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More Reading from MarketBeat 3 Major Buybacks Just Dropped—Here's the Signal Investors SeeSubmitted by Leo Miller. Published: 2/23/2026. 
Key Points - Walmart, Lyft, and Equitable each announced sizable repurchase authorizations, signaling continued focus on per-share value creation.
- Lyft’s buyback capacity is the most aggressive relative to market cap, while Walmart’s is the largest in absolute dollars.
- Equitable pairs buybacks with a dividend and a rebound narrative, with analysts still forecasting meaningful upside.
- Special Report: [Sponsorship-Ad-6-Format3]
Several major companies recently expanded their share repurchase authorizations, giving them fresh capacity to retire stock in 2026. In a market where buybacks matter more than ever for per-share results, that kind of firepower can provide a meaningful tailwind—especially when growth is uneven and investors are scrutinizing capital allocation. The headlines span three very different corners of the market: a consumer staples heavyweight, a beaten-down ride-hailing name, and a financial services firm overseeing more than $1 trillion in assets. The scale varies widely, from sizable to outsized, with one new authorization totaling nearly 18% of the company's market value. Walmart Announces Biggest Buyback Ever as Shares Climb First up is retail behemoth Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT). Walmart posted a total return of roughly 24% in 2025. Even after a pullback following its latest earnings release, the stock remains up about 10% in 2026 as investors rotated into consumer staples early in the year. Walmart continues to demonstrate strong financial performance, particularly around its e-commerce push. E-commerce sales rose by 24% year-over-year (YOY) last quarter and reached a record-high 23% of revenue. Advertising revenue increased 37% and membership income rose 15%—important drivers of margin improvement for the company. To cap a strong year, Walmart authorized a $30 billion share buyback program, its largest to date. The new program is equivalent to approximately 3.1% of Walmart's roughly $980 billion market capitalization. That gives the company substantial ability to continue lowering its outstanding share count and provides a tailwind to earnings-per-share growth. Notably, shares outstanding fell by about 0.8% in 2025. Walmart also announced a 5% increase to its quarterly dividend, underscoring a two-pronged strategy of returning capital to shareholders. The stock's indicated dividend yield now sits near 0.8%. LYFT Holds +15% Buyback Capacity as Shares Get Hit in 2026 Ride-hailing company LYFT (NASDAQ: LYFT) delivered a strong 50% return in 2025 but has plunged in 2026, falling more than 25% so far. The decline followed the company's latest earnings report, which sent the stock down over 20% in two days after revenue of $1.59 billion (up 3% YOY) missed expectations of $1.76 billion. Adjusted EBITDA grew 37% to $154 million, comfortably beating estimates, but Q1 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance of $120 million to $140 million was viewed as weak. LYFT also announced a $1 billion share repurchase plan. With a market capitalization of roughly $5.6 billion, that program is equivalent to a hefty 17.8% of the company's value. LYFT sharply accelerated buybacks in 2025, spending around $500 million on repurchases. That was roughly ten times what it spent in 2024 and allowed LYFT's shares outstanding to decline for the first full year ever—down about 3.7% in 2025—supporting per-share metrics. The size of the new authorization suggests this trend can continue. EQH Expects to Rebound in 2026, Announces $1B Buyback Last is the financial services company Equitable (NYSE: EQH). Equitable returned just 3% in 2025 and is down more than 5% in 2026. The firm offers insurance, annuities and retirement planning, and oversees $1.1 trillion in assets under management and administration—a figure that rose 10% in 2025. The stock has struggled over the past year, with Equitable missing adjusted EPS estimates in five consecutive quarters and missing sales expectations three times. After adjusted EPS rose only 1% in 2025, the company expects a stronger 2026 and projects EPS growth above its long-term target range of 12%–15% (presentation). Supporting that outlook, Equitable authorized a $1 billion share buyback program, equivalent to about 8% of the firm's roughly $12.5 billion market capitalization. In 2025, Equitable took advantage of the weaker share price and spent approximately $1.45 billion on buybacks, lowering its shares outstanding by about 9% for the year. The latest authorization supports the company's ability to keep returning significant capital. The stock also carries an indicated dividend yield near 2.4%. Analysts See Upside, Especially for EQH Overall, WMT, LYFT and EQH all look poised to continue reducing their share counts in 2026. Supporting Equitable's rebound narrative, EQH shows the most upside potential among these names, according to Wall Street analysts. The MarketBeat consensus price target of just over $62 implies about 41% upside. The consensus price target on LYFT indicates a similar potential gain, though targets fell substantially after the company's latest report.
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