London, July 4, 2026, 22:02 BST
- Informa PLC (LON:INF) closed at 916.60 GBX on July 3, up 0.15%. London markets are closed for the weekend.
- The stock gained 2.1% last week while the FTSE 100 added 1.6%. Shares are up 11.7% since June 4, outpacing the index’s 3.1% rise.
- Informa has canceled 286.4 million shares from February 2022, or about 18.5% of its rebuilt share base.
- Next up is a 15p final dividend set for July 10. Half-year results follow on July 30.
Informa PLC (LON:INF) edged up on Friday, capping the week with a small gain. The stock ended July 3 at 916.60p, which was its top close in the current data set. That marked outperformance of the FTSE 100 by about 8.6 percentage points over the last month. London Stock Exchange hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Price action looked simple during the day, but the close-to-close table tells a bit more.
| Measure | Informa | FTSE 100 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 26 close | 897.80p | 10,508.02 | — |
| July 3 close | 916.60p | 10,679.03 | — |
| Last week | up 2.1% | up 1.6% | 0.5 percentage point ahead |
| Since June 4 | up 11.7% | up 3.1% | 8.6 percentage points ahead |
The buyback is the clearer story for investors. Informa said it bought 932,607 shares for cancellation in the week to June 26, according to its June 29 update. The weighted average price was 879.35p, roughly 4.2% below Friday’s close, based on transaction data. The company is putting at least £250 million into the programme in 2026.
The point is the share count has already dropped. Informa reported total issued shares of 1.262 billion as of July 1, according to a voting rights notice. The company has bought back and cancelled 286.4 million shares since February 2022. That’s an 18.5% cut to the share base. AJ Bell values Informa at £11.49 billion. The £250 million buyback underway now is about 2.2% of that equity value.
Informa’s latest AGM update on July 30 showed steady academic revenue, but its live-events unit kept feeling pressure from Middle East timing.
| Latest company metric | Figure | Market read |
|---|---|---|
| Group underlying revenue, five months to May 31 | 6.4% | 2026 outlook unchanged |
| Taylor & Francis underlying revenue | 5.5% | Academic side keeps expanding |
| B2B Live Events underlying revenue | 7.6% | Key driver |
| B2B Live Events left to run in affected regions | c.10% | Half-year volatility |
| Brands moved inside 2026 | 15+ | Revenue shift risk |
| 2026 revenue in backlog or pipeline | $4 billion+ | Backlog clarity |
| First-half 2027 forward revenue locked in | $0.6 billion+ | Early signal for 2027 |
Informa group chief executive Stephen A. Carter said in the June 18 trading update the “depth and breadth” of its portfolio is still driving growth. “We have momentum in both our businesses, B2B Live Events and Academic Services, and are reconfirming full year earnings guidance,” Carter said. Informa
Brokers have moved their calls the same way. Deutsche Bank’s Steve Liechti said the update could help investors get a better feel for Middle East sentiment, which he said is “improving in our view”. He called Informa “a well-positioned, scaled growth business that can react rapidly to near-term issues.” Deutsche kept its Buy call and 1,140p target. Proactiveinvestors UK
Citi’s Conor Dwyer echoed earlier calls after the UK shifted travel advice for the UAE and Saudi Arabia. He said Informa’s “attractive growth profile,” trading at about 13 times forecast 2027 earnings, gave the shares “a better setup to outperform.” Citi upgraded Informa to Buy and bumped its target price to 990p from 850p. Proactiveinvestors UK
There isn’t much on the calendar for company updates this week. Dividend payout is set for July 10, and next results hit July 30 with half-year figures. The July 30 update is tight—investors want deferred events excluded, real cash conversion, and the 2027 booking number holding firm. If bookings drop, the last month’s share gains are harder to defend.
