LONDON, June 27, 2026, 20:42 BST
- Standard Chartered’s buyback is done, with 62.8 million shares retired, cutting its pre-buyback share count by about 2.8%.
- The stock slipped 1.31% to 2,036p on Friday, trailing the FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX)
- Half-year results land July 29, and the completion notice didn’t mention a new buyback.
London markets didn’t open Saturday, as the London Stock Exchange holds to its weekday trading. Investors last saw prices at Friday’s close, with Standard Chartered PLC (LON:STAN) slipping 1.31% to 2,036p. The FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) dropped 0.21%. Standard Chartered closed 10.62% under its 52-week high of 2,278p, set June 24.
Standard Chartered wrapped its $1.5 billion buyback started in February, saying on June 25 it made a last purchase of 539,518 shares on June 24. The bank bought 62.8 million shares in total, to be cancelled, at an average price of £17.803262 per share. That leaves 2.191 billion voting shares outstanding after cancellation.
A review of the filing and Friday’s close puts the buyback’s impact at around 2.79% of shares outstanding before the program. Shares closed the week 14.4% higher than the average price paid during the buyback. At Friday’s price, the retired stock would be valued at roughly £1.28 billion, topping the original sterling outlay for those shares by about £161 million.
That’s important with the company bid now out of the picture as the shares push near record highs. Monday’s session will show if the stock can stay above 2,000p without support from a buyback order.
Standard Chartered has already booked the capital cost. The bank said its common equity tier 1 ratio stood at 13.4% at the end of the first quarter, showing the full 58-basis-point hit from the $1.5 billion buyback—even though only $471 million of shares had been repurchased as of March 31. According to the bank, that ratio was 3.1 points over its latest regulatory minimum.
Standard Chartered Bank’s buyback comes as earnings rise. CEO Bill Winters called it a “record first quarter performance.” Interim CFO Pete Burrill called it a “strong start to 2026.” The bank posted first-quarter operating income of $5.9 billion, up 9%. Profit before tax rose 17% to $2.5 billion. Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered is raising expectations for its stock. The bank in May set new return on tangible equity targets, aiming for above 15% in 2028 and about 18% in 2030. Standard Chartered also kept its CET1 ratio target at 13%-14% and said it would maintain a dividend payout ratio of at least 30%.
Standard Chartered is weighing a sale of its wealth and retail banking arm in Bahrain, the bank said June 23. It would hang on to its corporate and investment banking in the country. Bongiwe Gangeni, who runs wealth and retail banking for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said Standard Chartered wants to keep investing in the Middle East, pointing to client demand and long-term prospects.
No earnings are due next week. The next event on the calendar is half-year results on July 29. That’s when investors get a better look at per-share returns, with the lower share count but no recent buybacks.
