London, May 1, 2026, 14:04 BST
- RELX edged up in London, though the stock remains well under last year’s highs with investors still probing its AI strategy.
- Relx points to AI-powered analytics and decision tools as the main engine for growth across its four core divisions.
- Cheaper legal AI tools could keep pressuring valuations for RELX, along with rivals like Thomson Reuters and Wolters Kluwer.
RELX PLC ticked up in London trading Friday, though the modest gain left investors still weighing the AI wildcard for the LexisNexis parent—will it reinforce the company’s edge or start to erode it? Delayed AJ Bell data put shares at 2,687p on the sell side and 2,688p to buy, a 0.22% increase compared with the previous 2,682p close.
This is notable, with the stock still lagging far behind last year’s peak after AI concerns hammered legal, data, and software shares. On Tuesday, RELX dropped 1.4% to £26.73, according to MarketWatch, now sitting 36.1% under its 52-week high of £41.83.
The conversation has shifted; it’s not about whether RELX can leverage AI, but whether competitors might turn it against them. In a Thursday column, The Times flagged worries that Anthropic’s budget-friendly AI offerings could pose a threat to LexisNexis legal tools. Still, JP Morgan analysts argue RELX’s proprietary, highly-curated data underpins ongoing structural growth.
RELX has responded to the issue with guidance, not just words. In its April trading update, the group said it had “started the year well” in all divisions—Risk, Scientific, Technical & Medical, Legal, and Exhibitions—and still sees strong underlying growth ahead for both revenue and adjusted operating profit. “Underlying” here excludes things like currency moves, acquisitions, and timing quirks, aiming to show investors a clearer sense of the business’s momentum. Relx
The Legal division remains the key area to watch. RELX reported that law firms and corporate legal saw double-digit growth, fueled by stronger uptake of Lexis+ with Protégé—its AI-powered research and analytics suite, which includes an agentic legal assistant capable of handling multi-step tasks.
The group wants to deepen its reach in European legal AI. On April 28, LexisNexis announced that RELX had made an offer to buy Doctrine, a French legal AI provider used by 27,000 professionals in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. No financial details were given. The transaction still needs employee consultation and regulatory sign-off. “This will help us serve customers in France, across Europe, and beyond,” LexisNexis legal chief Sean Fitzpatrick said. LexisNexis
The risks are already showing up. Back in February, Reuters said Anthropic’s Claude Cowork plug-ins—features aimed at legal and other professional tasks—sparked a sharp selloff in data analytics and services shares. Thomson Reuters slid almost 18%. RELX lost 14%. Wolters Kluwer, down by about 13%. Investors were spooked by the idea that AI could threaten traditional software and subscription models built around professional users.
Morningstar’s Rob Hales, CFA, sounded a more measured note following the selloff, pointing out that the Claude legal plug-in isn’t aimed at legal research—the area Hales sees as the main selling point for Thomson Reuters and RELX. That said, he flagged a real risk: “lower growth” could loom if clients choose to handle more legal work internally instead of relying on tech vendors. Morningstar
RELX is still operating from a hefty financial foundation. For 2025, the company posted revenue of £9.59 billion, with adjusted operating profit landing at £3.34 billion. Adjusted earnings per share came in at 128.5p, and the board proposed a full-year dividend of 67.5p. Buybacks totaled £1.5 billion for 2025, and management flagged plans to ramp that up to £2.25 billion in 2026.
The numbers tell the story. RELX finished Friday at 2,689p, according to Investing.com, swinging between 2,673p and 2,700p during the session. Over the past 52 weeks, shares have spanned from 1,991p up to 4,183p. Market cap comes in around £47.9 billion.
At this point, investors aren’t weighing a trading meltdown. What’s on the table: pricing in the unknowns. RELX points to AI-driven products as the engine behind its growth, but the question is what it’ll cost to keep that going—and whether rivals armed with legal AI could strip enough value from RELX’s paid workflow tools to tilt the margin picture.
