Melbourne, Feb 20, 2026, 16:57 (AEDT) — The session’s over.
- CSL slipped on Friday, paring back gains from its brief two-day bounce.
- New filings point to consistent buybacks, plus news of a licensing agreement with Eli Lilly.
- Next up: pace of buybacks heading into Monday, plus March dividend timing in view
CSL Ltd (CSL.AX) slipped 0.6% Friday, ending the session at A$153.27. That pullback shaved off some of the gains from a two-day run-up earlier in the week.
That late-week drop caught notice—investors haven’t seen much in the way of confirmation that the stock has a real floor. Right now, CSL’s filings take center stage, spelling out just how much it’s buying back and laying bare the latest moves in its drug pipeline.
CSL picked up 69,497 shares on Thursday, spending A$10.7 million, according to Friday’s daily buyback notice. That brings the tally for its on-market buyback program to 3.33 million shares so far, with total spending around A$634.7 million, the filing said.
CSL announced this week it’s landed an exclusive licensing deal with Eli Lilly for clazakizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 monoclonal antibody aimed at a key inflammatory pathway. CSL holds onto rights for clazakizumab’s use in preventing cardiovascular events in end-stage kidney disease, while Lilly will pursue other possible uses. The agreement includes a $100 million upfront payment to CSL, along with potential milestone payments and royalties, all pending standard closing steps such as regulatory sign-off. “A significant step forward,” CSL’s R&D chief Bill Mezzanotte said, with the company already running a Phase 3 trial in dialysis patients.
Thursday’s filings revealed that non-executive director Alison Watkins picked up 214 CSL ordinary shares, exercising rights through a board scheme.
Going into next week, traders are eyeing whether the buyback still soaks up supply during softer sessions, and if any new specifics emerge on the Lilly agreement beyond what’s already out. The stock’s been jumping in fits and starts lately, so even minor shifts in demand hit the tape quickly.
Support only goes so far. Delays with regulatory approvals or a disappointing late-stage clazakizumab trial could push the stock down toward recent lows, even with the buyback in place.
