London, Feb 23, 2026, 09:47 GMT — Regular session
- Ashtead shares barely budged in early London action
- The group reported yet another buyback purchase.
- The spotlight now turns to the U.S. listing schedule and upcoming index revisions.
Ashtead Group plc edged 0.04% higher to 5,193 pence Monday, mirroring the FTSE 100’s lack of movement. The shares kicked off at 5,136 pence, swinging between 5,108 and 5,208 pence during the session. (Hargreaves Lansdown)
Those daily buyback announcements carry extra weight these days. Ashtead is moving forward with a reshuffle that will push its London listing down to secondary status—right when certain funds are hemmed in by strict guidelines on holdings and index tracking.
Ashtead is set to exit the FTSE UK Index Series when markets open on March 2, FTSE Russell said, pending court approval. The final day to trade in the current line is scheduled for Feb 27. The group added that it will name Ashtead’s replacement in the fixed indices, including the FTSE 100, with two trading days’ notice. (FTSE Russell Research Portal)
Ashtead purchased 88,300 shares for its own treasury on Feb 20, paying an average of 5,139.8258 pence per share. J.P. Morgan Securities acted as broker. Shares held in treasury aren’t canceled; the company can tap them later for employee plans or similar uses. (Investegate)
The group is nearing the final phases of securing its planned U.S. primary listing. Ashtead confirmed that its unit, Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, submitted a Form 10 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Jan 27. The filing is set to become effective Feb 26. Trading is slated to kick off March 2 on both the NYSE and the London Stock Exchange, with shares listed under the ticker “SUNB”. (Investegate)
Ashtead has pinned March 12 for its third-quarter results, covering the period through Jan 31. The company will webcast the numbers at 8:30 a.m. ET, which is 12:30 p.m. GMT. In the same update, Ashtead disclosed it had identified a “non-material misclassification” on a previous unaudited balance sheet, adding: “There is no impact on the Group’s net assets, profit or cash flows.” (Investegate)
Ashtead, operator of Sunbelt Rentals, one of North America’s top equipment rental outfits, is considering a listing shift that would bring it alongside U.S.-traded names like United Rentals and Herc Holdings. The change would give Ashtead access to more active trading and a distinct set of investors.
But over the next two weeks, execution risk looms. If the court process or any regulatory step gets held up, index funds and event-driven traders may have to adjust their positions. Shares could also move sharply if U.S. construction demand changes, since a big slice of Ashtead’s business is tied to that market.
