Meta description (SEO): Standard Chartered PLC shares hit a new 52‑week high on Dec. 12, 2025, supported by an ongoing share buyback and a Goldman Sachs upgrade. Here’s the latest news, analyst forecasts, valuation debate, and what investors are watching next.
Standard Chartered share price today: What’s happening on 12 December 2025?
Standard Chartered PLC stock is trading near 1,764.5p in London on Dec. 12, 2025, after moving through a 52‑week high zone (up to ~1,767p intraday), according to market data carried by Investing.com. [1]
While the day-to-day catalyst mix can change quickly, today’s story is unusually coherent: capital returns (buybacks), a major broker upgrade, and a steady drumbeat of “strategy execution” headlines that reinforce the market’s re‑rating narrative around the bank. [2]
The two big drivers investors are reacting to: buyback + broker upgrade
1) Standard Chartered continues its share buyback (RNS, Dec. 12)
In a London Stock Exchange regulatory announcement dated Dec. 12, 2025, Standard Chartered said it bought back 558,220 ordinary shares on Dec. 11, 2025, at a volume‑weighted average price of 1,719.30p (roughly £9.6m of stock at that VWAP), and intends to cancel the shares. [3]
Two details matter for equity investors:
- Cancellation reduces the share count (and can support EPS over time). Standard Chartered said that after cancellation it will have 2,268,881,996 ordinary shares/voting rights in issue. [4]
- The bank disclosed it has applied an aggregate of US$919.6m to repurchases under the program (as of the prior London trading day). [5]
This buyback sits within a broader shareholder‑distribution push the bank has been running since 2024. In its HY 2025 materials, Standard Chartered referenced a new $1.3bn buyback and a wider 2024–2026 distribution ambition. [6]
2) Goldman Sachs upgrades Standard Chartered to “Buy” and lifts the price target
In a Dec. 12 note reported by Investing.com, Goldman Sachs upgraded Standard Chartered to “Buy” from “Neutral” and raised its price target to £19.65 (from £16.70). [7]
Goldman’s argument is fundamentally about returns and sustainability:
- It forecasts underlying return on tangible equity (ROTE) of 14.6% by end‑2025, above management guidance around 13%. [8]
- It projects 15.0% by 2027 and 15.7% by 2028. [9]
- It also points to valuation: a ~1.2x price‑to‑tangible book level that Goldman sees as still offering upside versus developed‑market peers with similar profitability profiles. [10]
A crucial “timing” call in the note: Goldman expects Standard Chartered could upgrade medium‑term ROTE guidance either at the FY 2025 results or at an Investor Day/Investor Seminar in May 2026, potentially creating another catalyst window. [11]
Forecasts & targets: the bullish case is clear — but consensus isn’t uniform
Today’s analyst upgrade headlines are bullish, but investors should note that consensus targets can lag fast‑moving share prices.
- Investing.com’s compiled “Analysts 12‑Month Price Target” shows an average around 1,649.65p, which (in that dataset) implies downside from current levels after the recent rally. [12]
- Meanwhile, Goldman’s new target £19.65 equates to roughly 1,965p, implying about ~11% upside from the current ~1,764p level (depending on the exact spot price used). [13]
Why the disconnect? In practice, when a stock rerates quickly (Standard Chartered has been in a strong run), price targets are often revised sequentially as brokers update models after results, management meetings, or guidance changes—exactly what Goldman is signaling could happen again around FY results or the May 2026 investor event. [14]
What Standard Chartered itself has said about profitability and upcoming guidance
Standard Chartered’s own recent communications have leaned into improving returns and a more durable earnings mix.
In its Q3 2025 results communications, management said it expects ROTE around 13% in 2025, and stated it would provide updated 2026 ROTE guidance at full‑year results in February, with further medium‑term framework detail at an investor seminar in May. [15]
That matters because markets are currently valuing many banks on a simple question: Can you sustain mid‑teens returns without taking outsized risk? Goldman’s note is effectively saying Standard Chartered is moving into that bracket. [16]
Today’s wider news flow around Standard Chartered: strategy execution — and emerging‑market reality checks
Beyond price targets and buybacks, Dec. 12 brings a cluster of “business execution” headlines that can influence investor confidence (especially for a bank whose story spans Asia, Africa, and the Middle East).
