Exploring RELX PLC (RELX) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You're looking at RELX PLC (RELX), the global information analytics giant, and asking the right question: who is buying this stock right now, and what's their conviction? The answer is a clear signal from the world's biggest money managers, who collectively own a massive 75% of the company. This isn't retail speculation; this is institutional bedrock, led by firms like BlackRock, Inc., which holds a stake of over 184 million shares, or roughly 10.16%, as of the third quarter of 2025. Why the high-stakes commitment? They are betting on the company's pivot to high-margin analytics and decision tools, a strategy that drove underlying revenue up 7% to £4,741 million and adjusted operating profit up 9% to £1,652 million in the first half of 2025. Plus, management is serious about returning capital, having already completed £1,000 million of its announced £1,500 million share buyback program this year. Still, while the fundamentals are strong, with adjusted EPS rising 10% to 63.5p, you need to see past the headline numbers to understand the subtle shifts in institutional sentiment and what that means for your portfolio. Let's dig into the defintely complex ownership structure and the drivers behind the big money's moves.

Who Invests in RELX PLC (RELX) and Why?

You're looking for clarity on who's driving the stock price for RELX PLC, the global information and analytics powerhouse, and the simple answer is that it's the big money. Institutions hold the vast majority of the company, viewing it as a defensive growth play powered by data and AI, which is why they are defintely long-term buyers.

As of mid-2025, the ownership structure is heavily weighted toward professional money managers. Institutional investors-think mutual funds, pension funds, and large asset managers-hold approximately 75% of the company's shares. This means their collective view on RELX PLC's future heavily influences the stock's direction. The general public, or retail investors, own the remaining stake, roughly 24%.

The top holders list reads like a who's who of global finance, confirming this institutional dominance. BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group, Inc. are consistently among the largest shareholders, with BlackRock, Inc. holding up to 11% and The Vanguard Group, Inc. holding around 5.31% of the common stock as of late 2025. These are not short-term traders; they are core, long-duration holders.

Investment Motivations: Growth, Dividends, and Data Moats

Investors are drawn to RELX PLC for a few clear, concrete reasons, all tied to the company's unique market position. It's not one thing; it's a blend of stable income and digital transformation.

• Sustainable Growth: The company is successfully shifting its business mix toward higher-growth analytics and decision tools, with all four divisions-Scientific, Technical & Medical; Risk; Legal; and Exhibitions-starting 2025 well. This focus on AI-enabled data solutions, like the new next-generation AI-backed assistant in the Legal division, is a major growth driver.
• Reliable Income: RELX PLC is a classic dividend-growth stock. Its policy is to grow dividends broadly in line with adjusted earnings per share (EPS), aiming to pay out about half of adjusted earnings each year. The company declared an interim dividend of 19.5p per share in 2025, a solid +7% increase over the prior year. They have a track record of over 10 consecutive years of annual dividend increases.
• Capital Returns: Beyond the dividend, the company is aggressive with share buybacks, which juice EPS. In the first half of 2025 alone, RELX PLC repurchased shares for a total consideration of £1,000m. That's a strong signal of management's confidence and commitment to shareholder value.

Investment Strategies: The Long-Term Core Holding

The strategies employed by these major investors are largely predictable, given the company's profile. You don't buy a position the size of BlackRock's for a quick flip.

The most common strategy is Long-Term Holding. Large institutions treat RELX PLC as a core, defensive holding in diversified portfolios. Its business-providing essential data and analytics to professionals in law, science, and risk management-is highly resilient to economic cycles. This is a stock you buy and hold for a decade, letting the compounding work.

For growth-focused funds, the strategy leans into Growth Investing, specifically betting on the company's digital transition. The focus is on the underlying performance metrics: adjusted EPS was 63.5p in the first half of 2025, up +10% at constant currency. The expanding adjusted operating margin, which improved to 34.8% in H1 2025, is another key metric that validates this growth narrative.

To be fair, the stock's valuation, often carrying a high price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, suggests some analysts see potential overvaluation, which is a caution for strict Value Investors. Still, the robust profitability and cash flow management make it a quality-growth stock, justifying a premium for many. The company's Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of RELX PLC (RELX). clearly map out the data-driven future that investors are buying into.

Here's the quick math: a +7% dividend increase on top of a +10% constant currency EPS growth shows a company that is both growing its core business and returning capital aggressively. That's a powerful combination for any long-term portfolio.

Next step: Portfolio Manager: Review RELX PLC's 2025 Risk division revenue growth against industry peers by end of week.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of RELX PLC (RELX)

If you're looking at RELX PLC (RELX), the global information and analytics powerhouse, the first thing you need to grasp is that institutional money drives the bus. Institutional investors-the big asset managers, pension funds, and endowments-hold roughly 75% of the company's total shares, a massive vote of confidence that gives them significant sway over the stock's direction and the company's long-term strategy. That's a huge concentration of professional capital.

