SYDNEY, June 29, 2026, 00:05 AEST
- Macquarie ended Friday at A$249.36, putting it 1.9% under its 52-week high of A$254.31. Trade volume landed about 21% under the average.
- Macquarie’s buyback ended, and employee-plan purchases totaling around A$734 million are now complete.
- The S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX:XJO) ended up 0.18% Friday, trimming losses for the week to 0.73%.
- Macquarie faces a test on pay support at its July 23 AGM after getting its first remuneration strike last year.
Macquarie Group Ltd. ASX:MQG opens the week with its shares trading near a 52-week peak as buying from an employee scheme and a finished buyback are mostly out of the picture.
ASX cash equities weren’t trading at the dateline. ASX normal trading is scheduled from 09:59:45 to 16:00 in Sydney. That means the last market price for Macquarie is from Friday’s close.
The stock dropped 0.25% to A$249.36 on Friday. Shares moved between A$247.80 and A$250.59. Volume came in at 673,480, under the 853,560 average listed on Google Finance. Market cap was about A$95.04 billion.
The flow angle is key here since Macquarie’s employee retained equity plan trustee has snapped up close to A$734.0 million in ordinary shares for 2026 profit share and promotion awards. The trustee did most of the buying off market—A$680.7 million—while A$53.3 million was picked up on market. The weighted average price landed at A$238.80.
That works out to around 3.07 million shares, about 0.8% of Google Finance’s 381.14 million shares on record. Macquarie finished Friday 4.4% higher than the employee plan’s buy price. It’s a modest gap, but some investors are watching to see if shares can stay above where insiders recently bought.
Macquarie has ended its buyback. In May, the company said it bought A$1.013 billion in ordinary shares on market at an average price of A$189.80, and that it didn’t expect to do more buying under the extended program. The board moved to close it.
The employee stock plan buy and the finished buyback total roughly 8.4 million shares, about 2.2% of all shares, by the average prices reported. Not all of that demand landed at once. But this bid for shares is now off the table.
Macquarie shares have climbed 22.72% this year, leaving little room in valuations after the rally. MarketScreener puts the average analyst target at A$250.14, just 0.31% higher than the last close, based on 13 analysts. Consensus call stays at “outperform.” MarketScreener Australia
ASX ends the week lower despite Friday gains (S&P/ASX 200)
The S&P/ASX 200 edged up 15.5 points, or 0.18%, on Friday to finish at 8,764.2. The index still dropped 64.5 points for the week, down 0.73%.
Macquarie’s strong earnings keep the stock at the upper end of its range. The group posted FY26 net profit of A$4.847 billion, a 30% jump. Earnings per share came in at A$12.77. Return on equity was 14.0%. International income drove 68% of total income.
Macquarie’s Commodities and Global Markets division drove the result this time, posting a 49% jump in net profit contribution to A$4.221 billion. The company said client hedging in gas, power and oil lifted commodities income. Asset finance also saw a boost with the OnStream meters sale.
Macquarie CEO Shemara Wikramanayake said “each of our businesses used its specialist expertise” during the year. Chair Glenn Stevens said all major business areas saw “earnings increased in each”. Macquarie
Macquarie has locked in July 23 for its 2026 annual general meeting. The meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. AEST. In the notice, there’s a resolution for the 55,402 restricted share units for Wikramanayake, priced at A$238.80 each.
Pay concerns are back after last year’s warning. Stevens said a large minority rejected the 2025 remuneration report, triggering a first strike. If there’s a second strike this year, shareholders will face a board-spill resolution.
Lendlease Group ASX:LLC said in a Form 605 that Macquarie Group and its controlled entities are no longer substantial holders as of June 23. The filing, coming in Macquarie’s last session, was signed June 26 by Assistant Company Secretary Olivia Shepherd.
