London, March 30, 2026, 19:09 BST
Informa Plc repurchased 1.897 million shares for cancellation last week, according to a Monday filing, continuing with its 2026 return programme. The London-listed events and academic publishing firm paid an average price of 756.55 pence per share, volume-weighted. Once the transaction settles, the company’s outstanding shares will drop to 1.274 billion.
The filing reveals the company continues to buy aggressively, following its March 12 announcement to boost this year’s commitment to £250 million from £200 million. Chief Executive Stephen Carter pointed to robust cash generation and lower equity values as reasons for the increase.
That’s coming into focus now as Informa works to shore up its stock and still hit an underlying revenue growth target of about 6% for 2026. The company noted that over £2 billion in revenue for this year—more than 45% of its goal—is already paid, booked, or contractually locked in. Finance chief Gareth Wright pointed to strong cash flow as reason enough to “step up the buybacks.” Informa
The stock ended Monday at 745.8 pence, slipping 0.08% for the session and still sitting roughly 25% under its November peak of 1,000 pence. Earlier this month, Carter put it bluntly to analysts: “who wouldn’t be at these prices?” London South East
Informa posted 2025 revenue at £4.04 billion, with adjusted operating profit hitting £1.14 billion and free cash flow coming in at £884.8 million. Cash returned to shareholders totaled £620 million for the year, a mix of dividends and buybacks.
Management reports that planning for 2026 is already underway, buoyed by robust trading at healthcare and food sector gatherings like HIMSS and Gulfood, along with steady renewal activity at Taylor & Francis. For this year, Informa is aiming for underlying growth of over 7% in its B2B Live Events segment, which remains its largest business.
The Middle East remains the big variable here. Informa, earlier this month, announced delays for events spanning over 10 brands in the region, moving them into later months of 2026 due to the Iran war. Carter noted, “some fixed costs that we’ll have to swallow” since some shows were already underway. Reuters
The region’s a key pillar in the growth story. Informa pulls in roughly a quarter of its revenue from India, the Middle East and Africa, and it’s banking on a tie-up with Dubai World Trade Centre to drive further expansion. According to the company, about 40% of IMEA revenue is already in the books or comes from brands operating as usual. The remainder has been pushed to the final four months of the year.
The board keeps tapping its cash reserves, picking up time with each move. Repurchases for the week totaled roughly £14.4 million at the stated average price—just a portion of the broader buyback plan, but unmistakably, the company is still pulling shares off the market at prices far under last year’s peak.
Informa plans to provide weekly updates on its share buyback, the company said.
