London, Feb 15, 2026, 15:33 GMT — Market closed
- Kingfisher shares last closed up 1.65% at 362.5 pence, a fresh 52-week high
- A regulatory notice showed another 1.2 million shares were bought for cancellation under its £300 million buyback
- Investors now look to late-March full-year results for trading and cash flow signals
Kingfisher Plc (KGF.L) shares ended Friday at a new 52-week high, closing up 1.65% at 362.5 pence, with London markets shut over the weekend. The B&Q and Screwfix owner is now trading at the top of a 12-month range of 238.5p to 362.5p. (Hargreaves Lansdown)
That matters going into Monday because Kingfisher has been feeding the market a steady stream of capital-return updates while investors wait for its next set of numbers. At this level, even routine disclosures tend to get read as signals about confidence and cash generation.
A filing showed the group bought 1.2 million shares on Feb. 12 at a volume-weighted average price of £3.5575, with the highest price paid at £3.5890 and the lowest at £3.5120. The shares were bought from Goldman Sachs International under Kingfisher’s £300 million repurchase programme and will be cancelled, reducing the share count. (Investegate)
Buybacks are simple in theory: fewer shares can lift earnings per share, all else equal. In practice, they also put cash discipline under a light — investors will want to see whether the company keeps buying when trading gets choppy.
The last time Kingfisher updated the market on trading, it raised its adjusted pretax profit view for the year ending January 2026 to 540 million to 570 million pounds, from prior guidance pegged to the upper end of 480 million to 540 million. Chief Executive Thierry Garnier said at the time: “We delivered another quarter of high-quality, volume-led growth,” while the company pointed to weak consumer sentiment, political uncertainty and strike action in France. (Reuters)
Analysts at RBC Europe struck a more upbeat tone after Kingfisher’s first-half numbers in September, writing: “We see potential for DIY trends to be fairly resilient,” and flagged the group’s move to accelerate its share buyback, with the programme then slated to complete by March 2026. (Reuters)
For the week ahead, traders will keep one eye on any further buyback notices and another on what that implies about day-to-day liquidity in the stock. They will also be sensitive to any UK consumer or housing signals that can sway demand for home improvement spend, especially in “big-ticket” areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.
But the run to a fresh high raises the bar. Any hint that spring demand is cooling, or that France remains a drag on volumes and margins, could sharpen the focus on how much of the rally is fundamentals and how much is financial engineering.
The next hard catalyst is Kingfisher’s full-year results on March 24, when investors will be looking for trading trends by market and an update on cash flow and the pace of buybacks. (Kingfisher)
