Sydney, Feb 26, 2026, 18:30 AEDT — Market’s done for the session.
- Telstra stock gained 1.0% to A$5.14, bouncing back a day after it slipped 3.1% on going ex-dividend.
- Telstra revealed in its most recent daily notice that it repurchased 1.33 million shares.
- Dividend record date lands on Feb. 26. DRP elections are due Friday, while the deadline for cash is March 27.
Telstra Group Limited (ASX:TLS) bounced back on Thursday, closing 1.0% higher at A$5.14. This move clawed back some ground after a 3.1% slide in the previous session, triggered when the stock went ex-dividend. The S&P/ASX 200 also added roughly 0.5%.
Timing is especially critical for a stock like Telstra, found in plenty of income portfolios. With the interim dividend clock ticking this week, price swings have sharpened. Short-term players jockey for position around the “who gets paid” dates, while longer-term holders crunch the yield numbers.
Telstra has locked in its interim dividend at 10.5 Australian cents per share, 90.48% franked, according to a dividend filing—so most shareholders get the bulk of their payout with a tax offset. The stock started trading ex-dividend on Feb. 25, with the register closing on Feb. 26. Payment lands March 27, per the filing.
The document also pinpointed the next immediate milestone: investors have until 5 p.m. Friday to make their choice on the dividend reinvestment plan (DRP). Telstra noted that DRP shares will be priced using the volume-weighted average price (VWAP) calculated across trading from March 2 to March 6, and there’s no discount applied.
Telstra snapped up another 1,334,100 shares in its daily buy-back, paying between A$5.09 and A$5.14 apiece and shelling out close to A$6.84 million for the lot. That brings the total tally to roughly 134.8 million shares repurchased at a cumulative outlay of about A$661 million, according to the latest filing.
Telstra’s on-market buyback means it’s scooping up shares straight off the exchange, similar to any regular investor. The company has set aside up to roughly A$1.25 billion for the program, aiming to keep it going until June 30, 2026, but it can hit pause on the process at any point.
Management has pitched the buyback as a lever for per-share numbers. “The on-market share buy-back is expected to support earnings and dividend per share growth,” CEO Vicki Brady told investors during the company’s half-year results call. Telstra.com
It’s the familiar telecom slog: Telstra sits up front in the local pack, fending off Optus—owned by Singtel—and TPG Telecom in the mobile game, with broadband rivals vying across the NBN. For investors, the stock’s as much about yield and capital manoeuvres as it is about chasing growth.
Dividend and buyback support isn’t set in stone. After the record date, short-term cash often leaves, while buybacks can slow or pick up depending on trading volumes, blackout windows, or swings in market mood. Fresh price cuts in mobiles or broadband? Those hit the earnings argument right away.
Traders’ focus shifts to Friday’s DRP election cut-off, then straight into the March 2–6 pricing window that will establish the DRP share price. After that, the cash payment lands March 27. Meanwhile, buyback notices trickle in, day by day.
