BP shares hit a new yearly high Monday as oil prices topped $100 a barrel amid tensions near Iran threatening the Strait of Hormuz. BP traded around 537.8 pence in London after
Rolls-Royce shares fell 1.83% to about 1,260 pence by 13:03 GMT Friday despite Moody’s raising its credit rating to A3. The company forecasts 2026 operating profit of £4.0–4.2 billion and free cash flow of £3.6–3.8 billion, with a share buyback of £7–9 billion planned through 2028. Rolls-Royce flagged a £150–200 million cash flow hit next year from supply chain issues.
Rolls-Royce shares rose about 1.2% to 1,230 pence in late London trading Monday, partially recovering from Friday’s 5.3% drop. The company said it repurchased 1.82 million shares on March 13, bringing the total under its £2.3 billion buyback to 12.52 million. Shares remain well below the 2024 high of 1,420 pence.
BP shares hit a new yearly high Monday as oil prices topped $100 a barrel amid tensions near Iran threatening the Strait of Hormuz. BP traded around 537.8 pence in London after earlier reaching 546 pence; Shell also gained. BP on Friday secured U.S. approval for its $5 billion Kaskida project in the Gulf of Mexico. Analysts warn BP’s higher exposure to the Middle East brings both greater upside and risk.
Telstra shares closed at 5.12 AUD on the ASX, down 0.2%, after the company bought back 1.95 million shares for 9.99 million AUD. Telstra faces regulatory pressure over spectrum costs and signal coverage, while it prepares to pay an interim dividend of 10.5 cents per share on March 27. Bendigo Bank signed a five-year telecom deal with Telstra this week.
Admiral Group shares rose 1.9% to 3,280p Friday after RBC Capital Markets raised its rating and target price following Admiral’s record 2025 profit of £957.9 million. The insurer will shift from special dividends to share buybacks from mid-2026. FTSE 100 fell 0.43% as investors shrugged off Admiral’s weaker 2026 outlook amid renewed inflation concerns.
Atlassian will cut about 1,600 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, as it shifts focus to AI and enterprise sales. CTO Rajeev Rajan will leave by March 31. The restructuring will cost $225–236 million, with 40% of layoffs in North America. Laid-off staff will receive at least 16 weeks’ pay and up to six months’ health coverage.
Experian shares closed down 0.62% at 2,738p Friday after launching a ChatGPT-powered UK credit score app. The firm also began offering VantageScore 4.0 for mortgages at $0.99 per score, undercutting FICO. Experian repurchased 224,000 shares this week as part of a $1 billion buyback. FTSE 100 fell 0.4% amid Middle East concerns and stagnant UK GDP.
National Australia Bank shares rose 1.53% to 47.11 AUD Friday as traders bet on a possible Reserve Bank of Australia rate hike next week. Australia tapped up to 762 million liters of fuel reserves to ease shortages linked to the Iran war. NAB’s quarterly cash profit climbed 16% to 2.02 billion AUD, but its key capital ratio slipped to 11.48%. Brent crude traded at $100.13 a barrel.
Telstra shares closed at 5.19 AUD Friday, up 1.37%, as the company bought back 3.49 million shares for about 18 million AUD. The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.14% the same day. Telstra’s buyback, set to run through June 30, follows stronger-than-expected half-year results and a raised buyback cap. TPG Telecom closed at 3.91 AUD.
BAE Systems shares rose 0.3% to 2,306 pence in late London trading Friday, extending Thursday’s 3.14% jump to a record high. The FTSE 100 fell 0.3% as defense stocks outperformed amid oil above $100 a barrel and shipping disruptions in the Persian Gulf. BAE completed a key satellite program milestone and announced buybacks. Leonardo shares hit a record after unveiling a new tech-focused strategy.
Reckitt Benckiser shares rose 0.17% to 5,325p at 14:42 GMT after buying back 140,000 shares as part of a new £540 million tranche led by Deutsche Bank. The buyback follows a 6% drop after full-year results, with investors wary of 2026 margin and EPS outlooks. CEO Kris Licht highlighted strong emerging market sales, while management flagged lingering costs from recent divestments.
Rolls-Royce shares fell 1.83% to about 1,260 pence by 13:03 GMT Friday despite Moody’s raising its credit rating to A3. The company forecasts 2026 operating profit of £4.0–4.2 billion and free cash flow of £3.6–3.8 billion, with a share buyback of £7–9 billion planned through 2028. Rolls-Royce flagged a £150–200 million cash flow hit next year from supply chain issues.