This level of institutional backing is defintely a stabilizing force, but it also means you need to pay close attention to what the giants are doing. When a handful of firms own the majority of the stock, their collective decisions can move the price fast. It's not just about the volume of shares; it's about the quality of the holders. You can learn more about the company's structure and history here: RELX PLC (RELX): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Top Institutional Investors: Who Holds the Keys?

As of the end of the third quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, the top institutional investors are dominated by the world's largest index and asset managers. These firms are typically passive investors, meaning they buy and hold to track an index, but their sheer size makes them powerful. For the NYSE-listed depositary receipts, BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group, Inc. are the clear leaders.

Here's the quick math on the top holders, based on September 30, 2025, filings:

The top four institutions alone control over 22% of the shares, which is a significant block. Still, the overall ownership structure is fairly dispersed, as the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, which is a good sign against any single entity holding too much control. This means a single activist investor is less likely to dictate terms.

Recent Shifts: Are the Big Buyers Still Buying?

The trend through the first half of the 2025 fiscal year shows a clear pattern of accumulation by many major and smaller institutions. This tells me that professional money managers are still finding RELX's business model-focused on information, analytics, and decision tools-attractive, especially in the Scientific, Technical & Medical and Risk & Business Analytics segments.

We saw several notable increases in the first and second quarters of 2025:

• Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake by 9.2% in Q1.
• Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings by 8.3% in Q1.
• Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position by a massive 304.6% in Q2.
• Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. more than doubled its position, increasing holdings by 103.4% in Q1.
• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. also raised its position by 4.5% in Q1.

To be fair, there were some reductions, like Bank of New York Mellon Corp cutting its stake by 7.1% in Q2 2025, but the overall picture is one of net institutional accumulation. This consistent buying pressure from major funds provides a solid floor for the stock price, even as the company itself has been actively buying back its own shares, acquiring over 39 million ordinary shares since January 2025 to enhance shareholder value.

Impact of Institutional Investors on Strategy

The role of these large investors goes beyond just stock price support; they are a critical check on management and strategy. With 75% of the company owned by institutions, the board of directors must pay close attention to their preferences, especially regarding capital allocation and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. They demand predictable, high-quality earnings, which aligns perfectly with RELX's business model of subscription-based, recurring revenue from its analytics divisions.

Their influence translates into a focus on strategic growth areas, like the high-margin Risk & Business Analytics segment, and a disciplined approach to mergers and acquisitions (M&A). When a company is this heavily owned by institutions, a sudden change in sentiment-say, if a few major holders decide to sell simultaneously-can cause a sharp, fast drop in the share price. So, while their presence signals stability, their collective mood is a risk you must monitor. Your action item here is simple: track the quarterly 13F filings of the top ten holders; any significant, coordinated selling is a red flag.

Key Investors and Their Impact on RELX PLC (RELX)

You need to know who holds the biggest pieces of the pie at RELX PLC, because their buying and selling moves the stock. The investor profile is dominated by massive institutional players-think mutual funds and asset managers-who collectively own a significant portion of the company, and their recent activity shows a mixed, yet cautious, sentiment in the 2025 fiscal year.

The core of RELX PLC's ownership lies with the giants of the financial world. These aren't activist hedge funds looking for a quick breakup; they are long-term asset managers focused on stability and consistent returns. The largest institutional holders of the US-listed American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) as of the third quarter of 2025 include Capital International Investors, Morgan Stanley, and Fmr Llc. This is a defintely a blue-chip roster of investors.

Here's the quick math on some of the largest positions based on Q3 2025 13F filings:

• Capital International Investors held 6,398,121 shares.
• Morgan Stanley held 5,870,863 shares.
• BlackRock, Inc. held 3,378,550 shares.

Recent Investor Moves: A Net Selling Trend

While the overall institutional ownership remains high, the 2025 fiscal year has seen a net outflow of institutional capital. In the most recent quarter, institutions bought 22.7 million shares but sold a higher volume of 35.5 million shares, indicating a net selling pressure on the stock.

Some major funds made very notable moves. For example, Fmr Llc cut its stake by over 40.5% in the third quarter of 2025, which is a significant reduction that can signal a shift in portfolio strategy or a move to take profits after a strong run. Still, others were adding: Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position by 4.5% in the first quarter, bringing its total to 4,072,342 shares valued at over $205 million.

This mixed activity is typical for a stable, diversified company like RELX PLC. One fund might be rebalancing its sector exposure, but another sees the recent stock dip as a buying opportunity, especially given the company's strong focus on digital analytics and AI-enabled tools in its Legal and Risk divisions. You can dive deeper into the core business performance and valuation in Breaking Down RELX PLC (RELX) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Management's Response: The Share Buyback Influence

The most direct and powerful influence on the stock price in 2025 hasn't come from an activist investor; it's come from RELX PLC's own management team. The company has a massive, ongoing share buyback program, which is a direct mechanism to return capital to shareholders and support the stock price by reducing the number of outstanding shares.

