Plus500 Starts Second $100 Million Share Buyback of 2026

​Plus500 launched a new $100 million share buyback on Thursday, its second repurchase program of that size in 2026. The London-listed broker is authorized to purchase up to 5,759,572 shares.

The allocation represents the buyback portion of the $182.5 million shareholder return announced with first-half results on August 10, with dividends accounting for the remaining $82.5 million.

Repeated repurchases have reduced the share count used to calculate earnings per share. Plus500 reported a 6% year-over-year increase in first-half EPS while net profit rose 2%, as its weighted average share count fell to 69.9 million from 72.8 million.

The $100 million allocation consists of a $35.3 million interim program and a $64.7 million special program. Panmure Liberum will execute open-market purchases under an irrevocable, non-discretionary mandate, and Plus500 said neither its board nor the company can change the program once it is running.

The share limit is based on the authority approved by investors at the May 5 annual general meeting, less stock already purchased under that mandate. The 5.76 million-share figure is the remaining legal authorization, not a purchase forecast, and the $100 million spending cap could limit the number acquired sooner depending on the share price. Timing and volume will depend on market price, trading activity and other conditions.

Repurchased shares will be held in treasury and will carry no voting rights or dividend entitlement. The program may run until Plus500 announces its first-half 2027 results, and purchases can continue during closed periods. The company said it will report each day's transactions by 7 a.m. on the following business day.

Plus500 began another $100 million program on February 16 as part of a $187.5 million return package, following a $90 million program announced in August 2025. The company was still buying under the February mandate this week; a Wednesday filing showed it purchased 9,727 shares on August 25, lifting the treasury balance to 46,384,762 shares and leaving 68,503,615 in issue excluding treasury stock.

The company committed an additional $110 million to buybacks in August 2024, after starting a $100 million program six months earlier. That allocation was divided into a $35.4 million interim program and a $74.6 million special program.

Plus500 has repurchased shares since 2017. At June 30, 2026, it held 45,527,921 shares in treasury, about 40% of issued share capital, according to its interim report. The two return packages announced this year total $370 million, and the company said distributions through dividends and buybacks since its 2013 IPO have reached about $3.1 billion.

Other listed brokers have also used buybacks. IG Group started a GBP 125 million (about $170 million) buyback in April, its fourth such program in less than two years, with Morgan Stanley handling the repurchase in two tranches. XTB began a smaller buyback on May 11 to acquire up to 76,152 shares for its employee incentive plan, with purchases scheduled through September 30.

Plus500's buybacks are part of a shareholder-return policy targeting at least half of half-year net profit through dividends and buybacks. Thursday's filing put its June 30 cash balance at more than $860 million.