London, June 17, 2026, 14:14 BST
- Experian was off slightly in afternoon trading in London, moving with the weaker FTSE 100, the benchmark for London blue chips.
- Experian PLC sold $1 billion in 5.35% bonds maturing in 2036. The company said the money will go toward general corporate purposes and some debt repayment.
- Experian kicked off a new share buyback, buying 464,235 shares on June 16 to cancel them.
Experian PLC shares slipped on Wednesday. The credit data company priced a $1 billion bond sale, keeping focus on its balance sheet. This comes just weeks after the FTSE 100 group announced both a new buyback plan and a more cautious outlook for growth.
The stock traded at 2,549p on the offer and 2,550p to buy, off 8p, or 0.31%. The FTSE 100 was 0.11% lower, Hargreaves Lansdown data showed with at least a 15-minute lag. Volume reached 520,417 shares.
Experian Finance US Inc. priced new notes at a 5.35% coupon, due Aug. 24, 2036, with the notes guaranteed by Experian PLC. The firm said this issue would help lengthen its debt maturities and bring in more funding options. Closing is set for June 24, pending standard closing conditions.
The timing is a factor. Experian’s debt page shows $5.1 billion in bonds outstanding at March 31, with the next maturity due June 2026. The company also lists $2.5 billion in undrawn committed revolvers from banks. Experian’s leverage policy sets a target for net debt at 2.0-2.5 times EBITDA, which is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.
Experian is selling bonds while it keeps returning cash to shareholders. The company said in a regulatory filing Wednesday it bought back 464,235 shares on the London Stock Exchange on June 16 at a weighted average price of 2,577.5023p. The shares will be cancelled. Cancelling them cuts the number of Experian shares in issue.
Investors are still reacting to Experian’s May numbers. The company posted $8.45 billion in statutory revenue for the year ended March 31, up from $7.52 billion. Benchmark earnings per share grew 15%. CEO Brian Cassin called fiscal 2026 “a record year.” For FY27, Experian is guiding for organic revenue growth between 6% and 8%, stripping out currency moves, acquisitions and disposals. Experian plc
The market didn’t like the guidance at the time. Reuters said on May 20 that shares in Experian dropped as much as 7.1% after the company signaled caution on the economy and potential rate headwinds. “We don’t see any material improvements; we don’t see any material deterioration either,” CEO Brian Cassin told analysts. According to Reuters, JPMorgan’s Jane Sparrow said Experian was “on the front foot” discussing AI’s possible business impact. Reuters
London stocks slipped early Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 ticking down 0.14% to 10,479.77 by 09:36 GMT, according to Reuters. Investors weighed in-line UK inflation numbers before the Bank of England sets rates.
Experian is still exposed to the same trends driving Equifax and TransUnion in the U.S.: mortgage volumes, credit score rivalry and the risk that AI could change what lenders want from data vendors. Earlier this year, Reuters said that VantageScore, which competes with FICO, is owned by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Equifax CEO Mark Begor told Reuters he expects VantageScore adoption to pick up as mortgage market rules get clearer.
Buybacks and a better maturity schedule may not be enough if lenders and card issuers stay wary. Higher borrowing costs can dent refinancing demand, and focus on credit quality and AI concerns is still weighing on the valuation. Shares saw only a modest move on Wednesday. The focus is on July’s first-quarter trading update—if it backs up management’s claim that the conservative FY27 view is just prudence, not a sign momentum has slowed.
