LONDON, March 24, 2026, 15:57 GMT
Prudential plc shares rose on Tuesday after the dual primary-listed insurer disclosed another tranche of purchases under its $1.2 billion buyback. The stock was up 0.7% at 1,071 pence by 1040 UTC in delayed LSEG data, and the company said it bought 377,608 shares on March 23 at an average 1,055.79 pence each. 1
Investors are using the daily buyback tally as a running check on Prudential’s capital-return case after last week’s annual numbers. The insurer said it expects to return more than $7 billion to shareholders over 2024-2027, including $1.3 billion in 2027, after 2025 new business profit rose 12%. 2
Prudential launched the 2026 programme in January and aims to finish it by Dec. 18. The company said the buyback is meant to reduce issued share capital and return cash to shareholders, though timing and pace remain subject to market conditions and execution. 3
Underlying trading was firmer than the recent share price action suggested. Prudential’s 2025 new business profit — a supplementary measure of the future profit expected from policies sold — rose to $2.78 billion, while adjusted operating profit before tax increased to $3.31 billion. Hong Kong new business profit grew 12%, and the group’s mainland China joint venture posted a 27% gain. 4
Chief Executive Anil Wadhwani said the group carried the momentum of 2025 into 2026 and remained confident in double-digit growth across key metrics. Marc Jocum, senior product and investment strategist at Global X ETFs, said the shift toward buybacks and shareholder returns in 2026 pointed to a greater focus on earnings resilience and “capital discipline.” 5
The capital-returns theme is running across the sector. AIA last week unveiled a $1.7 billion buyback after reporting record value of new business in 2025, while Aviva resumed a 350 million-pound programme this month after annual profit rose 25%. 6
But investors still have a few loose ends to pull. Prudential’s free surplus ratio — its measure of excess capital over required capital — slipped to 221% from 234% a year earlier as buybacks progressed, and Morningstar analyst Henry Heathfield wrote that the shares looked “fairly valued” because the market still questioned whether the group could meet its 2027 goals. 7
The backdrop is hardly calm. Reuters market data showed Brent crude above $102 a barrel and UK 10-year gilt yields near 4.9% on Tuesday, a reminder that oil, rates and swings in risk appetite can still buffet financial stocks even when company-specific news improves. For now, Prudential’s modest gain suggests the buyback is helping steady the shares, but only just. 1
