Compass Group PLC has announced that it has purchased 97,000 of its ordinary shares through its broker, BNP Paribas Financial Markets. The purchased shares will be held in treasury and are expected to be used for employee share schemes or other allocations to employees or directors. The purchases were made on various venues, including CBOE BXE, CBOE CXE, London Stock Exchange, and Turquoise, at different prices. These purchases are part of the company's market equivalent of $250 million share buyback, which is the initial stage of a $500 million share buyback to be completed in 2024, subject to M&A activity.
Following the purchases, Compass Group holds 75,377,159 ordinary shares in treasury and has 1,710,026,818 ordinary shares in issue. The total number of voting rights in the company is 1,710,026,818 ordinary shares. This figure may be used by shareholders to determine if they are required to notify their interest in the company under the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.
The detailed breakdown of the individual trades made by BNP Paribas Financial Markets on behalf of the company as part of the share buyback program is available in the provided link. This announcement does not constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer for securities in any jurisdiction. For further information, investors can contact Agatha Donnelly and Helen Javanshiri, and for press inquiries, Giles Robinson.