London, May 19, 2026, 10:05 BST
RELX shares climbed around 1.3% in London on Tuesday, adding to gains from the previous session. The information and analytics group traded at 2,535.5p in delayed quotes at 09:41 BST. Shares opened at 2,528p and hit 2,558p, but market data showed the stock was still trading well below last year’s 4,183p peak.
RELX is now a key case for how markets value data-driven subscription firms as generative AI changes the game. In February, Reuters said the stock was down 50% in a year, with investors spooked about AI challenges for software and analytics. The same worries hit Wolters Kluwer and Thomson Reuters, which owns Reuters News. RELX CFO Nick Luff told Reuters the company’s content and its own algorithms help people make the “right judgments” and draw the “right inferences.” Reuters
RELX bought back 3,442,513 ordinary shares between May 11 and May 15, according to a May 18 filing. The buyback was done through J.P. Morgan Securities on the London Stock Exchange. The company said the shares will be held in treasury instead of cancelling them right away.
A buyback happens when a company spends cash to buy back its own shares. Investors usually view this as supportive, since if profits don’t change, having fewer shares tends to lift earnings per share.
RELX shares began rebounding before Tuesday, closing Monday 3.34% higher at £25.04. That move beat the FTSE 100, which finished Monday up 1.26% at 10,323.75. RELX traded 3.6 million shares on the session, below its 50-day average, according to MarketWatch data.
London stocks held their ground on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 up 0.68% at 10,393.81, according to delayed Hargreaves Lansdown data. The index stayed above Monday’s close.
RELX is pitching AI as a helpful tool rather than only a risk. In its April trading update, the company said performance started strong in all four business units and that it sees another year of solid underlying revenue and adjusted operating profit growth ahead. “Underlying” figures leave out currency changes, new acquisitions in their first year, and some timing shifts, which the company says gives a clearer view of core results. Relx
Legal analytics stood out in the update. RELX reported double-digit growth in its law firm and corporate legal business, saying demand for Lexis+ with Protégé, its AI-driven research and assistant tool, was pushing the gains.
But the rebound still looks messy. If lower-cost general AI tools start to eat into demand for specialist legal, scientific, and risk databases, RELX could see its pricing power squeezed. Buybacks will cut the share count, but they won’t patch up a soft revenue model.
Market risk is still an issue. UK stocks climbed Monday thanks to stronger energy shares and higher oil, but Reuters said worries about inflation and politics are hanging over local markets. ING’s James Smith told Reuters that the political centre in the UK is probably moving left, though politicians recognize “there are limits” on how much they can loosen fiscal policy. Reuters
Right now, buyers point to two things: RELX has enough cash for buybacks, and management is sticking to its AI growth pitch. The shares show investors aren’t convinced yet.
