London, Feb 9, 2026, 09:06 GMT — Regular session
- Shares of Rolls-Royce climbed roughly 2.4% during morning trading in London.
- The company revealed new share buybacks as part of its £200 million interim repurchase program.
- Next up for investors: full-year results set for Feb. 26, plus any word on capital returns for 2026.
Shares of Rolls-Royce Holdings RR.L climbed roughly 2.4% to 1,259 pence in early London trading this day, putting the aerospace and defence firm’s market value at close to £104 billion.
Rolls-Royce scooped up 320,321 shares on Feb. 6, paying a volume-weighted average of about 1,207 to 1,211 pence apiece, according to an RNS filing. Those buys happened on multiple venues, including the London Stock Exchange. All of the new shares are headed for cancellation. That pushes the total bought back since the program started to 12,975,818 shares. As of this day, Rolls-Royce has 8,430,832,734 shares outstanding and holds zero in treasury, the filing said.
Rolls-Royce kicked off its £200 million interim buyback on Jan. 2, following the Dec. 16 announcement. This round is scheduled to wrap up by Feb. 24. The company flagged Feb. 26 as the date for its full-year 2025 results and said it plans to reveal any 2026 buyback plans at the same time.
European shares ticked up, shrugging off some of the recent nerves around tech. The STOXX 600 was up 0.5% by 0809 GMT, helping to lift the overall mood.
Rolls-Royce manufactures big civil aircraft engines, tying its long-term service deals to flying hours—aftermarket cash moves with that. The company also delivers defense propulsion, plus power systems, to both government and industrial clients.
The shares end up exposed to shifts in both the travel cycle and defence spending. Meanwhile, the buyback keeps chipping away at the share count—steady, always humming in the background.
On Feb. 26, investors will be tuned in for updates on cash generation, plus any word on the company’s approach to returning capital—specifically, if buybacks will stretch past the current February timeline.
Buybacks don’t offer protection. Should margins slip, cash flow falter, or 2026 targets fall short, shares can reverse course just as fast—especially in a sector prone to sudden production hiccups and service strains.
Traders will be eyeing whether the initial jump sticks around during the session, and whether new daily repurchase filings keep coming in at roughly the same clip.
