London, May 2, 2026, 19:09 BST
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc now lists 640,814,501 votes as its current shareholder base, according to a new regulatory filing. The updated figure gives investors a new reference for UK stake disclosures, with the company continuing its share buyback program following a disappointing first quarter. Investegate
The timing of the update is key, with Reckitt aiming to demonstrate capital discipline as investors juggle concerns over sluggish sales, margin headwinds, and unpredictable consumer trends. Share buybacks tend to lift earnings per share by trimming the share count used for economic and voting rights—although treasury shares, held internally, don’t come with any voting power.
Reckitt disclosed in an own-shares filing that it picked up 185,000 ordinary shares on April 30, with Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch handling the transaction at a volume-weighted average price of 4,676.56 pence. The deal comes to roughly £8.65 million. Those shares are set for treasury, according to the company. Sharecast
The notice also stated Reckitt would retain 33,560,558 shares in treasury following the deal, leaving 640,445,194 ordinary shares in circulation, not counting treasury stock. In its monthly voting-rights update, dated May 1, the company listed 674,005,752 ordinary shares issued and 33,191,251 held in treasury as of April 30. Stockopedia
Shares ended the session at 4,713 pence in London on May 1, gaining 0.75%, Reuters data showed. London’s market remained shut Saturday. Reuters
Reckitt, the company behind Dettol, Durex, Lysol, Finish and Mucinex, said last week its Core Reckitt like-for-like net revenue rose 1.3% in the first quarter. Like-for-like, or LFL, tracks revenue gains at constant exchange rates, stripping out acquisitions, disposals and discontinued operations. Investegate
Chief Executive Kris Licht pointed to “very low seasonal incidence,” sluggish categories in Europe, and ongoing geopolitical disruptions as hurdles for Core Reckitt’s quarter. Stripping out seasonal over-the-counter medicines, Core Reckitt still managed a 3.1% increase. The company held firm on its 2026 LFL net revenue target for Core Reckitt, keeping the range at 4% to 5%. Reckitt
Emerging Markets showed a 7.6% lift on a like-for-like basis. Europe, on the other hand, dropped 4.2%. North America slipped 0.9%, pressure from both retailer destocking and a sluggish cold and flu season. Mead Johnson Nutrition—tagged by Reckitt as non-core—saw sales slide 2.7% LFL, landing at £531 million. Investegate
Reckitt shares slumped as much as 7% following its April 22 Q1 release, according to Reuters, after core sales came in short of the company-compiled analyst estimate of 2.9%. Harsharan Mann from Aviva Investors described the quarter as “broad-based muted growth.” JPMorgan’s Celine Pannuti flagged doubts around Reckitt’s ability to meet full-year goals. Reuters
Reckitt’s 2026 got off on the wrong foot, with a sluggish cold and flu season weighing things down, Hargreaves Lansdown equity analyst Aarin Chiekrie said. Still, he expects momentum to build as the year goes on. Close to £0.7 billion of the planned £1 billion buyback had already been chalked off following the Q1 update, Chiekrie added. Hargreaves Lansdown
Reckitt isn’t the only one feeling the squeeze. On May 1, Colgate-Palmolive flagged roughly $300 million in additional raw material and logistics expenses tied to the Middle East conflict, echoing rivals Unilever and Procter & Gamble, who’ve also warned that rising costs may push up the price of everyday goods. Reuters
The buyback won’t solve Reckitt’s bigger problem. Full-year guidance is still pinned to a bounce in seasonal demand and no more emerging-market pain from the Middle East conflict after the first half. Reckitt pointed out that if commodity prices remain high, squeezed household budgets could drag down consumer demand. Investegate
