Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (LSE: RKT) has become one of those “quietly loud” UK large-caps: the underlying business (consumer health and hygiene) is designed to be steady, but the equity story in 2025 has been anything but boring. A multi-year reshaping plan, an ongoing £1 billion buyback, an end-of-year divestment deadline, and fresh analyst calls are all colliding as the market heads into the final stretch of 2025.
On 15 December 2025, Reckitt shares were trading around 5,972p (about £59.72), down 0.47% on the session on delayed pricing. [1]
Below is a detailed look at the latest news (including today’s company announcement), current forecasts, and the most-discussed bull/bear arguments around Reckitt Benckiser Group plc stock right now.
Reckitt (RKT) share price today: a defensive stock with a busy calendar
Reckitt’s UK listing has been hovering near the 6,000p level, with 15 December trading indicating a 5,972p share price, 5,958p open, and an intraday range around 5,938p–5,972p (delayed data). [2]
That matters because 6,000p is also the psychological zone where:
- buyback activity has recently been executed (more on that below), and
- analyst price targets cluster tightly—suggesting a market that’s still deciding whether Reckitt is a “steady compounder” again, or merely “stable, but capped.”
Today’s headline: Reckitt reports another share buyback transaction (15 December 2025)
Reckitt’s most current company-specific update on 15 December 2025 is a regulatory announcement confirming another day of repurchases under its buyback programme.
Key details from the announcement:
- Reckitt purchased 49,820 ordinary shares (10p each) on 12 December 2025. [3]
- The volume-weighted average price was 6,020.91p, with a high of 6,040.00p and a low of 5,964.00p. [4]
- After the transaction, Reckitt held 59,516,897 shares in treasury, with 672,572,442 shares in issue (excluding treasury), which the company states can be used as the denominator for voting-rights calculations under FCA disclosure rules. [5]
A nerdy-but-important takeaway: when companies are consistently in the market buying stock near a given price band, it tends to act like a slow-moving “demand floor”—not a guarantee, but a structural tailwind when sentiment wobbles.
The bigger buyback picture: how large is it, and how long does it run?
Reckitt’s buyback isn’t a one-off gesture—it’s designed as a multi-tranche programme.
First tranche (completed)
Reckitt previously confirmed completion of the first £250m tranche of its £1bn 2025 share buyback programme, purchasing 4,445,840 shares at an average price of £56.23, with those shares cancelled. [6]
Second tranche (currently running)
The company stated the second tranche would:
- begin 22 October 2025,
- return up to £250m of capital, and
- end on or before 30 January 2026, with BNP Paribas managing execution. [7]
Notably, shares in the second tranche are intended to be held in treasury until completion, and then cancelled (subject to legal allowances). [8]
This matters for valuation because buybacks are effectively a recurring buyer in the market—and for earnings per share (EPS) optics, because cancellations can mechanically lift EPS even when operating growth is merely “okay.”
Operating performance: Q3 2025 strengthened the “execution is improving” narrative
Reckitt’s latest official results package highlights a strong Q3, with management pointing to momentum driven by its “Powerbrands” and improved volumes.
From the company’s Q3 Results 2025 page:
- Like-for-like (LFL) net revenue in Core Reckitt was up 6.7%, and
- management said the Full Year 2025 outlook was maintained. [9]
CEO Kris Licht framed it as a story of sequential volume improvement, a return to growth in developed markets, and continued “outsized” emerging market performance. [10]
Separately, Reuters’ reporting on the Q3 update emphasized that emerging-market strength helped Reckitt beat expectations and maintain its outlook for Core Reckitt LFL net revenue growth above 4%. [11]
Strategy catalyst: Essential Home divestment deadline is approaching fast
One of the biggest structural drivers of the 2025 Reckitt equity story is portfolio simplification—specifically, the plan to divest Essential Home (a portfolio of homecare brands).
In its July 2025 press release, Reckitt announced an agreement with Advent International to divest Essential Home:
- at an enterprise value of up to US$4.8 billion, while
- retaining a 30% equity stake in the business. [12]
The company said the transaction:
- includes up to ~US$1.3bn of contingent and deferred consideration, [13]
- is expected to complete by 31 December 2025 (subject to customary approvals), [14]
- and is designed to support excess capital returns including an anticipated ~US$2.2bn special dividend with a share consolidation following completion. [15]
This is the kind of corporate action that can change how a stock trades:
- Pre-completion: uncertainty, execution risk, headline noise
- Post-completion: investors can re-rate the “cleaner” core business (or decide it’s still not enough)
Growth engine focus: Emerging markets (and China’s digital playbook) are doing heavy lifting
A major reason analysts keep revisiting their Reckitt stance in late 2025 is the company’s emerging market performance—especially China.
Reuters reported in early December that Reckitt’s China growth has been boosted by influencer marketing and AI-generated avatars via livestreaming, noting:
- e-commerce is roughly 80% of sales in China (up from ~30% pre-COVID), [16]
- Reckitt added about 40 million new customers in China in 2025, [17]
- and the company has produced over one million videos and 100,000+ hours of livestream content to market products. [18]
Reuters also cited Barclays analyst expectations that emerging markets could rise from about 42% of core net revenues to 50% by 2030, reducing the growth burden on developed markets. [19]
That’s the optimistic version of the story: digital execution + brand strength + emerging-market mix shift becomes a durable growth model.
Analyst upgrades, downgrades, and today’s forecast landscape for Reckitt stock
If you want a snapshot of how divided (but engaged) the Street is: look at December’s analyst activity.
