Imperial Brands Cancels Further Shares Under £1.45bn Buyback Programme

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

Imperial Brands has repurchased 249,760 ordinary shares on 22 May 2026 as part of its ongoing £1.45 billion share buyback programme, paying an average price of 2,810.3607 pence per share through Barclays Capital Securities. The company will cancel the shares, reducing the number of ordinary shares in issue to 774,787,133, a move that marginally enhances earnings per share and adjusts the free float for investors calculating disclosure thresholds under UK transparency rules.

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 IMB Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, IMB is a Neutral.

The score is driven primarily by stable but mixed fundamentals: solid operating performance is offset by higher leverage and a significant decline in free cash flow. Valuation is supportive (moderate P/E and strong dividend yield), while technicals are only neutral-to-weak with negative MACD and price below longer-term averages. Earnings call commentary is constructive due to reiterated guidance, strong cash conversion, and ongoing shareholder returns, tempered by one-offs and settlement-related cash outflows.

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

More about Imperial Brands

Imperial Brands is a global tobacco and next-generation products company, best known for manufacturing and selling cigarettes, cigars and related nicotine products. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, it focuses on developed and emerging markets, where it competes with other multinational tobacco groups for market share and cash-generative returns.

Average Trading Volume: 2,682,507

Technical Sentiment Signal: Buy

Current Market Cap: £22.24B

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