The Company announces that on 11 December 2023 it purchased a total of (a) 587,454 of its ordinary shares of £0.10 each (the "ordinary shares") on the London Stock Exchange, Chi-X Europe and/or BATS Europe through the Company's broker Goldman Sachs International and (b) 634,996 CHESS Depositary Interests ("CDIs"), each representing one ordinary share, on the Australian Securities Exchange through the Company's broker Goldman Sachs Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 21 006 797 897; AFSL 243346), in each case as detailed below. The repurchased ordinary shares and CDIs (including their underlying ordinary shares) will be cancelled.
London Stock Exchange
Chi-X Europe
BATS Europe
Australian Securities Exchange
Number of ordinary shares/CDIs purchased on 11 December 2023
406,170
139,157
42,127
634,996
Highest price paid (per ordinary share/CDI) on 11 December 2023
£ 1.5415
£ 1.5400
£ 1.5400
AU$ 2.9700
Lowest price paid (per ordinary share/CDI) on 11 December 2023
£ 1.5065
£ 1.5075
£ 1.5080
AU$ 2.9400
Volume weighted average price paid (per ordinary share/CDI)
£ 1.5270
£ 1.5279
£ 1.5317
AU$ 2.9506
The purchases form part of the Company's share buyback programme announced on 23 November 2023 (the "Buyback"). The Buyback will be effected within the scope of the authority conferred on the Company, Goldman Sachs International and Goldman Sachs Australia Pty Ltd at its February 2023 Annual General Meeting and any further authority to be conferred on them at its 2024 Annual General Meeting. The Buyback start date was 23 November 2023 and the end date will be no later than 16 May 2024.
The total number of ordinary shares and CDIs purchased up to and including the prior announcement was 12,529,637. As such, the Company has now bought back 13,752,087 ordinary shares and CDIs (in aggregate) under the Buyback. In connection with the Buyback, the Company intends to repurchase up to £150 million of ordinary shares and CDIs (in aggregate).
Following settlement of the above purchases and cancellation of the purchased ordinary shares and CDIs, the Company's total number of ordinary shares in issue shall be 1,322,278,039.
In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation), as in force in the UK, and as it forms part of retained UK law as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the detailed breakdown of individual trades made by Goldman Sachs International on behalf of the Company as part of the Buyback is set out below.
This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or solicitation of an offer for securities in any jurisdiction.
Announcement authorised for release by Lorna McMillan, Group Company Secretary
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.rns.com.RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy.