London, Feb 12, 2026, 09:05 (GMT) — Regular session
- Prudential shares were down 0.7% at 1,153.5 pence by 0850 GMT. (Share Prices)
- A U.S. filing showed the insurer bought back 305,305 shares on Feb. 10 and plans to cancel them. (SEC)
- The group is due to publish 2025 full-year results on March 18 (06:00 HKT), according to its financial calendar. (Prudential)
Prudential plc shares extended their slide in early London trade on Thursday, with investors focusing on the pace of the group’s buyback rather than chasing the stock.
The selling is modest. But the timing matters. Prudential is in the middle of a large capital return plan, and the next read on growth and cash generation is close enough now that traders tend to trim risk, not add it.
A steady drumbeat of buyback disclosures has kept the capital story in view, even as markets turn jumpy about rates again. Asian stocks hit record highs overnight as investors digested fresh U.S. jobs data and its implications for borrowing costs. (Reuters)
On Wednesday, Prudential disclosed it repurchased 305,305 ordinary shares through JP Morgan Securities and said the shares would be cancelled, a step that reduces the number of shares outstanding and can lift earnings per share over time.
The filing put the volume-weighted average price at £11.7651 a share and said the company would have 2,539,845,289 shares in issue after the cancellation, with the same figure used as “total voting rights” under UK disclosure rules.
Prudential launched a $1.2 billion buyback programme in early January and said it aimed to complete it by no later than Dec. 18, 2026. Chief executive Anil Wadhwani said at the time: “I am pleased with the progress we are making in executing our strategy.” (Prudential)
The stock’s pullback comes after two down sessions. Prudential closed on Wednesday at about 11.62 pounds, leaving it down nearly 2% over five days, based on exchange-reported prices. (MarketScreener)
Currency moves are also in the mix for a group that earns most of its money outside the UK. Sterling strengthened on Wednesday as political worries eased and the dollar steadied, which can complicate the day-to-day read-through from overseas earnings into a London share price. (Reuters)
Prudential operates mainly in life and health insurance across Asia and Africa, with a smaller asset-management arm. On its investor pages, the company highlights metrics such as “new business profit” and “gross operating free surplus generation” — essentially a gauge of new sales profitability and cash generation — as key signposts for performance. (Prudential)
But the buyback is not a floor. If markets in Hong Kong and mainland China turn volatile, or if interest-rate expectations swing again, the shares can move fast in either direction, regardless of steady repurchases.
The next catalyst is the full-year results in mid-March, when investors will look for updates on growth in Hong Kong and Singapore, cash generation and any change in the cadence of buybacks and dividends.
