Transaction in Own Shares
Rhea-AI Summary
Shell plc (SHEL) announced on 21 January 2026 that it purchased 1,320,967 shares for cancellation under its existing buy-back programme. Purchases by trading venue were 659,237 shares on LSE at a volume‑weighted average price of £27.3003 and 661,730 shares on XAMS at a volume‑weighted average price of €31.4427. Transactions were executed as part of the on‑ and off‑market limbs of the programme, with Merrill Lynch International making trading decisions independently through the programme period ending 30 January 2026. The buy‑back follows the company’s previously announced programme and was conducted in compliance with UK MAR and EU MAR rules.
Positive
- 1,320,967 shares repurchased for cancellation on 21 January 2026
- LSE tranche: 659,237 shares at VWAP £27.3003
- XAMS tranche: 661,730 shares at VWAP €31.4427
- Merrill Lynch International executed trades independently under the programme
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, SHEL gained 0.96%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
SHEL is down 1.54% while major peers show mixed moves: CVX -0.84%, XOM -0.8%, BP -0.37%, but TTE +0.49% and PBR +1.1%, pointing to a stock-specific move rather than a uniform sector rotation.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16 | Share buy-back update | Positive | +1.1% | Daily disclosure of LSE and XAMS buy-back volumes and prices for cancellation. |
| Jan 13 | Share buy-back update | Positive | +2.1% | Report of 1.68M shares repurchased and cancelled across LSE and XAMS venues. |
| Jan 12 | Share buy-back update | Positive | +1.2% | Disclosure of 1.96M shares bought back and cancelled under existing programme. |
| Jan 09 | Share buy-back update | Positive | +0.7% | Multi-venue buy-back totaling over 2M shares with reported VWAP ranges. |
| Jan 08 | Share buy-back update | Positive | -1.7% | Largest disclosed daily repurchase of 2.43M shares across several trading venues. |
Recent buy-back disclosures in January 2026 have usually coincided with modestly positive next-day moves, with one notable negative reaction.
Over early January 2026, Shell has repeatedly reported daily purchases and cancellations of its own shares under the buy‑back programme announced on 30 October 2025. Disclosures on Jan 8–16 detailed multi‑venue repurchases ranging from about 0.66M–2.43M shares per day, executed independently by Merrill Lynch International and in compliance with UK MAR/EU MAR. Price reactions to these updates were generally modest and mixed, indicating that the market has treated them as ongoing capital‑return housekeeping rather than major new catalysts.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement details another day of share repurchases for cancellation on 21 January 2026 under Shell’s buy-back programme launched on 30 October 2025. Trades were executed across LSE and XAMS within preset parameters and in compliance with EU MAR and UK MAR. Recent SEC filings also describe similar buy-back activity. Investors may focus on cumulative repurchase volumes, execution across venues, and any future changes to programme authorisations or counterparties executing the trades.
Key Terms
on-market limb financial
EU MAR regulatory
UK MAR regulatory
off-market buyback contract financial
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Transaction in Own Shares
21 January, 2026
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Shell plc (the ‘Company’) announces that on 21 January, 2026 it purchased the following number of Shares for cancellation.
Aggregated information on Shares purchased according to trading venue:
| Date of purchase | Number of Shares purchased | Highest price paid | Lowest price paid | Volume weighted average price paid per share | Venue | Currency |
| 21/01/2026 | 659,237 | 27.5100 | 27.0650 | 27.3003 | LSE | GBP |
| 21/01/2026 | - | - | - | - | Chi-X (CXE) | GBP |
| 21/01/2026 | - | - | - | - | BATS (BXE) | GBP |
| 21/01/2026 | 661,730 | 31.6900 | 31.1900 | 31.4427 | XAMS | EUR |
| 21/01/2026 | - | - | - | - | CBOE DXE | EUR |
| 21/01/2026 | - | - | - | - | TQEX | EUR |
These share purchases form part of the on- and off-market limbs of the Company's existing share buy-back programme previously announced on 30 October 2025.
In respect of this programme, Merrill Lynch International will make trading decisions in relation to the securities independently of the Company for a period from 30 October 2025 up to and including 30 January 2026.
The on-market limb will be effected within certain pre-set parameters and in accordance with the Company’s general authority to repurchase shares on-market. The off-market limb will be effected in accordance with the Company’s general authority to repurchase shares off-market pursuant to the off-market buyback contract approved by its shareholders and the pre-set parameters set out therein. The programme will be conducted in accordance with Chapter 9 of the UK Listing Rules and Article 5 of the Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014/EU dealing with buy-back programmes (“EU MAR”) and EU MAR as “onshored” into UK law from the end of the Brexit transition period (at 11:00 pm on 31 December 2020) through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020), and as amended, supplemented, restated, novated, substituted or replaced by the Financial Services Act, 2021 and relevant statutory instruments (including, The Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations (SI 2019/310)), from time to time (“UK MAR”) and the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 (the “EU MAR Delegated Regulation”) and the EU MAR Delegated Regulation as “onshored” into UK law from the end of the Brexit transition period (at 11:00 pm on 31 December 2020) through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020), and as amended, supplemented, restated, novated, substituted or replaced by the Financial Services Act, 2021 and relevant statutory instruments (including, The Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations (SI 2019/310)), from time to time.
In accordance with EU MAR and UK MAR, a breakdown of the individual trades made by Merrill Lynch International on behalf of the Company as a part of the buy-back programme is detailed below.
Enquiries
Media: International +44 (0) 207 934 5550; U.S. and Canada: https://www.shell.us/about-us/news-and-insights/media/submit-an-inquiry.html
Attachment
FAQ
How many shares did Shell (SHEL) repurchase on 21 January 2026?
What were the VWAPs for Shell (SHEL) buybacks on 21 January 2026 by venue?
Is Shell's 21 January 2026 buyback part of an ongoing programme (SHEL)?
Who made trading decisions for Shell (SHEL) buybacks through the programme?
Were Shell's (SHEL) 21 January 2026 buybacks conducted in compliance with market rules?
