London, January 15, 2026, 08:55 GMT — Regular session
Vodafone Group (VOD.L) shares slipped roughly 0.5% to 99.34 pence in early London trading Thursday following the telecom’s latest share buyback update. The company revealed it repurchased 3,932,315 shares on Jan. 14 at a volume-weighted average price of 99.37 pence, factoring in trade size.
Vodafone’s buyback program is gaining urgency as it approaches its deadline. The company announced in November that the plan, which started on Nov. 11, 2025, will wrap up by Feb. 4, 2026 at the latest, with a cap of 500 million euros ($544 million).
Investors will keep an eye on Vodafone’s next milestone: a third-quarter fiscal 2026 trading update set for Feb. 5, 2026, according to the company’s website. Full-year results are scheduled for May 12.
The stock fluctuated this week despite no new strategic news. Vodafone closed Wednesday at 99.82 pence, gaining 1.18% for the day, after slipping 2.61% on Tuesday to 98.66 pence.
Buyback notices keep rolling in. Vodafone announced on Wednesday that it snapped up 5,242,866 shares on Jan. 13, paying a volume-weighted average of 99.36 pence each. The shares will be held in treasury—meaning the company keeps them on its balance sheet, with the option to cancel or allocate them for employee awards later.
Broader risk appetite remains unpredictable. Britain’s FTSE 100 reached a new record on Wednesday, buoyed by gains in miners and healthcare shares. Softer U.S. inflation data boosted sentiment and drove gold prices higher.
Vodafone is pitching its cash return as a key piece of a larger recovery. In the half-year results, CEO Margherita Della Valle highlighted “broad-based momentum” and said the company aims to hit the “upper end” of its profit and cash flow guidance. The interim dividend is set for payment on Feb. 5, 2026.
Still, the shares remain close to recent highs. On Tuesday, they were down 9.89% from their 52-week peak of £1.09 hit on Dec. 19. Trading volume stood at 43.0 million shares, shy of the 50-day average of 79.2 million, according to MarketWatch data.
But buybacks have their limits if the business fundamentals weaken. Vodafone still wrestles with typical telecom challenges — price competition, hefty network investments, and the risk that a slump in a key market weighs on cash flow. Those factors could prompt investors to question the sustainability of these returns.
Traders are now focused on the upcoming daily buyback notice and any change in tone ahead of Vodafone’s trading update on Feb. 5. The existing repurchase programme is set to end by early February.
