London, January 20, 2026, 21:49 GMT
- On Jan. 19, Reckitt repurchased 49,100 shares, which it will keep in treasury; voting rights stand at 671,845,015.
- Attention is on the Jan. 27 vote regarding a special dividend of 235 pence per share and a 24-for-25 share consolidation.
- The stock dipped about 0.2% in early London trading Monday.
Reckitt Benckiser announced on Tuesday that it bought back 49,100 ordinary shares of 10 pence each on Jan. 19 at a volume-weighted average price of 6,109.49 pence — a price weighted by trade size — and will keep them in treasury. The company now holds 30,244,310 shares in treasury and controls 671,845,015 voting rights. 1
The routine buyback comes as investors gear up for a shareholder vote later this month on a significant one-off cash return linked to the group’s recent portfolio shuffle. Reckitt has scheduled a general meeting for Jan. 27 to approve a 235 pence per share special dividend alongside a 24-for-25 share consolidation—a move to cut the share count and prevent a price drop after the payout. The company wrapped up the sale of its Essential Home business on Dec. 31, keeping a 30% stake in the new acquisition vehicle. “The completion of the divestment of Essential Home is a major step forward in our strategy,” CEO Kris Licht said then. Shares edged down about 0.2% to 6,102 pence by 0957 GMT Monday, the report noted. 2
What matters now is scale and timing. A special dividend shifts cash all at once, while buybacks gradually reduce the share count over time. Investors usually price both in when a vote is near.
Treasury shares are stock that a company has repurchased and holds on its balance sheet. These shares usually lack voting rights and can be cancelled down the line, which helps explain why the voting-rights “denominator” keeps shifting.
European shares suffered their sharpest drop in two months on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on eight European countries linked to Greenland. Kyle Rodda, senior market analyst at Capital.com, said the move has “reintroduced trade uncertainty” and warned equities could face “some downside pressure.” But Andrew Kenningham from Capital Economics expressed skepticism, doubting the tariffs would be carried out “as advertised.” 3
TipRanks, known for monitoring UK regulatory filings, flagged the voting-rights update as a crucial marker for shareholders focused on disclosure thresholds set by UK transparency rules — those triggers that kick in with shifts in voting power. 4
Reckitt’s latest buyback comes after a prior update revealing the company repurchased 48,790 shares, which are now held in treasury. This brings total voting rights to 671,894,115. 5
The share consolidation plan will probably attract scrutiny due to common misunderstandings. It doesn’t create additional value by itself; instead, it adjusts the share count so the per-share price stays roughly the same following a substantial cash payout.
There’s a risk, though. Should shareholders turn down the package on Jan. 27, or if the schedule slips, those counting on a swift, straightforward cash return might rethink their positions. Plus, broader market fluctuations can easily overshadow the impact of small daily buybacks.
Reckitt has relied on buybacks alongside dividends to manage capital, and Tuesday’s filing marks another small move, not a change in approach. The main near-term event is still the late-January vote on the special dividend and the accompanying share consolidation.
