London, June 27, 2026, 21:06 BST
- Haleon finished the week at 348.3p, up 4.3%. The FTSE 100 added 1.4%. Trading in London was closed on Saturday.
- Haleon was named by Reuters as a bidder for Thorne, the U.S. supplements company that could fetch as much as $4 billion.
- Using June 26 GBP/USD rates, that upper value is close to £3.0 billion—nearly 10% of Haleon’s £30.70 billion market cap and roughly six times its 2026 buyback plan.
- VMS made up 14.5% of Haleon’s Q1 revenue, rising 1.7% organically. Oral Health was up 8.3%.
London markets were closed Saturday, so Friday’s prices held. Haleon PLC (LON:HLN) ended at 348.3p, rising 0.03% for the day. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.21% to 10,508.02. Haleon moved up 4.3% since last Friday’s 334.0p finish, ahead of the index, which gained 1.4%.
Haleon’s 14.3p gain for the week all hit on Wednesday, jumping from 333.7p to 348.0p. The stock didn’t move much after that—by Friday, it was only 0.3p higher than Wednesday’s close. Friday’s volume came in at 15.84 million shares, trailing both Wednesday’s 25.03 million and Thursday’s 31.60 million. The Thorne report out late in the week got little response as London closed on Friday.
Haleon has made a bid for Thorne, Reuters said Friday, citing sources. Thorne sells supplements like magnesium and omega-3, mainly in the U.S. Reuters also said, citing three sources, that Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) did not make a bid. Haleon hasn’t confirmed the move.
High end of the range could matter for investors. Reuters, citing the Financial Times, said Thorne may fetch as much as $4 billion. That’s about £3.0 billion at Reuters’ June 26 GBP/USD rate of 1.3189. Haleon closed Friday at £30.70 billion in market value, making Thorne worth almost 10% of Haleon’s cap at the top.
Haleon has a separate cash-use plan from buybacks. The company set £500 million for share repurchases in 2026, saying it will run an on-market programme up to that figure. According to the latest weekly RNS on June 22, Haleon bought 14.29 million shares for cancellation.
Category fit looks obvious. Reuters cited Grand View Research, which put the U.S. dietary supplements market at $68.74 billion for 2025, and sees it reaching $131.08 billion by 2033. That’s roughly 8.4% compound annual growth from those points.
Haleon’s VMS business isn’t moving that fast. The segment pulled in £414 million in the first quarter, 14.5% of total revenue, with organic growth at just 1.7%. Oral Health is bigger—£932 million—growing 8.3%. A Thorne deal would push more money into a smaller, slower Haleon unit, at least based on Q1 numbers.
Haleon CEO Brian McNamara said on April 29 the latest quarter was “tempered by a weak cold and flu season,” but said Haleon still expects growth to pick up through the year. The group kept its 2026 targets for organic revenue growth at 3% to 5% and for high-single-digit adjusted operating profit growth at constant currency. Haleon Corporate
Haleon CFO Dawn Allen said shoppers are “becoming more value-orientated and seeking more convenience.” First-quarter growth came from higher prices, not more units sold. Price added 2.4%, but volume and mix slipped 0.2%. In North America, price was up 3.7% while volume and mix dropped 2.7%. Haleon Corporate
Haleon shares climbed last week, but the stock is still down 16% from its 52-week high of 416.1p. The discount could help with a rerating, though it also makes any expensive U.S. supplements deal harder to justify.
Haleon is set to report H1 2026 results on July 30. The company also lists Oct. 29 for its Q3 2026 trading statement.
