S&P 500 Firms Boost Stock Buybacks in Q1: ETF to Tap

After a lull in 2023, stock buybacks are back in vogue this year. Stock buybacks by S&P 500 companies increased 9.9% year over year and 8.1% sequentially in the first quarter of 2024. The 20 largest companies in the S&P 500 accounted for roughly half of the quarter's buybacks, with Apple AAPL, Google-parent Alphabet GOOGL, Meta Platforms META, NVIDIA NVDA and Wells Fargo WFC leading the way.
As many as 352 companies repurchased shares worth at least $5 million in the quarter, up from 313 in the fourth quarter of 2023 but slightly down from 358 in the year-ago quarter. 380 companies did some buybacks, up from 373 in the previous quarter and down from 390 in the year-ago quarter.

Buyback Boosters

Information Technology sector maintained its lead, representing 24.2% of total buybacks for the quarter. Tech giant Apple dominated the list with the largest-ever share repurchase announcement worth $110 billion. In the first quarter, the company spent $23.5 billion in buybacks, up from $22.7 billion in the previous quarter. It was the 10th largest buyback in the S&P 500 Index's history.
Meta Platforms spent $18.2 billion in the first quarter, followed by spending of $15.7 billion for Google and $9.5 billion for NVIDIA.
The Finance sector increased its buybacks by 46.5% to $43.1 billion, accounting for 18.2% of total S&P 500 buybacks. Wells Fargo was at the forefront, spending $6.0 billion during the quarter.

Why Buybacks?

Stock buyback, also known as stock repurchase, happens when a public company uses cash to buy shares of its own stock from the open market. Stock buybacks typically increase when earnings rise. U.S. companies wrapped their best earnings season in nearly two years.
A surge in buybacks will likely boost earnings per share, thereby driving stocks higher. Investors should note that share buybacks have been the biggest driver of equities over time in the medium term. In recent decades, share buybacks have overtaken dividends as the preferred way to return cash to shareholders.
When a company announces a buyback program, it often signals that management believes the stock is undervalued. This instills confidence in investors and attracts more buyers, potentially leading to an increase in demand and share price.
Investors seeking to ride the share buyback boom may bet on Invesco BuyBack Achievers ETF PKW.

PKW in Focus

Invesco BuyBack Achievers ETF tracks the NASDAQ US Buyback Achievers Index, which comprises companies that have reduced shares outstanding by 5% or more in the trailing 12 months. It holds 203 stocks in its basket, with none of the firms accounting for more than 5.7% of the assets. Consumer discretionary and financials are the top two sectors, accounting for at least 20% share each, while industrials, healthcare and communication services round off the next three spots with double-digit exposure each.
PKW is the only ETF in the buyback space, with AUM of $1.1 billion and an average daily volume of 14,000 shares. It charges an annual fee of 62 bps.

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