Barclays: upgrade to Overweight, target raised to £70
Investing.com reports that Barclays upgraded Reckitt to Overweight from Equalweight on 1 December 2025 and raised its price target to £70 from £63, citing improved outlook after operational changes under CEO Kris Licht. [20]
Barclays pointed to historical underinvestment in supply chain/manufacturing/R&D and argued that “basics” such as supply chain resilience have been restored while maintaining Reckitt’s entrepreneurial culture—alongside increased investment in brand equity, R&D and capex. [21]
The same Investing.com item also notes Bernstein SocGen reiterated Outperform with a £65 target, highlighting emerging-market strength and China’s multi-quarter growth streak. [22]
Morgan Stanley: downgrade flagged, target ~6,100p
Meanwhile, MarketScreener reported today that Morgan Stanley downgraded Reckitt to “market weight” from “overweight” with a target price of 6,100p. [23]
Even without the full note text, the headline contrast is telling:
- Barclays: “operations improving, upside still there”
- Morgan Stanley: “still okay, but now closer to fair value”
Consensus targets: tight cluster around ~6,100p
MarketBeat’s consensus data (based on six analysts) shows:
- average price target 6,109.17p,
- high 7,700p, low 5,200p,
- implying roughly 1.82% upside from around 6,000p. [24]
That “1–2% implied upside” is the market’s way of saying: prove it—either via sustained volume-led growth, cleaner portfolio economics post-divestment, or reduced legal overhang.
Valuation debate: DCF bulls see a very different number than price-target consensus
On the more bullish end of the spectrum, Simply Wall St published an intrinsic value piece dated 15 December 2025 arguing:
- a two-stage DCF fair value estimate of £99.15,
- versus a share price around £60.00, implying ~39% undervaluation, [25]
- and claiming its fair value is 57% higher than an analyst price target of £63.15. [26]
This is where the philosophical fight breaks out: DCF models are extremely sensitive to assumptions (discount rate, terminal growth, margin structure, litigation outcomes, and how “clean” the post-divestment Reckitt really is). Simply Wall St explicitly notes the model is assumption-dependent. [27]
So the practical investor takeaway is less “£99 is guaranteed” and more:
If you think Reckitt can keep compounding free cash flow at decent rates with lower operational friction, valuation could look conservative at ~£60. If you don’t, consensus targets make more sense.
The risk investors won’t let go of: infant formula litigation (NEC) and uncertainty premium
No matter how good the supply chain gets, litigation risk can keep a valuation multiple on a short leash.
Reuters reported in March 2025 that a U.S. circuit court ruling allowed plaintiffs to seek a new trial in litigation alleging inadequate warnings about risks tied to specialized formulas for premature infants—after a Missouri state court had previously found Reckitt’s Mead Johnson and Abbott not liable in that case. Reckitt said it would appeal. [28]
Reuters also described the issue as part of roughly 1,000 similar lawsuits connected to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) claims, and noted that shares of both companies fell on the ruling. [29]
This is one reason why even strong operational performance can be met with a market shrug: investors often demand a discount for legal tail risk until outcomes become clearer.
What investors are watching next: near-term catalysts for Reckitt (RKT) stock
As of 15 December 2025, these are the near-term swing factors most likely to move the stock narrative:
1) Essential Home deal completion by 31 December 2025
Reckitt has communicated an expectation for completion by year-end 2025, and investors will watch closely for confirmation, mechanics, and next steps. [30]
2) Clarity on capital returns (special dividend + share consolidation)
Reckitt has flagged an anticipated ~US$2.2bn special dividend (plus share consolidation) following completion—details and timing could influence sentiment. [31]
3) Buyback continuation into January 2026
With the second tranche scheduled to end on or before 30 January 2026, buyback pace and pricing will remain a steady news drumbeat. [32]
4) Whether emerging-market strength continues to offset developed-market grind
The China playbook (livestream commerce, influencers, and AI-driven content) is powerful, but investors will keep testing its durability and profitability. [33]
5) Analyst narrative war: “re-rating” vs “fully valued”
Barclays’ upgrade to Overweight and higher target price sits awkwardly alongside more neutral calls and tighter consensus upside—meaning the next few updates may matter more than usual. [34]
Bottom line on Reckitt Benckiser Group plc stock on 15 December 2025
Reckitt stock is currently trading like a business in transition: operational execution appears to be improving, the company is actively returning capital through buybacks, and the portfolio is being streamlined ahead of a major year-end divestment milestone. [35]
At the same time, consensus price targets remain clustered close to the current share price, suggesting the market wants more proof—either that improved operations can translate into consistently better growth and margins, or that legal and execution risks are shrinking enough to justify a higher valuation multiple. [36]
References
1. www.lse.co.uk, 2. www.lse.co.uk, 3. www.investegate.co.uk, 4. www.investegate.co.uk, 5. www.investegate.co.uk, 6. www.investegate.co.uk, 7. www.investegate.co.uk, 8. www.investegate.co.uk, 9. www.reckitt.com, 10. www.reckitt.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.reckitt.com, 13. www.reckitt.com, 14. www.reckitt.com, 15. www.reckitt.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. www.reuters.com, 20. www.investing.com, 21. www.investing.com, 22. www.investing.com, 23. www.marketscreener.com, 24. www.marketbeat.com, 25. simplywall.st, 26. simplywall.st, 27. simplywall.st, 28. www.reuters.com, 29. www.reuters.com, 30. www.reckitt.com, 31. www.reckitt.com, 32. www.investegate.co.uk, 33. www.reuters.com, 34. www.investing.com, 35. www.reckitt.com, 36. www.marketbeat.com