Digital assets: Standard Chartered Malaysia and Capital A explore a ringgit stablecoin pilot
A corporate statement published on Dec. 12, 2025 says Capital A (AirAsia’s parent) and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia signed a letter of intent to explore the development and testing of a MYR‑denominated stablecoin under Bank Negara Malaysia’s Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH). The statement describes Standard Chartered Malaysia as the issuer in the proposed setup, with wholesale enterprise use cases as a focus. [17]
For Standard Chartered PLC equity holders, this kind of announcement is less about near‑term profit and more about strategic positioning: management has repeatedly framed digital assets as an area where regulated, bank‑grade infrastructure could become an advantage over time. [18]
Digital wealth: pushing wealth tools across EMEA
A Dec. 12 industry write‑up also highlights Standard Chartered’s push to expand digital wealth management capabilities across EMEA, including app-based investing features and a hybrid advisory model. [19]
This connects directly to the bullish investment thesis many banks are pursuing: shift toward fee‑generating wealth/investment income to reduce reliance on pure net-interest dynamics. (Goldman explicitly calls out improved profitability prospects as the basis for its upgrade.) [20]
Emerging‑market risk lens: Senegal loan discounts and what it says about frontier credit
A Reuters report dated Dec. 12 describes how loans to Senegal (including loans originated by Standard Chartered and others) have been offered at steep discounts as debt worries deepen, illustrating how quickly sentiment can change in frontier credit markets. [21]
This is not necessarily a “Standard Chartered‑specific” negative catalyst on its own—large banks participate in syndicated markets in many ways—but it is a reminder of a structural point equity investors must constantly price in with Standard Chartered: exposure to emerging‑market cycles, sovereign/credit volatility, and occasional headline risk. [22]
What about risk, regulation and litigation? Key items investors still track
Even in a bullish tape, Standard Chartered remains a bank where risk perception can move quickly.
Bank of England stress test statement (Dec. 2, still “current” context)
Standard Chartered noted it exceeded minimum requirements in the Bank of England’s 2025 Bank Capital Stress Test hypothetical scenario, describing the outcome as evidence of capital strength and resilience. [23]
UK securities litigation settlement update (Dec. 5)
Standard Chartered said it reached a settlement in the case “Mercy Investment Services, Inc. and others v. Standard Chartered plc”, while denying liability, and stated the settlement is not material to the group’s operating results or financial position. [24]
For stock investors, these items tend to affect valuation through a single channel: the discount rate applied to future earnings (i.e., how much uncertainty the market feels it must price in).
The calendar: what could move Standard Chartered stock next?
Two concrete upcoming catalysts stand out:
- FY 2025 (Q4) results — Tuesday, 24 February 2026 (per the bank’s investor calendar). [25]
- Investor Seminar/Investor Day window — May 2026, where the bank has indicated it expects to give more detail on its medium‑term financial framework (also referenced by Goldman as a potential catalyst). [26]
In the nearer term, investors will also keep watching the pace and pricing of buybacks, because consistent repurchases can provide a “floor” during market volatility—and because cancellations directly affect share count. [27]
Bottom line for Standard Chartered PLC stock on 12.12.2025
Standard Chartered’s Dec. 12 stock move is being driven by a clean combination of:
- Capital returns (a continuing buyback with share cancellations), [28]
- A major broker upgrade (Goldman moving to “Buy” with a higher target and higher ROTE forecasts), [29]
- A supportive “execution” news flow (wealth digitisation and regulated digital‑asset initiatives), [30]
- Balanced against the ever‑present reality of emerging‑market credit headlines and regulatory/litigation overhangs that can resurface quickly. [31]
If the share price is going to extend beyond today’s highs sustainably, the next inflection is likely to come from what management delivers on 2026 guidance and medium‑term targets at the Feb. 24, 2026 results and/or the May 2026 investor event—the same windows Goldman is flagging. [32]
References
1. www.investing.com, 2. www.investegate.co.uk, 3. www.investegate.co.uk, 4. www.investegate.co.uk, 5. www.investegate.co.uk, 6. www.sc.com, 7. www.investing.com, 8. www.investing.com, 9. www.investing.com, 10. www.investing.com, 11. www.investing.com, 12. www.investing.com, 13. www.investing.com, 14. www.investing.com, 15. www.sc.com, 16. www.investing.com, 17. newsroom.airasia.com, 18. newsroom.airasia.com, 19. thedigitalbanker.com, 20. www.investing.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. www.investegate.co.uk, 24. www.sc.com, 25. www.sc.com, 26. www.sc.com, 27. www.investegate.co.uk, 28. www.investegate.co.uk, 29. www.investing.com, 30. thedigitalbanker.com, 31. www.reuters.com, 32. www.sc.com
