LONDON, July 2, 2026, 18:03 BST
- Aviva plc (LON:AV) finished at 664.4p, up 1.96% from its last quote after the London close.
- Latest buyback saw 106,017 shares picked up at a VWAP of 652.51p, about four times what June’s employee-plan share issue put out.
- FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) ended the day up 1.67% at 10,652.87. That’s the highest close since late April.
Aviva plc (LON:AV) ticked higher Thursday, moving with London’s blue chips, but the share count was the main thing for investors to watch. The insurer’s shares were last seen at 664.4p, up 1.96%. The FTSE 100 settled 1.67% higher at 10,652.87.
Aviva bought 106,017 ordinary shares for cancellation on July 1, according to a buyback filing dated July 2. The shares were repurchased through Citigroup Global Markets at a volume-weighted average price of 652.51p. Based on that average, the buyback cost Aviva around £692,000 before fees.
Aviva said in a July 1 filing it issued 26,740 shares during June for employee share plans. That brought total shares admitted to trading to 3,001,967,249 as of June 30. With the latest buyback cancellation, Aviva now puts its issued ordinary shares at 3,001,861,232.
| Capital item | Latest figure | Read-through |
|---|---|---|
| Shares issued for June employee plan | 26,740 | Share count goes up |
| Shares cancelled July 1 | 106,017 | That’s 4 times the June issue |
| VWAP for the buyback | 652.51p | 1.8% under Thursday’s last price |
| Cash spent (est.) | £0.692 mln | 0.2% of £350 mln total |
| Shares on register after cancel | 3,001,861,232 | Now the base for voting rights |
The tranche is only about 0.0035% of the share base. Aviva is still pushing its per-share growth pitch to investors, with a goal for 11% compound annual growth in operating earnings per share from 2025 to 2028.
At Thursday’s price, Aviva’s £350 million buyback from March would be enough to purchase around 52.7 million shares—about 1.75% of the current share count—if all the stock was bought at that level. The final number of shares will depend on prices at the time of repurchase.
Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc said back in March the company was starting a £350 million buyback after reporting a 25% jump in 2025 operating profit to £2.20 billion. In May, she said Aviva had another strong quarter and was on track for its group targets.
Direct Line also stayed in the active filings. Aviva said July 1 it told the Takeover Panel it had complied with its post-offer intention pledges from the Direct Line Insurance Group takeover, a year after the offer kicked in.
Aviva’s underlying business is better than the daily swings in its shares. On May 14, Aviva reported first-quarter general insurance premiums up 19% to £3.4 billion, and wealth net flows up 49% to £3.3 billion. The group’s undiscounted combined operating ratio improved 2.5 points to 94.1%.
Capital is tight. Aviva’s estimated Solvency II shareholder cover ratio dropped to 171% at the end of March, down from 180% at year-end, after costs from the final dividend, buyback, and debt. Aviva said synergies from Direct Line would boost capital by over £350 million by year-end, which would lift the ratio by more than 7 points.
Aviva sits in the middle of the pack for UK-listed insurance and savings firms on one-month peer tables, but trails some of its rivals on a one-year view.
| Company | 1 week | 1 month | 1 year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aviva plc (LON:AV) | up 1.43% | added 6.40% | rose 6.12% |
| Legal & General Group plc (LON:LGEN) | up 0.10% | gained 7.47% | up 12.27% |
| M&G plc (LON:MNG) | up 0.75% | rose 6.71% | jumped 30.76% |
| Prudential plc (LON:PRU) | up 4.29% | off 2.07% | up 14.89% |
| Admiral Group plc (LON:ADM) | up 3.53% | added 9.07% | gained 9.81% |
Aviva said it plans to report its 2026 half-year numbers on Aug. 14.
