$RELX

US and European shares fell while oil prices rose amid tense US-Iran talks. The US threatened to increase economic pressure on Iran, including extending a naval blockade. Brent rose to $87.68/bbl and US oil to $81.49. In Ireland, Kingspan slid then said it will pay up to €900m for BMC. In the US, Broadcom and Applied Materials fell; SanDisk and Western Digital rose; Reddit jumped after S&P 500 inclusion.

Reuters, via Investing.com, reported that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to acquire Workday. Discussions are ongoing and no deal is assured. Workday shares rose nearly 18% to $206.45, valuing it around $51.1B. European software stocks including SAP, TeamViewer, and Nemetschek rose 2.5% to 8.8% by 04:01 ET.

Global stocks edged lower as investors weighed slow progress on a potential US-Iran peace deal tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. In Dublin, Iseq rose 0.18%. Glanbia gained 5.61% after reporting 7% H1 2026 revenue growth. In London, FTSE 100 fell 0.19% and Diageo jumped 5.58% on a $1bn cost-cut plan. S&P 500 fell 0.24%.

Springer Nature and Relx reported “strong” first-half results. Springer Nature said underlying revenue rose 6.2% and adjusted operating profit rose 7.7% for the whole company, with research segment revenue up 7.2% and adjusted operating profit up 8.2%. Total revenue reached €940m and adjusted operating profit €246m, with research segment revenue €748m and €229m, according to the company.

LexisNexis Australia and the AustLII Foundation announced an agreement to support AustLII in developing AI-enhanced legal research tools for Australia’s free public legal information service. The companies said LexisNexis will accelerate AustLII’s AI capabilities using AustLII’s legal data collection. AustLII is hosted by UTS and is a not-for-profit.

RELX (RELX) reported H1 earnings call highlights, citing growth across Risk, STM, Legal, and Exhibitions. Risk and Insurance benefited from financial crime compliance and digital fraud solutions. STM revenue rose 6% and underlying adjusted operating profit 8%. Legal posted 10% underlying revenue growth and 13% profit growth, driven by Lexis+ with Protégé. Management reiterated full-year growth expectations and said AI token costs are under 1% of costs.

Deutsche Bank analyst Steve Liechti reaffirmed a Buy rating on RELX PLC and adjusted the target price from 3,050 to 3,100 GBX, according to MarketScreener. The article also notes UBS previously reiterated a Buy rating. RELX is described as an information and analytics provider across Risk & Business Analytics, Scientific, Technical & Medical, Legal, and Exhibitions.

RELX PLC reported strong first-half results, with group organic revenue up 7% and margins up 70 bps. UBS reiterated a buy and set a 3,600p target, while Deutsche Bank kept buy and raised its target to 3,100p. Analysts cited AI-led acceleration and no evidence of AI-related disruption, though an “AI overhang” may weigh near term.

After RELX PLC’s first-half results, Deutsche Bank kept a Buy rating and raised its target to 3,100p from 3,050p, while UBS reiterated Buy with a 3,600p target. UBS cited AI-led organic acceleration, with Scientific, Technical & Medical up to 6% and Legal to 10%, plus 7% organic revenue growth and 70 bps margin expansion. Analysts said AI disruption fears look overplayed but near-term sentiment may lag.

RELX plc (GB:REL) announced an irrevocable, non-discretionary share buyback to repurchase ordinary shares from 23 July to 4 September 2026, committing £150 million. The programme follows a completed £100 million buyback and is part of a wider £2.25 billion 2026 repurchase plan. Shares will be held in treasury, with total buybacks capped at 150.8 million shares, managed by ABN AMRO.