Reckitt Benckiser shares fell 0.69% to 5,351 pence Thursday, extending a 6% weekly drop. The company bought 138,000 shares for treasury on March 11 as part of a £1 billion buyback. Investors remain cautious after last week's earnings shock and lack of margin guidance for 2026. FTSE 100 also slipped amid Middle East tensions and inflation concerns.
Clough CEO Peter Bennett has died at age 59, the company said Thursday, declining to disclose the cause. Clough has not named an interim chief and said details would be announced “in due course.” Bennett led the firm through its 2022 insolvency and Webuild’s 2023 takeover. The company employs over 3,000 people and manages projects worth nearly A$18 billion.
Reckitt Benckiser launched the third phase of its £1 billion share buyback, repurchasing £540 million in shares days after annual results. Shares fell 10.6% for the week ending March 10, underperforming the FTSE 350. The company reported 5.2% growth in 2025 comparable sales but warned of market pressures and slow growth in some divisions. Reckitt returned about £0.9 billion to shareholders in 2025.
PayPal shares rose 6.7% to $47.02 after Bloomberg reported Stripe is considering a bid for part or all of the company. Talks remain in early stages and both firms declined comment. PayPal named Enrique Lores as CEO effective March 1. The company also disclosed a data breach involving its Working Capital loan application.
UnitedHealth Group shares fell 2.6% to $273.95 in after-hours trading Tuesday, deepening a two-day drop of about 5.5%. The decline comes as investors brace for potential changes to Medicare Advantage payments, with a key public comment deadline set for Feb. 25. Other major health insurers, including Humana and Elevance, also closed lower despite gains in broader indexes.
Western Digital shares fell 2.8% to $272.65 Tuesday after a late Monday SEC filing revealed a planned insider sale of 130 restricted shares by Chief Legal Officer Cynthia Lock Tregillis. The stock traded between $267.85 and $284.00 amid volatile tech markets and recent sector weakness.
Sandisk shares jumped 5.2% to $683.53 in early New York trading Monday, rebounding from $645.88 amid heavy volume. The move follows Western Digital’s plan to sell about 5.8 million Sandisk shares to cut debt. Investors await signals on AI infrastructure demand ahead of Sandisk executives’ appearance at a Bernstein forum Wednesday. Western Digital shares rose 0.8% at the open.
GE Vernova Inc. rose 0.1% to $831.30 in late Monday trading as U.S. markets fell on Trump’s surprise 15% tariff announcement. The company reported $150 billion in backlog and a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share. Dominion Energy raised its five-year capital plan to $64.7 billion. Nvidia reports Q4 results on Feb. 25.
IREN Limited rose nearly 6% to $42.28 in Monday afternoon trading, outpacing other U.S.-listed crypto miners despite a slight bitcoin decline. The stock is set to join the MSCI USA index after markets close Feb. 27. Cantor Fitzgerald disclosed it sold its 3.47 million-share IREN stake and added put options by year-end. IREN posted a Q4 net loss of $155.4 million as it shifts from bitcoin mining to AI cloud services.
SELLAS Life Sciences rose 3.4% to $4.29 in premarket trading Monday after closing Friday at $4.15 on heavy volume. Traders are watching for the 80th event in the phase 3 REGAL trial for AML, with results expected by mid-March. Short interest stands at 41.33 million shares, or 24.4% of float. SELLAS reported $71.8 million in cash at year-end, plus $26.5 million from recent warrant exercises.
Barclays shares rose 1.1% to 478.9 pence in early London trading after the bank announced it bought back 4.21 million shares for cancellation on February 20. The buyback, executed via J.P. Morgan, brought the total repurchased since February 10 to 25.38 million shares. Lloyds and HSBC shares also gained. HSBC’s full-year results are due Wednesday.
Corning shares jumped 7.3% to $139.51 Friday after UBS raised its price target to $160 and reiterated a “buy” rating. The stock hit an intraday high of $140.27, fueled by optimism over rising data center investment. Investors await management appearances at conferences next week for updates on demand.
U.S. regulators approved a new first-line treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia combining AbbVie’s Venclexta and AstraZeneca’s Calquence, citing improved progression-free survival over standard therapy. AbbVie shares closed up 0.21% at $224.81 Friday. Barclays initiated coverage with an “overweight” rating and $275 target. Investors await further market reaction when trading resumes Monday.
UnitedHealth shares closed Friday at $290, up just 0.02%, after a volatile session. New federal data show Medicare Advantage enrollment growth is slowing, with about 35.5 million members in early February. Insurers including UnitedHealthcare and Aetna have cut benefits and exited some regions. CMS will close public comments on proposed 2027 payment changes on Feb. 25.