London, May 9, 2026, 17:04 BST
RELX PLC saw its London shares tread water Friday, still feeling the weight from Thursday’s sharp ex-dividend fall and a fresh downgrade from Morgan Stanley. The renewed scrutiny circles the impact artificial intelligence might have on the company’s legal and risk data operations. RELX finished the week at 2,460 pence, virtually flat—off just 0.08% on May 8—after tumbling 6.21% the prior session.
The payout calendar lands right as RELX clears the record date for its 2025 final dividend, sharpening attention on cash returns. Investors are weighing whether the FTSE 100 data firm’s premium subscription model can hold up as AI tools accelerate. For ordinary shares, the record date was May 8, with a payout set for June 18. U.S. holders of American depositary receipts will see payment hit on June 24.
Once shares go ex-dividend, anyone buying won’t get the upcoming payout. Barclays lists RELX’s 2025 final dividend at 48.00 pence per share, pushing the total for the year to 67.50 pence—an increase from 63.00 pence in 2024.
Morgan Stanley downgraded RELX to “equal-weight” from “overweight” on May 7, trimming its price target to 2,970 pence from 3,320 pence, market summaries of the broker note show. The analysts pointed to a less attractive risk-reward profile and tougher competition, highlighting the rise of workflow-focused startups gaining ground. Morningstar
RELX isn’t buying into the notion that AI is just a risk. In its April trading update, the company reported a solid start to the year in each of its four business segments and projected another year of strong underlying revenue and adjusted operating profit gains. That “underlying” metric excludes things like currency swings, acquisitions, and disposals—it’s meant to reflect how the core business is actually performing. Relx
Back in February, Chief Executive Erik Engstrom credited RELX’s “strong underlying revenue and profit growth” in 2025 to gains across its Risk, Scientific, Technical & Medical, Legal, and Exhibitions units. Engstrom also pointed to the ongoing move toward analytics and decision tools as a key engine for long-term growth. Relx
RELX posted 2025 revenue of 9.59 billion pounds, a 7% underlying increase, with adjusted operating profit rising 9% to 3.34 billion pounds. The company said it will allocate 2.25 billion pounds for share buybacks in 2026, after repurchasing 1.50 billion pounds worth in 2025.
RELX has continued snapping up its own shares. According to a regulatory filing, the company picked up 3.1 million ordinary shares via J.P. Morgan Securities between April 27 and May 1. That brings the total since Jan. 2 to 45.7 million shares bought back.
There’s a catch for RELX: investors could overlook the company’s returns if AI tech ends up slashing the cost and complexity of legal research or compliance work, letting rivals build their own tools outside legacy databases. Back in February, Reuters noted that RELX, along with Wolters Kluwer and Thomson Reuters, faced investor jitters after Anthropic rolled out new AI tools designed for professional tasks.
Nick Luff, finance chief at RELX, told Reuters the company’s data, content, and proprietary algorithms are giving users “the right judgments” and interpretations. That’s the main pitch from RELX: AI is making its products better. On the other hand, critics see it differently—they say AI just makes it easier for competitors to catch up. Reuters
Right now, the stock sits between those narratives. Investors can see the dividend and buyback floor, but the market’s nerves are showing as well.
