London, February 12, 2026, 08:02 GMT — Regular session
- RELX shares picked up in the morning session after the company pointed to “strong growth” for another year and signaled a bigger buyback lined up for 2026.
- The company put forward a larger full-year dividend, pointing to AI-embedded products as a continued growth engine.
RELX shares bounced 3.3% higher to 2,080.34 pence early Thursday in London, regaining some lost ground from the prior session’s steep slide. The information and analytics firm posted a profit increase for 2025 and unveiled plans for a bigger share buyback in 2026. 1
RELX has landed squarely at the center of a bigger debate over how generative AI will impact paid data and research platforms. Some investors are questioning if large language models threaten subscription income, or if having exclusive content could actually boost sales and lift pricing power.
RELX sounded upbeat, projecting that products with built-in AI will fuel growth for “many years”. The company’s shares have struggled this year, pressured by concerns about rapid advances in AI tech and a selloff following news of a new Anthropic Claude model plug-in. 2
RELX posted 2025 numbers showing revenue at £9.59 billion, a 7% underlying rise, with adjusted operating profit coming in at £3.342 billion, up 9%. Those “adjusted” numbers leave out acquisition amortisation and a few other items, while “underlying” reflects RELX’s own take on like-for-like growth. Adjusted EPS landed at 128.5 pence. The board put forward a 67.5 pence full-year dividend and outlined plans for a £2.25 billion share buyback in 2026, following £1.5 billion spent last year. 3
RELX is rolling out products more quickly and adding fresh features, thanks to what chief executive Erik Engstrom called the “continued evolution of artificial intelligence.” Cost increases, he said, are still running behind revenue growth.
Traders will probably zero in on the larger buyback right out of the gate. Bulking up the repurchase program props up earnings per share, and when markets get nervous about the business model, that steadying effect on the stock can matter a lot.
The AI problem isn’t fading. Should clients shift more to low-cost AI options or competitors bypass paid material, pricing could falter—and growth forecasts might get reset in a hurry.
RELX is sticking with the usual operational risk warnings: regulation, data usage, and cybersecurity. Any of these could quickly crop up as unexpected costs.
When management takes questions on the company’s results webcast and posts materials to its investor site, investors want sharper detail on AI product launches, how pricing is shaping up, and just how fast buybacks are coming. 4
Looking past today’s call, shareholders have their eyes on the dividend schedule: according to the company’s financial calendar, the ordinary share goes ex-dividend for the 2025 final payout on May 7, with the payment landing June 18. 5
