London, Feb 19, 2026, 09:02 (GMT) — Regular session
- Barclays shares slipped at the open, following the stock’s move ex-dividend.
- The bank reported new share buyback purchases, all set for cancellation.
- Softer UK inflation data has traders circling rate-cut bets once again.
Barclays PLC slipped 1.4%, landing near 479 pence in Thursday’s early London session. The move lagged a stronger FTSE 100, as the stock started trading ex-dividend.
This comes down to the typical ex-dividend drop: buyers after the cutoff miss out on the coming payout, so shares usually slip by about the dividend. Barclays is set to pay a final dividend of 5.60 pence per share on March 31, with Feb. 20 as the record date.
Barclays pointed to additional buybacks, disclosing it repurchased 2.59 million shares for cancellation on Feb. 18 at a volume-weighted average of 484.7493 pence. That figure, which reflects trade sizes, comes under the buyback program unveiled Feb. 10.
After a solid rally the previous day, Thursday brought a pullback. Barclays closed Wednesday at 486 pence, gaining 2.55% and beating the broader UK market.
Macro trends are taking the driver’s seat this week. Fresh data from the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday showed UK consumer price inflation cooling to 3.0% in January, down from December’s 3.4% reading. That’s firming up bets the Bank of England might begin cutting rates in the weeks ahead.
Traders in money markets leaned toward an 85% probability of a 0.25-point cut from the Bank of England next month—even as services inflation refused to budge. “Services CPI was a little bit higher than expected so I think sterling has got a little bit of reprieve on that,” said Chris Turner, ING’s global head of research. Reuters
UK equities are sticking with the rally. The FTSE 100 locked in a fresh record finish Wednesday. “Investors keep piling into UK assets,” IG senior financial analyst Axel Rudolph said. Reuters
The dividend tweak isn’t a one-way street. Should rate-cut bets wobble—say, if inflation won’t budge or growth stumbles—UK bank stocks can react fast. Barclays, with its split between retail and investment banking, tends to feel those jolts even more.
Investors are now zeroing in on the Bank of England’s policy announcement and minutes, coming up March 19, as the next key signal. The focus: how quickly policymakers could cut rates—and just what that might do to lenders’ margins.
