London, Feb 16, 2026, 10:38 GMT — Regular session
- Pearson slipped roughly 0.8% out of the gate, buyback program or not.
- The company picked up 213,591 shares on Feb. 13, paying an average price of 913.42 pence each.
- Investors are eyeing the full-year numbers set for release Feb. 27, while the company’s 2026 outlook is drawing attention.
Pearson PLC slipped roughly 0.8% to about 913 pence on Monday after the education group announced fresh share repurchases as part of its ongoing buyback programme. (Share Prices)
Pearson’s buyback is drawing attention ahead of its full-year results coming up later this month, a key moment as the company prepares to outline its 2026 outlook. Investors want signals on demand in testing and courseware, and they’re focused on whether Pearson will keep returning cash with growth running unevenly between divisions. (Pearson plc)
London’s wider market pushed up. The FTSE 100 ticked higher by mid-morning, lifted by a bounce in financial stocks. Investors, though, stayed alert for fresh UK economic data and any shifts in interest-rate bets. (Reuters)
Pearson picked up 213,591 ordinary shares on Feb. 13, shelling out an average 913.42 pence apiece. Those shares are headed for cancellation, the company said. The buy was part of the opening round in its broader £350 million repurchase plan. (Investegate)
When a company does a buyback, it spends its cash to snap up its own shares—usually erasing them to reduce the total outstanding. This tends to boost earnings per share. On the flip side, there’s less cash left over for deals or to weather a rough patch in trading.
Pearson’s January trading update called out a contract loss in New Jersey, setting up a drag for the first half of 2026. Despite that, the company put up 4% underlying sales growth for 2025 and insisted it’s still on course to hit guidance. Chief executive Omar Abbosh said Pearson is “advancing the use of AI to improve learning and upskilling,” and described the start of 2026 as having “momentum”.
Even so, it’s hard to ignore the risk: if schools, colleges, or test providers pull back on spending, that’ll hit volumes. Major state deals can swing results, too. The buyback offers no shield from those pressures. And if management signals any hesitation about 2026, questions about Pearson’s growth beyond its usual year-end boost could flare up again.
