London, June 24, 2026, 16:02 BST
- Imperial rose roughly 1% to around 2,790 pence in the late London session.
- The group picked up 343,070 shares Monday and Tuesday, set to be cancelled as part of its £1.45 billion buyback.
- Investors are set to get a 41.68p interim dividend on June 30.
Imperial Brands shares pushed up 1.0% to 2,790 pence late in London on Wednesday, set for a third advance in a row. The stock added 0.9% Tuesday after edging up 0.2% Monday.
British American Tobacco rose 1.5%. The FTSE 100 added 0.3%, with the UK’s main tobacco names moving ahead of the index.
Imperial reported after the close Tuesday it bought 113,070 shares at an average price of 2,747.7065 pence. Barclays handled the buyback. Imperial said it will cancel the stock.
On Monday it picked up 230,000 shares, paying an average price of 2,735.9699 pence. Combined with earlier buying, that brings the total to 343,070 shares so far under the plan it rolled out in October 2025.
Imperial reported a 1.8% rise in tobacco and next-generation product net revenue at constant currency for its May 12 half-year. NGP revenue, which is from its non-cigarette nicotine lines, was up 7.5%. Adjusted operating profit climbed 0.6%. The interim dividend is up 4%. CEO Lukas Paravicini said the company is “on track with our £1.45bn share buy back.” Imperial Brand Plc 2022
Oral nicotine is getting more crowded. ALP, part-owned by Tucker Carlson and Turning Point Brands, plans to hit 11 European markets starting July, CEO Lorenzo De Plano told Reuters. BAT’s Velo and Philip Morris International’s Zyn lead sales in U.S. pouches. “We want ALP to be everywhere,” De Plano said. Reuters
Imperial pushed further into the U.S. oral market in May, picking up Black Buffalo for $150 million up front. There’s also an earn-out based on performance for three years. Paravicini said the move fits a “disciplined and focused approach” to the NGP portfolio. Imperial Brand Plc 2022
Analysts see 2.2% growth for tobacco and NGP net revenue in fiscal 2026, as of June 11. Adjusted operating profit is expected to rise 3.1%. Consensus puts adjusted earnings per share at 333.7 pence.
Imperial is facing pressure as price increases might not offset declines in cigarette volumes and market share. Its share in its top five markets dropped by 16 basis points in the first half—a basis point is 0.01 percentage point. Profit growth will need to pick up in the second half for Imperial to hit its full-year goal. Ongoing conflict in Iran could push up energy and logistics expenses. The Tobacco and Vapes Act in Britain bans tobacco sales to anyone born from Jan. 1, 2009, and adds stricter rules for vapes and nicotine products.
Imperial’s next investor date is set for June 30. That’s when the company will pay the first interim dividend of 41.68 pence. The second payout will come on Sept. 30. Full-year results are expected Nov. 17.
