Imperial Brands Cancels 474,606 Shares Under £1.45bn Buyback Programme

An announcement from Imperial Brands ( (GB:IMB) ) is now available.

Imperial Brands has repurchased 474,606 of its 10 pence ordinary shares on 19 February 2026 as part of its previously announced £1.45 billion share buyback programme, paying an average price of 3,210.90 pence per share. The shares, acquired via Morgan Stanley on the London Stock Exchange, will be cancelled, reducing the number of shares in issue to 790,606,141 and marginally increasing existing investors’ ownership stakes while providing an updated denominator for regulatory disclosure thresholds.

The transaction underlines Imperial Brands’ ongoing commitment to returning capital to shareholders and managing its capital structure through sizeable buybacks. By shrinking its share count, the group may enhance earnings per share and support its share price, reinforcing its positioning as a cash-generative tobacco player focused on shareholder returns in a mature industry.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:IMB) stock is a Buy with a £3500.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Imperial Brands stock, see the GB:IMB Stock Forecast page.

Spark’s Take on GB:IMB Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, GB:IMB is a Outperform.

Imperial Brands scores well due to strong earnings call performance and positive technical indicators. Financial performance is stable but requires careful management of debt and cash flow. The attractive valuation further supports the stock’s potential, despite some regulatory challenges.

To see Spark’s full report on GB:IMB stock, click here.

More about Imperial Brands

Imperial Brands is a U.K.-listed tobacco and nicotine products group, focused on manufacturing and selling cigarettes and related products globally. The company targets mature and regulated markets, where it combines traditional tobacco offerings with a disciplined capital allocation strategy, including regular returns of surplus cash to shareholders.

Average Trading Volume: 1,828,474

Technical Sentiment Signal: Buy

Current Market Cap: £25.5B

Learn more about IMB stock on TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.