Sydney, Feb 25, 2026, 18:33 AEDT — Market closed.
- REA Group clawed back some ground, its shares ending 1.8% higher at A$155.68 after Tuesday’s drop.
- The latest filing from the company outlined further shares snapped up through its on-market buyback program.
- Investors eye upcoming buyback announcements, keeping the March 3 ex-dividend date firmly on their calendars.
REA Group Ltd shares bounced 1.8% higher to A$155.68 on Wednesday, recovering ground lost in Tuesday’s session. Shares moved within a range of A$152.73 to A$158.19, up from the previous close at A$152.90. (Intelligent Investor)
This buyback is basically the headline act now, especially after a week of wild swings in the stock. With markets closed, traders’ attention shifts to one thing: will the company stick to the buyback, and how fast will it keep snapping up shares?
REA’s investor centre logged a new “Update – Notification of buy-back” on Wednesday, just after another the previous day. These buy-back notices are now a regular fixture on the stock’s daily tape. (REA Group Ltd)
REA snapped up 17,386 shares on Tuesday, spending A$2.68 million at prices between A$152.41 and A$159.77, according to a Wednesday filing. So far, that brings total buybacks to 44,863 shares since the start of the program, with Goldman Sachs Australia running the trades, the document said. (Company Announcements)
The company’s A$200 million on-market buyback, first announced with its February half-year numbers, comes alongside a fully franked interim dividend of A$1.24 per share, handing investors the benefit of Australian corporate tax credits. “Customers continued to recognise the value of our premium products,” chief executive Cameron McIntyre said. Chairman Hamish McLennan, for his part, called the buyback “a reflection of the Board’s confidence in the long-term outlook.” (ASX Announcements)
REA finished Tuesday at A$152.90, Morningstar data shows. Shares moved higher on Wednesday, but the price remains far under what investors saw at the start of the month. (Morningstar, Inc.)
An on-market buyback is straightforward—a company steps in as a regular buyer, picking up its own shares on the exchange. With fewer shares in circulation, earnings per share (EPS) can nudge higher, even without any increase in profit.
What happens next really comes down to whether the buyback continues to provide that consistent demand, especially after the stock’s wild swings this week. Investors are watching housing turnover, too—since REA’s bread and butter, listings and ad revenue, closely follows the pace of residential property activity.
But buybacks don’t guarantee a bottom. The company could ease off or halt repurchases if markets shift. If housing listings lose momentum, ad volumes and pricing take a hit either way.
There’s also competition in the mix—Domain Holdings trails as a smaller player in Australia’s online property listings scene. Both firms face the same major variable: the volume of homes hitting the market, tied closely to seller confidence.
Next, the dividend schedule comes into focus: REA shares go ex-dividend on March 3. Traders are eyeing the upcoming daily buyback notice, looking for any hint that the company might ramp things up or pull back before that deadline.
