RELX PLC stock is back on investors’ radar heading into year-end, not because of a splashy acquisition or an earnings surprise, but because the company is doing what high-cash-generation businesses love to do: shrinking the share count, tightening capital structure, and leaning hard into AI-enabled subscription products that keep customers paying through good cycles and bad.
As of the latest close (22 December 2025), RELX shares traded around 3,046p in London, with a 52-week range of 2,970p to 4,205p—a reminder that 2025 has been a “great business, moody market” kind of year for the stock. Investing.com India
Below is what’s actually new (and what matters) as of 23 December 2025: the latest buyback program details, the recent block listing admission, updated analyst price targets, and the key catalysts ahead of RELX’s next major results day.
RELX stock snapshot: where it trades and what the market is pricing in
RELX PLC is the listed holding company for the RELX Group, and investors can access the shares via these primary tickers: London: REL, Amsterdam: REN, and New York: RELX (ADR).
On data platforms tracking the London line, RELX was recently quoted around 3,046p, with the stock still well below its 2025 high but above its late-year lows.
On the U.S. ADR line, the stock was recently around $40–$41 (last close shown on 22 Dec 2025 in multiple market data feeds).
That “two listings, two currencies” structure matters for investors because currency moves can flatter (or punish) returns depending on whether you’re looking in pounds, euros, or dollars—without anything fundamental changing in the business.
The biggest December headline: RELX completes its 2025 buyback and tees up another one
The most material corporate update in December is capital return.
RELX confirmed it completed its 2025 share buyback program, purchasing 39.5 million shares for a total of £1.5 billion.
Then it went a step further: RELX also announced an irrevocable, non-discretionary buyback plan to repurchase up to £250 million of shares between 2 January 2026 and 6 February 2026, explicitly positioned ahead of the company’s 2025 results announcement.
Two additional details here are easy to miss but big in corporate-finance terms:
- RELX said the purpose is to reduce the company’s capital, with repurchased shares intended to be held in treasury.
- RELX also disclosed it cancelled 55 million treasury shares, leaving 4,107,872 shares held in treasury and 1,823,866,471 shares in issue (excluding treasury shares).
If you like your investing logic clean: buybacks at scale can increase earnings per share even if earnings merely hold steady—though the real payoff depends on price paid and whether the underlying business keeps compounding.
A quieter but real market-structure update: 3.7 million shares admitted to trading
RELX also filed a block listing tied to employee share plans—a common practice for large UK-listed companies.
In an RNS statement dated 17 December 2025, RELX applied for a block listing of 3,700,000 ordinary shares, allocated across multiple employee-related schemes (including executive and sharesave programs), with admission expected on 22 December 2025.
That admission then appeared in the London Stock Exchange Notice of Admission to Trading dated 22 December 2025, listing RELX PLC (block admission) – 3,700,000 ordinary shares.
This isn’t a “dilution bomb” headline—block listings for employee plans are routine—but it is still supply. Investors who model share counts tightly (especially around buyback math) pay attention to these plumbing updates.
The growth engine management keeps pointing at: AI-enabled analytics + recurring revenue
RELX’s equity story is less about one-off “hits” and more about embedded workflows: scientists, lawyers, insurers, and compliance teams don’t casually switch platforms once their work is built around them.
In its 23 October 2025 Trading Update, RELX reported underlying revenue growth of +7% year-to-date for the first nine months of 2025 and reaffirmed expectations for another year of strong underlying growth in revenue and adjusted operating profit, plus strong adjusted EPS growth on a constant-currency basis.
The same update breaks out segment momentum:
- Risk: underlying revenue growth +8% YTD, driven by “deeply embedded” AI-enabled tools across insurance and business services. relx.com
- Scientific, Technical & Medical (Elsevier): underlying revenue growth +5% YTD, with emphasis on higher-value databases, tools, and new product introductions—including an “AI-powered researcher solution” mentioned in the update. relx.com
- Legal: underlying revenue growth +9% YTD, with direct references to Lexis+ AI and its Protégé AI assistant family as adoption drivers.