For the 2025 fiscal year, RELX PLC announced its intention to deploy a total of £1.5 billion for share repurchases. As of late 2025, the company had already repurchased over 39 million shares. This action is a clear signal to institutional investors that management is prioritizing shareholder value and sees the stock as undervalued, or at least a good use of excess cash flow. It's a very strong defensive and pro-investor move.

The institutional investors, while mostly passive, still exert influence through proxy voting on key corporate governance matters, like director elections and executive compensation. BlackRock, for instance, has a substantial stake, and its proxy voting policies, especially on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, can sway shareholder resolutions. But honestly, for RELX PLC, the company's consistent performance and capital return strategy are the main drivers of investor loyalty.

Here is a snapshot of the top US-listed institutional holdings and recent changes:

What this estimate hides is the total global ownership, but the US-filed 13F data gives you the clearest picture of the major players in the American market. The bottom line is that the stock is largely held by long-term funds who appreciate the company's defensive growth profile and the highly visible £1.5 billion commitment to buybacks in 2025.

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

You might look at RELX PLC (RELX)'s recent stock price dip and feel a little uneasy, but honestly, the major shareholders are giving the company a massive vote of confidence. Institutional investors-the big money managers-hold a dominant 75% of the company's shares, and their sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, which is a huge green flag for stability.

This high institutional ownership means the board defintely pays attention to their preferences. BlackRock, Inc., for example, is the single largest shareholder, controlling a significant 11% of shares outstanding, and The Vanguard Group, Inc. follows closely with 5.2%. When firms that size commit that much capital, they've done their homework. It's a signal that RELX's core business model-providing information-based analytics-is seen as durable and high-quality.

The market's reaction to this institutional conviction has been mixed in the near term, which is where you see the opportunity. While the company's fundamentals are strong, the stock hit a new 52-week low of $40.14 in November 2025. This short-term pressure, however, has not deterred the smart money, as several institutions actually boosted their positions in the first quarter of 2025.

Recent Market Reactions and Ownership Moves

The stock price action in 2025 shows a classic divergence: strong underlying business performance versus broader market volatility. Despite the stock trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages as of late 2025, the institutional money kept flowing in, suggesting they view the dip as a buying opportunity.

For instance, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position by 16.5% in the first quarter, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holding by 4.5%, purchasing an additional 173,976 shares. This tells you that for the long-term players, the dip is just noise. Plus, the significant decline in short interest-the volume of shares sold short-signals a reduction in bearish wagers against the stock, which is a positive technical shift.

The company's own actions also fueled positive market reactions earlier in the year. The first-half 2025 results, reported in July, confirmed strong underlying revenue growth of +7% and a +9% jump in adjusted operating profit, which reaffirmed the full-year outlook. The management team also deployed £1,000 million of a planned £1,500 million share buyback in the first half of 2025, directly returning capital to shareholders and supporting the stock price. That's a clear commitment to value.

• BlackRock, Inc. holds 11% of shares.
• Institutional ownership sits at 75%.
• Short interest recently recorded a decline.
• Management authorized a £1,500 million buyback.

Analyst Perspectives and Future Impact

The analyst community is extremely bullish on RELX PLC's future, largely because of the company's strategic shift toward higher-growth analytics and decision tools. The consensus rating is a 'Moderate Buy,' with 10 buy ratings and only 2 hold ratings as of November 2025. There are no 'sell' ratings, which is rare for a company this size.

Analysts see a substantial upside from the current price, with the average 12-month price target set at 4,418.45 GBp. Here's the quick math: that target suggests a potential upside of 38.34% from the recent trading price. The optimism is grounded in the company's ability to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) across its divisions, particularly with products like Lexis+AI in the Legal segment.

For the full year 2025, analysts forecast strong financial performance. The company's Return on Equity (ROE) is already impressive at 72.05%, reflecting exceptional efficiency in generating profit from shareholder equity. The underlying growth story is stable, predictable, and driven by technology adoption across its four core segments. If you want to dive deeper into the nuts and bolts of the balance sheet, you should check out Breaking Down RELX PLC (RELX) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

The table below summarizes the key financial metrics from the first half of 2025, which underpin this positive analyst outlook:

What this estimate hides is the potential for a faster-than-expected monetization of the new AI-enabled tools, which could push the revenue growth rate even higher than the forecasted 6.1% per annum. The analysts are pricing in stability, but the AI pivot offers a shot at acceleration. Your next step: Look for updates on Lexis+AI adoption rates in the Q4 trading update.