Kier Group’s (LON:KIE) stock buyback hasn’t kept up with Friday’s price jump as traders wait for the July update. LONDON, July 5, 2026, 23:01 BST
- Kier finished the day Friday at 228.4p, up 4.10%. The FTSE 250 (INDEXFTSE:MCX) added 0.52%. Markets in London are closed on Sunday.
- The company picked up 205,399 shares last week at an average price of 217.79p, putting out roughly £447,000.
- According to LSE figures, Kier shares are up 3.0% since the start of the year, and up 13.7% over the past 52 weeks, with the RSI at 71.29.
- Kier has its next trading update set for July 21.
London’s market is closed on Sunday. The London Stock Exchange runs 0800 to 1630 BST, Monday to Friday, so the last live price for Kier Group plc (LON:KIE) was Friday. Shares finished at 228.4p mid, up 9p according to Hargreaves Lansdown.
The key figure for shareholders showed up in the RNS after the close. Kier reported it bought 205,399 ordinary shares via Deutsche Bank’s Numis division from June 29 to July 3, as part of the buyback it announced March 3. Based on the daily volumes and volume-weighted prices listed in the RNS, the average price paid that week was 217.79p.
| Date | Shares bought | VWAP paid | Low-high paid | Calculated cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 29 | 50,000 | 214.1945p | 212.40p to 216.00p | £107,097 |
| June 30 | 50,000 | 217.8768p | 214.60p to 219.80p | £108,938 |
| July 1 | 50,000 | 219.0354p | 217.40p to 220.20p | £109,518 |
| July 2 | 50,000 | 219.4207p | 217.40p to 221.80p | £109,710 |
| July 3 | 5,399 | 223.5428p | 221.80p to 226.00p | £12,069 |
Kier’s buyback this week was minor, taking out about 0.047% of its voting rights based on the RNS total of 437,741,523 after settlement. So far in the programme, Kier has bought 4.155 million shares and has 15.134 million in treasury.
This is notable since the buyback price is now near the market level. Still, that doesn’t explain all of Friday’s 4.1% jump. Friday’s close was around 4.9% higher than Kier’s average paid price over the week.
Kier closed at £2.29 on the LSE’s July 3 tearsheet, down 9.3% from its 52-week high of £2.53, but still up 26.7% from the 52-week low of £1.81. The stock traded 10.6% above its 50-day moving average and 5.5% above the 200-day moving average.
| Measure | Kier | Comparator |
|---|---|---|
| Friday move | Shares rose 4.10% | FTSE 250 up 0.52% |
| Year-to-date price change | Stock up 3.0% | Peer group gained 2.2% |
| Last calendar year price change | Kier jumped 49.6% | Peer group added 34.1% |
| Price/EPS TTM | Trades at 12.7x | Peer group at 25.1x |
| Price/book | 1.9x | Peer group 2.0x |
| 5-year revenue growth | 5.0% | Peer group 8.0% |
The valuation gap is the key investor focus heading into July. LSE’s peer sheet shows Kier trading under the sector average on price/earnings, and also lagging on five-year revenue growth. Kier’s five-year EPS growth rate is negative, while peers have posted a positive average, so the case for a rerating hangs on cash and order quality, not just price moves.
Kier CEO Stuart Togwell said with the half-year report that the company saw “good growth in both revenue and profits” and hit an “average net cash position for the first time in 13 years.” In March, revenue rose 2.6% to £2.03 billion, adjusted operating profit rose 6.6% to £71.0 million, net cash stood at £102.9 million, and the interim dividend was set at 2.6p.
Kier reported its order book at £11.6 billion as of the December half-year, locking in around 94% of revenue for FY26 and 78% for FY27. At the same results, the group said it will launch a new £25 million buyback following the finish of its earlier £20 million programme.
Kier’s next scheduled update comes on July 21. The stock heads into the week trading above last week’s buyback average. The most recent RNS showed Friday’s company buy at 223.5428p, while shares closed around 228.4p.
