London, June 20, 2026, 18:04 BST
- RELX ended Friday’s session at 2,377 pence, rising 1.24%. The stock was down roughly 4.6% for the week.
- FTSE 100 dropped 1%, logging its worst week since early May. Investors pulled back from equities as geopolitical tensions and British political risks weighed.
- RELX is running a £200 million share-buyback tranche until June 26. Half-year results are due July 23.
RELX finished Friday at 2,377 pence, up from Thursday but down sharply from last week’s 2,492 pence close. The bulk of the drop came after Thursday’s 3.97% slide. Shares posted a heavy weekly loss, underperforming the London market.
RELX’s slide is stretching out, not just a single session move. Shares closed the week about 41% off their 52-week high of 4,030 pence hit last July, showing investors continue to cut what they’re willing to pay for recurring revenue and steady profit growth as artificial intelligence shifts the professional data market.
Tech and data shares sold off Thursday. UK tech names dropped 3.3%. London Stock Exchange Group, which operates in data and financial infrastructure, fell 7% after a broker downgrade. RELX slid as well, though less sharply, keeping up pressure on data-company valuations.
Bank of England kept Bank Rate at 3.75%. Vote moved to 7-2 this time, with two members pushing for a hike. “Conditions do not appear to support sustained inflation pressure,” said Luke Bartholomew, deputy chief economist at Aberdeen. Still, he said higher bond yields hurt firms with valuations tied to long-term profit forecasts. Bank of England
RELX’s share price is still trailing the business itself. Back in April, RELX said all four divisions kicked off 2026 with solid growth in both revenue and profit, stripping out currency, M&A, and timing factors. Legal revenue was still expanding in the double digits as clients continued to take up Lexis+ with Protégé, the new AI assistant built for legal research and drafting.
RELX CEO Erik Engstrom insists AI is a tailwind for the company, not a threat. In February, he said the tech should keep boosting customer value and growth “for many years to come.” For 2025, RELX posted 7% underlying revenue growth, a 9% jump in underlying adjusted operating profit, and adjusted earnings per share up 10% at constant currencies. Relx
Views are mixed on how much of a shield RELX’s data and customer ties really provide. Adam Berlin at Goldman Sachs started coverage this month with a Buy and 3,000-pence target, saying RELX doesn’t belong in the AI ‘at risk’ bucket and still has a strong moat. Morgan Stanley went the other way, dropping its rating to Equal Weight and warning about fast-moving workflow startups.
Wolters Kluwer comes in lower than RELX on AI, at least by Goldman’s numbers. Goldman gave RELX an AI-resilience score of 9 out of 10, while its Dutch competitor scored 6.8. Still, the market isn’t convinced. For now, investors seem more concerned about AI lowering barriers to entry than about RELX’s ability to make money by selling new, higher-value tools built from its proprietary content.
No trading update is on the schedule next week, but capital returns still draw attention. RELX’s £200 million buyback is set to wrap up on Friday, June 26. Investors holding the U.S.-listed depositary receipts are due to get the 2025 final dividend on Wednesday. The next major test for the business is the first-half results out July 23.
Still, the bear case is pretty direct. RELX points to bigger competition, softer copyright rules, personal data changes and cyber risks as key threats. The company also says AI could hit both demand and pricing. Buybacks may prop up the stock and shrink the float, but they don’t answer the big question. Investors want to see if AI can grow sales without cutting into RELX’s pricing.
