Challenger announces $150m buy-back

Mike Taylor

Managing Editor and Publisher

18 February 2026

Challenger Limited has announced a $150 million on-market buy-back on the back of announcing a strong first half entailing a 25 increase in normalised net profit after tax (NPAT) to $229 million and record annuity sales of $3.8 billion.

The company said the buy-back was appropriate, reflecting confidence in the business and its strong capital position.

In doing so, Challenger reaffirmed its FY26 earnings guidance stating it continues to target a normalised basic earnings per share (EPS) guidance range of between 66 amd 72 cents per share.

The directors declared an interim dividend of 15.5 cents per share.

Commenting on the result, Challenger managing director and chief executive, Nick Hamilton said it demonstrated the firm’s strong fundamentals with delivery against its key targets. A continued rise in annuity sales and an increase in the interim dividend.

Challenger also confirmed a strategic partnership with OPEX Consulting to support continued development and growth of the Informed Financial Future (IFF) financial advice platform.

OPEX said the partnership would deliver modelling of lifetime income strategies for advisers supporting clients approach or in retirement.

“The partnership reflects a broader shift underway in advice technology: tightly integrated, productivity-focused platforms that reduce delivery time, improve consistency, and create capacity across advice businesses,” it said.

“Challenger’s involvement provides long-term backing and confidence in the ongoing investment behind iff, reinforcing the platform’s continuity and OPEX’s ability to continue building for the future.”