London, Jan 30, 2026, 08:51 GMT — Regular session
- Rolls-Royce shares gained roughly 1.3% in early trading, bouncing back from a slight drop the day before
- The company revealed an additional tranche of share buybacks as part of its £200 million programme
- With late-February results approaching, investors are focused on order flow and engine durability
Rolls-Royce Holdings shares jumped roughly 1.3% to about 1,216 pence in early London trading on Friday, bouncing back after a 0.6% drop the previous day. The stock kicked off at 1,202p and climbed as high as 1,229p, still below its 52-week peak of 1,306.5p. 1
This move is significant since Rolls-Royce is once again trading as a “show me” story. Investors have pinned their hopes on two factors: demand in civil aerospace and the cash flow from engine servicing.
Order headlines often pack more punch than they seem. With widebody engines, a single deal now can mean years of service work down the line, and the market usually prices that future work long before it hits the books.
European stocks barely moved on Friday as investors balanced solid earnings reports with concerns over geopolitical tensions and tariff unpredictability. Attention also turned to President Donald Trump’s anticipated nominee for the Federal Reserve chair, Reuters noted. 2
Rolls-Royce repurchased 650,824 shares on Jan. 29, paying a volume-weighted average price near 1,209 pence each. This move is part of its £200 million buyback plan unveiled last December. The company intends to cancel these shares and currently has 8.43 billion shares outstanding. 3
On Wednesday, Rolls-Royce announced that Delta Air Lines has ordered 30 Trent XWB-84 EP engines and 32 Trent 7000 engines to power its Airbus A350-900 and A330neo aircraft. The entire fleet will be covered under Rolls-Royce’s TotalCare service package. “This reorder underpins our combined commitment to reliability, durability, and customer success,” said Rob Watson, president of civil aerospace. Delta TechOps chief John Laughter described the Trent XWB-84 as a “highly reliable” engine in Delta’s fleet. 4
Investors are still focused on the engineering details. FlightGlobal reported Friday that Rolls-Royce is gearing up for a second round of durability upgrades on its Trent 1000 engine, which powers Boeing’s 787. Programme manager Rachel Walker said the two upgrade phases could “offer up to triple the time-on-wing” — meaning longer intervals before the engine needs servicing. The report also flagged uncertainty over whether these improvements will drive new orders. GE Aerospace’s GEnx engine currently leads Dreamliner sales. 5
The upcoming key event is the company’s full-year results on Feb. 26. Investors will be watching closely for updates on cash flow and how quickly shareholder returns might accelerate beyond the existing buyback. 6