- Exhibitions: underlying revenue growth +8% YTD, reflecting portfolio improvements and digital initiatives.
This isn’t just marketing language: RELX has been publicly linking its growth trajectory to generative AI tools throughout 2025, including Reuters coverage noting that generative AI products were contributing to profit growth and traction in professional markets.
Next major catalyst: RELX confirms its 2025 full-year results date
If you’re looking for the next “all eyes” event, RELX’s own calendar gives it to you plainly:
RELX lists 12 February 2026 as the results announcement for the year to 31 December 2025.
That timing matters because:
- the new £250 million buyback is scheduled to end on 6 February 2026, just ahead of results
- markets often re-price “quality compounders” around full-year margin commentary, AI monetization evidence, and forward guidance—especially when the stock has already de-rated from its highs
(Some market-data platforms may show a slightly different date due to time zone conventions, but RELX’s own investor calendar anchors the official schedule.)
Analyst forecasts on 23 Dec 2025: what price targets and ratings are saying
Here’s where forecasts get interesting—and a bit messy—because different aggregators count different analysts.
On Investing.com’s consensus page for the London line, RELX is shown with a “Strong Buy” consensus based on 13 analysts, with an average 12‑month price target of 4,433.846p (high 5,300p, low 3,700p). Investing.com
At a share price around 3,046p, that implies meaningful upside on paper—but upside math is not the same thing as a guaranteed outcome.
Meanwhile, a MarketBeat roundup dated 23 December 2025 reported a “Buy” consensus based on seven analysts, with a split of five Buy, one Strong Buy, and one Hold, and it highlighted a handful of recent rating actions (including reiterations and an upgrade). MarketBeat
The practical takeaway isn’t “which site is right?” so much as: sell-side sentiment still appears broadly positive, even as the stock trades far below earlier 2025 levels.
The real bull vs bear debate: compounding machine, or still too expensive?
RELX is the kind of business long-term investors adore: strong brands, high switching costs, and recurring revenue that doesn’t depend on consumer whim.
But even wonderful businesses can become unpopular stocks if:
- valuation expectations get too high, then normalize
- rates stay higher for longer (pressuring long-duration “quality” equities)
- the market wants proof that AI features are truly monetizing, not just “demo-ing”
You can see the market’s mixed mood in basic metrics: platforms tracking RELX show the stock down year-on-year and trading below its 2025 highs, while still carrying a premium-style valuation multiple typical of defensive compounders.
RELX itself is trying to bridge that debate with two levers:
- operational evidence (2025 growth + guidance reiterated)
- financial engineering that isn’t sketchy (large buybacks + share cancellations)
Whether that’s enough to re-rate the stock is what the next results cycle may help answer.
BSE Ltd. angle: can you buy RELX shares on India’s exchanges?
If you’re searching from an India-market lens (hello, BSE Ltd. audience), the key point is simple:
RELX PLC states its shares are traded on London (REL), Amsterdam (REN), and New York (RELX).
That means RELX is not primarily an India-listed equity on BSE in the normal sense. India-based investors who want exposure typically do so via international brokerage access to the LSE line or the NYSE ADR, or through global funds/ETFs that hold the name (availability depends on platform and product rules).
What investors are watching next
Heading out of 2025 and into early 2026, the RELX watchlist is unusually straightforward:
- 2 Jan–6 Feb 2026: execution of the £250 million non-discretionary buyback
- 12 Feb 2026: full-year 2025 results and guidance for 2026
- Continued evidence that AI-driven products (Lexis+ AI, Protégé, AI-enabled researcher tools) translate into renewals, pricing power, and workflow lock‑in rather than just buzzword compliance
Bottom line (as of 23 Dec 2025): RELX stock is being supported by aggressive buybacks and a company narrative focused on AI-enabled analytics and subscription resilience, while the share price still reflects a meaningful 2025 pullback from highs. Investors now have a clean timeline: buyback activity into early February, then the full-year results on 12 February 2026.
