Thomson Reuters plans to buy back up to $500 million of its own shares, the content and technology company said on Wednesday, as concerns about the mounting cost of artificial intelligence weigh on its stock.
Under the plan, the company may repurchase up to seven million common shares, or about 1.6 per cent of its issued and outstanding stock, between 13 November 2026 and 12 November 2027. The buyback is a signal of confidence from the board at a moment when investors have grown nervous about how much AI spending will eat into corporate profits.
Thomson Reuters reported higher quarterly revenue earlier this month, but its shares fell anyway. Investors said they were worried about the impact of heavier AI investment on margins, a concern that has hit software and technology stocks across the market this earnings season. Wall Street has punished companies from software firms to Alphabet and Amazon over fears that the mounting bill for AI will erode profitability.
The company’s Canadian-listed shares have fallen about 15 per cent so far this year, underperforming a broader market that has been far more forgiving of big technology spenders.
Controlling shareholder Woodbridge, which owns about 70 per cent of Thomson Reuters, plans to take part in the buyback in proportion to its holding, so that its stake in the company is maintained. That participation means the repurchase will shrink the free float rather than concentrating Woodbridge’s control further.
Thomson Reuters, the parent company of Reuters News, sells legal, tax and accounting software and news services to professionals around the world. Like its rivals, it is racing to build AI tools into its products while trying to reassure shareholders that the spending will pay off.
Buybacks are a familiar way for cash-rich companies to return money to shareholders and support a falling share price. Whether this one steadies Thomson Reuters will depend less on the size of the repurchase than on whether the company can show that its AI investment is turning into revenue growth rather than simply higher costs.
Sources: Reuters — “Thomson Reuters unveils $500 million share buyback plan” (https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/thomson-reuters-unveils-500-million-share-buyback-plan-2026-11-11/). Note: this story is based on a single source, Reuters, and the company’s own announcement as reported by Reuters.
File photo: the photo shows the company’s New York offices and predates this announcement.
