London, April 1, 2026, 15:12 BST
RELX PLC ramped up its new buyback, snapping up 3.43 million shares from March 23 to March 27 as part of the £350 million scheme announced last week. Those shares are headed for the company’s treasury instead of immediate cancellation.
This marks the first weekly disclosure since RELX shifted to a broker-led, non-discretionary buyback plan—J.P. Morgan is handling trades, but only within fixed parameters, with no daily involvement from the company itself. RELX rolled out this tranche right after wrapping up a £450 million buyback on March 20. The latest program slots into the company’s wider £2.25 billion repurchase push, which runs through 2026.
RELX shelled out roughly 83.5 million pounds over the initial five sessions of its buyback plan, judging by disclosed trade volumes and average prices. Following those trades, the company was holding 35.16 million shares in treasury. Since Jan. 2, RELX reported repurchasing 31.06 million shares.
Investors now get an updated snapshot of cash returns, though the main issue—can RELX’s investment in AI sustain momentum in legal and data segments—remains unresolved. The company is set for its annual general meeting and a trading update on April 23.
RELX posted 2025 revenue of £9.59 billion in February, with adjusted operating profit landing at £3.34 billion. Adjusted EPS climbed 10% when stripping out currency effects. The company bumped its full-year dividend up to 67.5 pence, and is looking for continued strong growth next year.
Erik Engstrom, the chief executive, credits AI with helping RELX “add more value” for its customers. The group’s legal unit—which sits at the heart of the AI conversation—grew its revenue to 1.81 billion pounds, up from 1.72 billion pounds a year earlier. RELX pointed to AI-driven legal analytics and tools as key drivers behind that uptick. Relx
RELX’s competitive advantage, according to Chief Financial Officer Nick Luff, comes down to its stream of constantly refreshed data and the ability to produce “the right judgments, the right inferences, and the right interpretations” tailored for professionals, he told Reuters. That approach sits at the heart of the company’s push to stand apart from newer generative-AI offerings. Reuters
RELX isn’t alone in feeling the squeeze. Back in February, Reuters flagged that Anthropic’s rollout of a fresh legal AI product sent RELX shares and those of rivals Wolters Kluwer and Thomson Reuters sliding. Saxo’s Charu Chanana, in a note, called the underperformance less a rejection of AI itself, more a case of investors picking presumed winners—and steering clear of firms seen as potentially vulnerable.
Buybacks can boost earnings per share, but don’t necessarily resolve the underlying debate. Reuters market data had RELX trading at 2,444 pence on Wednesday—a sharp drop from its 52-week high of 4,183 pence. The numbers suggest investors are still wary about the AI risk facing established players.
The board isn’t backing down from cash returns or governance moves. Shareholders get their say April 23, voting both on a fresh remuneration policy and a 48.0 pence final dividend—set for payment June 18, assuming it passes.
