London, Feb 13, 2026, 08:13 GMT — Regular session
- Barclays clawed back roughly 0.6% in early trading, recovering some ground after sliding 2.9% on Thursday.
- The bank kicked off a share buyback of up to £1 billion, tapping JPMorgan to handle the buying.
- Barclays has picked up 7.29 million shares to date under the new programme, according to filings.
Barclays (BARC.L) edged up in the first stretch of Friday’s London session, as the bank’s fresh share buyback programme got underway. Shares climbed 0.6% to 466.6 pence after Thursday’s close at 463.6 pence. So far, the day’s range has run from 461.7 to 467.6 pence.
The timing’s key—buybacks throw a steady bid into the market. Simply put, Barclays is spending cash to scoop up its own stock, which cuts the number of shares out there and typically props up earnings per share.
There’s now a tangible metric for traders to watch each day. Initial disclosures highlight just how fast the bank is putting that £1 billion to work, as well as the spots where it’s prepared to bid higher—details that can move prices in the near term.
Barclays kicked off its buyback program on Feb. 11, with plans to keep it going until Aug. 10, provided regulatory approval stays intact. According to the bank, J.P. Morgan Securities is handling trades on the London Stock Exchange as “riskless principal”—they pick up shares in the market and then pass them to Barclays, which will cancel every share it buys back. Investegate
Barclays snapped up 3.13 million shares on Feb. 12, paying a volume-weighted average of 479.2691 pence apiece, according to a regulatory filing Friday. That brings its total under the ongoing program to 7.29 million shares, averaging 480.4403 pence. Just a day before, a separate filing put the Feb. 11 tally at 4.16 million shares, with an average price of 481.3216 pence.
Barclays, in a late Thursday filing, revealed that some top executives recently sold shares. Group co-chief operating officer Craig Bright offloaded 41,500 shares at £4.760 on Feb. 10. The following day, chief risk officer Taalib Shaah parted with 15,200 shares at £4.864, the notice showed.
The buyback doesn’t come without strings. It hinges on regulators keeping their approval, and if investors start worrying about bank profits, credit expenses, or where interest rates are headed, any boost from repurchases could easily be wiped out.
Traders are set to scrutinize the daily buyback disclosures, paying attention to the prices Barclays manages to lock in. Income-focused investors, meanwhile, have circled Feb. 19—the ex-dividend date for the bank’s 5.6 pence final payout, which lands on March 31.
