closing high of 1.576 million won, a level it reached in January 2013. The shares have gained more than 24 percent this year as investors bought into rosier prospects for the premium Galaxy S7 smartphone and the Korean company’s components businesses. In contrast, Apple Inc., buffeted by a declining share of the pivotal Chinese market and sluggish demand for high-end devices, managed just a 3 percent gain in the year through Monday.