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Airbus shares jump nearly 5% after €5 billion buyback, 2029 profit target

Airbus shares jump nearly 5% after €5 billion buyback, 2029 profit target

European stocks closed higher as Airbus surged after lifting delivery targets and launching a €5 billion buyback, while Santander and other banks gained on earnings despite a worsening macro backdrop.

Fact Check
The Airbus official press release confirms the €5 billion buyback over three years and the €12-13 billion 2029 EBIT Adjusted target. Reuters and WSJ both confirm the share price jumped (more than 5% / around 5%) on July 22, 2026 in response. The headline's 'nearly 5%' and the body's 'more than 6%' are internally slightly inconsistent, but all sources place the move around or above 5%, so the substance of the claim is well supported.
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Summary

European stocks closed firmly higher on Wednesday, with the Euro STOXX 50 rising 0.5% to 6,319 and the STOXX Europe 600 gaining 0.6% to 647, as strong corporate results helped offset a deteriorating macroeconomic backdrop. Airbus was among the standout performers, climbing 7% after upgrading its delivery targets and announcing a €5 billion share buyback programme, extending gains linked to its previously outlined 2029 adjusted EBIT goal of €12 billion to €13 billion from €7.13 billion in 2025. Santander rose 1.7% after reporting a 17% annual increase in underlying profit, helped by a larger client base following its takeover of UK lender TSB, while BBVA gained 2%, Intesa Sanpaolo added 1.3% and UniCredit rose 0.7% ahead of its earnings due the next day. Sovereign bond yields stayed near recent highs as natural gas prices continued to climb, reinforcing concern over inflation even as the European Central Bank was expected to leave rates unchanged at its meeting on Thursday while potentially maintaining a hawkish tone.

Terms & Concepts
  • adjusted EBIT: A measure of operating profit that excludes certain items to show underlying business performance.
  • share buyback programme: A company plan to repurchase its own shares, often used to return capital to shareholders.
  • underlying profit: A profit measure that strips out certain exceptional or non-core items to reflect ongoing business performance.