London, June 30, 2026, 20:05 BST
- Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (LON:RKT) closed at 4,911p, dropping 0.63%. The FTSE 100 Index (INDEXFTSE:UKX) went up 0.12%.
- Reckitt shares are up only 1.2% from the £48.55 average the company paid in its last tranche. The £1 billion buyback wrapped up this month.
- UBS said on June 29 it sees Reckitt cutting its Core Reckitt FY26 guidance. Public consensus still points to a 25.05% upside from the average target price.
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (LON:RKT) slipped Tuesday, with shares ending just over the price the company paid in its final buyback round, which wrapped up. The drop wasn’t big. Reckitt settled at 4,911p, off 0.63%. The FTSE 100 Index (INDEXFTSE:UKX) added 0.12%.
The buyback price is the key number here. Reckitt said on June 16 that it wrapped up the third and last leg of its current £1 billion buyback, picking up 11,122,383 shares at an average of £48.55 each between March 9 and June 15. Shares closed Tuesday at £49.11, just 1.2% above the average paid.
| Measure | Latest reading | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Reckitt close | 4,911p | Shares fell 0.63% on the day |
| Final buyback average | £48.55 | Shares have gained about 1.2% from that mark |
| Five-day change | +5.50% | Short bounce is still there |
| Year-to-date change | -21.45% | Stock keeps big losses since Jan. 1 |
| 52-week range | 3,664p to 6,514p | Stock sits about 25% under its year high |
MarketScreener data had Reckitt up 5.50% for the last five sessions, but shares have dropped 21.45% since Jan. 1. Google Finance gave a 52-week range with a high of 6,514p and a low at 3,664p, putting the stock about 24.6% under the peak and 34.0% above the low.
Consumer stocks were mostly down in London, though Reckitt trailed the pack. Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR) dropped 1.15%, British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) edged lower by 0.85%, and Diageo plc (LON:DGE) lost 2.81%, data from Google Finance’s related-stock snapshot show.
| Instrument | Latest move |
|---|---|
| Reckitt (LON:RKT) | down 0.63% |
| FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) | up 0.12% |
| Unilever (LON:ULVR) | off 1.15% |
| British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) | fell 0.85% |
| Diageo (LON:DGE) | dropped 2.81% |
The concern is that the buyback pause could put pressure on earnings performance. MarketScreener published an MT Newswires brief on June 29 noting UBS sees Reckitt cutting Core Reckitt guidance for FY26, though the full UBS note wasn’t available publicly for review.
Reckitt reported first-quarter core like-for-like net revenue up 1.3%. Europe was down 4.2%. North America slipped 0.9%. Mead Johnson Nutrition dropped 2.7%. Gains in Emerging Markets, which climbed 7.6%, made up the difference.
| Q1 2026 area | LFL net revenue growth |
|---|---|
| Emerging Markets | up 7.6% |
| Europe | down 4.2% |
| North America | off 0.9% |
| Core Reckitt | rose 1.3% |
| Mead Johnson Nutrition | fell 2.7% |
| Group | up 0.6% |
Chief Executive Kris Licht said in April that Core Reckitt faced “very low seasonal incidence” and softer Europe categories. Still, “We maintain our LFL net revenue guidance for 2026,” Licht said. The company kept its Core Reckitt full-year like-for-like net revenue forecast unchanged at 4% to 5%. Investegate
Input costs are still pressuring the business. Licht told Reuters NEXT Europe on June 16 that inflation linked to the Iran crisis “will start to flow through” with “a bit of a delay.” Back in April, Reckitt estimated if oil stays at $110 a barrel through 2026, gross input costs would rise by about £130 million to £150 million. Reuters
The legal questions haven’t gone away in the share price story. An Illinois court tossed a $60 million verdict against Mead Johnson and said there will be a new trial, ruling that the jury instructions were wrong in a lawsuit involving NEC claims from preterm infant formula. The decision wiped out that one verdict, but the larger issue is still there.
Analyst targets are still looking for a rebound. MarketScreener shows 19 analysts at consensus, most with an “outperform” rating, an average target of £61.80. That’s 25.05% up from the last close at £49.42. Low target came in at £51.79, just 4.80% over that close. MarketScreener
Reckitt plans to provide more information on a possible buyback plan when it reports half-year results on July 29. That date is in focus now since the last buyback wrapped up, UBS has raised guidance risk again, and shares are near Reckitt’s repurchase level.
