RWE AG Announces €1.5 Billion Share Buyback Program

Investing.com — Shares of RWE AG (ETR:RWEG) jumped on Wednesday after the company announced a €1.5 billion share buyback program, set to begin in the fourth quarter and wrap up within the next 18 months. The move follows the release of its nine-month results for 2024.

At 3:05 am (0805 GMT), RWE was trading 8% up at €32.52.

> “Due to expected delays in the US offshore wind market and in the European hydrogen business, we have decided to buy back shares with a total volume of up to 1.5 billion euros,” said Markus Krebber, chief executive at RWE AG.

The German multinational energy company posted adjusted EBITDA of €3.98 billion for the first nine months of the year, slightly ahead of market expectations of €3.87 billion.

Adjusted net income also beat forecasts, coming in at €1.64 billion versus a consensus of €1.56 billion.

RWE now expects its 2024 adjusted EBITDA to land in the middle of its guided range of €5.2 to €5.8 billion, an upgrade from earlier guidance at the lower end.

The company’s dividend target of €1.10 per share for 2024 remains unchanged, reinforcing its broader commitment to shareholder returns.

Segment-wise, the offshore wind division reported EBITDA of €1.08 billion, up 8% from last year and slightly ahead of forecasts, due to improved wind conditions.

Onshore wind and solar delivered €0.99 billion, a 14% increase year-on-year, although it fell short of expectations due to some operational challenges.

Flexible generation and supply and trading units presented a mixed picture. Flexible generation saw a sharp year-on-year decline of 40% in EBITDA to €1.45 billion, primarily driven by weaker margins, but it still slightly outperformed consensus.

Meanwhile, supply and trading posted €0.47 billion, down from last year's highs but ahead of expectations.

RWE's net debt rose to €12.2 billion from €11.4 billion at the end of the first half, although the company remains well within its self-imposed limit of three times net debt to EBITDA.