LONDON, March 13, 2026, 16:51 GMT
Haleon gained Friday, the stock adding 1.26% to reach 377.7 pence as of 1338 UTC. The move came after the consumer health company launched a £500 million buyback, with plans to cancel the repurchased shares.
The move is significant for Haleon, which has been clawing its way back after a steep drop triggered by its February guidance. On Feb. 25, Haleon projected organic revenue growth for 2026 at 3% to 5%—excluding currency impacts and M&A—with shares sliding up to 6% as sluggish U.S. demand hit sentiment.
According to Thursday’s filing, HSBC has locked in an irrevocable deal to buy shares on the London Stock Exchange, Cboe Europe and Aquis, with the programme set to wrap up by Aug. 19. Every share repurchased will be cancelled, the filing said.
Haleon on Friday released its 2025 annual report, filed the U.S. Form 20-F, and scheduled a virtual AGM for April 29. The company’s statement addressed the filings and notice for the meeting, but didn’t include an updated forecast.
Management expects U.S. pressure to subside. “We feel confident the U.S. will grow this year,” CEO Brian McNamara told Reuters following February’s results. But Chris Beckett, analyst at Quilter Cheviot, pointed out that “Many households feel financially stretched.” That pressure is cropping up even in over-the-counter medicines—products that don’t need a prescription, he said. Reuters
Haleon is ramping up its China push, seeking fresh momentum for growth. The company’s putting 65 million pounds into a new oral-health facility in Shanghai and expanding Parodontax distribution into smaller cities, according to Reuters this week. “An incredible market,” CEO McNamara said of China. Oral health head Jayant Singh noted Sensodyne’s reach: about 11% of Chinese households, still trailing the 29.8% share Haleon attributes to local heavyweight Yunnan Baiyao. Reuters
Pfizer’s buyback lands on the heels of its March 2025 sale of the final Haleon stake, closing the chapter on its involvement in the consumer health venture formed with GSK and spun out two years prior.
The buyback can only go so far if U.S. shoppers remain hesitant and promotions keep eating into sales of vitamins and smokers’ health products. Haleon’s own outlook for organic revenue growth in 2026—3% to 5%—still trails the 4.4% analyst consensus cited by Reuters back in February. So investors are left looking for more tangible signs of volume or market share gains, rather than just a shrinking share count.
