London, Feb 16, 2026, 08:47 GMT — Regular session
- Prudential picked up roughly 2% in early London trading, following its latest buyback announcement.
- On Feb. 13, the company bought back 612,541 shares, which are set for cancellation.
- The company has set March 18 for its full-year results.
Prudential (PRU.L) climbed 2.1% to 1,091.5 pence as of 0832 GMT, trading close to session highs. The insurer’s market capitalization stood around £27.5 billion. (Shareprices)
Financials pulled European shares up early on, banks and insurers notably strong out of the gate. The STOXX 600 gained 0.3% by 0810 GMT, while insurance stocks jumped roughly 1%, according to Reuters data. (Reuters)
Capital returns are front and center for Prudential right now. The insurer reports full-year numbers March 18, with shareholders keeping an eye on buybacks after recent swings in financial stocks. (Prudentialplc)
Prudential disclosed in a Monday filing that it repurchased 612,541 ordinary shares on Feb. 13 via J.P. Morgan Securities plc, with prices ranging from £10.37 to £10.87 apiece and an average of £10.6087. The company intends to cancel the shares, lowering its total shares outstanding to 2,538,326,027. (Investegate)
Companies buy back their own stock to trim the share count, a move that can bump up earnings per share—as long as profits stay steady. Buybacks, in essence, mean repurchasing outstanding shares.
The stock’s been volatile. Prudential dropped 6.8% on Feb. 12—lagging the broader market—and trading volume spiked past its usual levels, according to MarketWatch. (MarketWatch)
Back in January, Prudential rolled out a $1.2 billion buyback program, with a target completion date set for Dec. 18, 2026. CEO Anil Wadhwani emphasized the firm’s ongoing commitment to “consistent delivery of shareholder returns.” The company also pointed out that the speed of these returns may fluctuate depending on market conditions. (Prudentialplc)
Still, buybacks won’t erase the main risks dogging Prudential’s valuation, which shifts with investor sentiment toward financials and fluctuates with patchy demand in its Asia and Africa businesses. A dip in growth expectations is enough to overshadow even consistent share repurchases.
Governance gets a look-in too. Prudential on Friday confirmed Douglas Flint will become a non-executive director and chair-designate starting March 4, stepping in ahead of the company’s annual general meeting on May 28, when he’s set to succeed Shriti Vadera. (Investegate)
