London, February 16, 2026, 08:07 GMT — Regular session
- RELX shares rose about 2% in early London trade after Friday’s sharp rebound
- Investors are weighing the group’s stepped-up 2026 buyback against AI disruption worries
- Traders are watching the pace of repurchases in the current £450 mln buyback tranche
RELX shares rose 2.1% to 2,305 pence by 0801 GMT, after opening in the green and trading between 2,287 pence and 2,315 pence.
The early move matters because RELX has been one of the FTSE 100 names caught in the crossfire of a wider debate: whether new generative AI tools chip away at subscription-heavy information and analytics businesses, or simply push them to repackage data and charge for new products.
RELX is not a fast-money stock most days. But it has been trading like one. The recent swings have turned it into a touchstone for sentiment on the UK’s higher-margin “data” names, and for how investors are pricing long-dated cash flows when rates are not doing them any favours.
The stock closed at 2,257 pence on Friday, up 10% on the day, after a bruising run that left it well below last year’s highs.
RELX last week reported 2025 revenue of £9.59 billion and adjusted operating profit of £3.34 billion, and proposed a full-year dividend of 67.5 pence per share. Chief executive Erik Engstrom said the “continued evolution of artificial intelligence” was helping the group add features and launch products faster. Relx
The company also set out a fresh “non-discretionary” buyback programme — meaning the broker runs repurchases within preset rules, limiting day-to-day management involvement — with £450 million to be spent between Feb. 12 and March 20. The programme is being managed by UBS, a filing showed. Sec
Some brokers have stuck with bullish calls but have trimmed their maths. Deutsche Bank and UBS both kept “buy” stances after results, but cut target prices, citing a broader sector de-rating and higher discount rates — the interest rate used to value future cash flows, which can hit the price investors are willing to pay today. Proactiveinvestors
Company executives have tried to push back on the idea that AI can simply “replace” what RELX sells. Finance chief Nick Luff told The Times the firm’s data base is “unique” and “continuously updated,” arguing that matters in legal and risk products where customers pay for trusted source material. Thetimes
The pressure is not isolated. Investors have also weighed AI’s impact on other data-and-workflow groups such as Wolters Kluwer and Thomson Reuters, after new tools from AI firms stoked fears that parts of legal and research work could be automated.
But the path from flashy demos to lost contracts is still fuzzy, and that uncertainty is the risk. If customers use AI to bargain down renewal prices, or if rivals bundle AI features into cheaper offerings, the high-margin subscription model that underpins these shares can look less sturdy.
For now, traders will be watching whether the early bounce holds as London volumes build, and whether buyback flow provides a steadier bid into late February. The next hard marker on the calendar is March 20, the scheduled end of the current £450 million repurchase tranche.
