Essity B stock gains support from buybacks and insider buying
Published on 08/24/2026 at 18:23 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Essity AB (publ) Essity B stock (ISIN SE0009922164) has been trading above its current average analyst target on August 24, 2026, as the hygiene and health group continues an active share buyback program and reports resilient earnings momentum for the second quarter of 2026.
Buyback program adds support
Per an Essity investor release dated August 24, 2026, the company repurchased 282,790 Class B shares between August 17, 2026, and August 21, 2026 under a Board-approved buyback program with a total planned size of SEK 3 billion. The weighted average purchase price during week 34, 2026 was SEK 271.4033 per share, implying a weekly transaction value of SEK 76,750,144 for these buybacks. The buyback window runs from May 12, 2026 until the 2027 Annual General Meeting and is structured under the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the European Commission Delegated Regulation 2016/1052 safe harbour framework. As of August 21, 2026, Essity's treasury holding stood at 5,501,253 Class B shares, while the total company share count was 681,945,171, including 57,200,658 Class A shares and 624,744,513 Class B shares. The program is funded from operating cash flow after the ordinary dividend, with management signaling that repurchases are intended to remain a recurring element of capital allocation. Essity buyback details
Market data compiled on August 24, 2026 indicates that Essity B stock was last quoted with a closing price of SEK 273.50 on Nasdaq Stockholm, while intraday trading saw levels in the SEK 279 to SEK 281 range, with a quote of SEK 281.50 corresponding to a 2.93 percent daily gain and gains of 5.10 percent over the past five trading days and 6.37 percent since the start of 2026. The closing price of SEK 273.50 stands modestly above the latest reported average target price of SEK 273.06, implying a difference of around 0.16 percent, while a historical comparison with July 15, 2026 shows that the average target price has eased from SEK 274.24, a decline of 0.4 percent over that period as forecasts were adjusted after the interim report. Consensus and price data
Insider buying and analyst stance
On August 24, 2026, an Essity senior executive responsible for digital transformation and business enablement purchased 4,000 Essity B shares in open-market transactions on Nasdaq Stockholm, according to an insider transaction record referenced by the Swedish financial supervisory authority. The shares were bought at a price of SEK 277.47 per share, representing a total investment of SEK 1.1 million, and add a concrete insider confidence signal on top of the ongoing buybacks financed by the company itself. The purchase was recorded as an Essity Class B share transaction at the same time as the broader market quote showed Essity B trading near SEK 279 to SEK 280, with real-time indications of SEK 279.45 and SEK 280.10 associated with daily gains of 2.18 percent and 2.41 percent respectively. Insider share purchase
Analyst consensus compiled on August 24, 2026 characterizes Essity B with an average recommendation of Hold and an updated average target price of SEK 273.06 compared with SEK 274.24 as of July 15, 2026. That 0.4 percent downward revision in target price came after the latest interim report. Share price performance around the report shows Essity B falling 2.6 percent on the report day, while by August 24, 2026 the stock was 1.0 percent above the level recorded the day before the report. Over the same span, the OMXS30 large-cap index is up 4.8 percent, indicating that Essity B has lagged the broader Swedish blue-chip benchmark since the earnings release despite rising slightly from its pre-report level. Earnings consensus overview
Earnings beat but estimates trimmed
The most recent interim report for Essity covers the second quarter of 2026. Consensus data for that period shows that Essity reported net sales of SEK 35,061 million in Q2 2026, exceeding the pre-report consensus expectation of SEK 34,691 million by 1.1 percent. Adjusted EBITA reached SEK 4,685 million, beating the consensus estimate of SEK 4,526 million by 3.5 percent, while adjusted earnings per share increased 2.3 percent to SEK 4.82 compared with the prior period reference. These figures underline that Essity delivered a modest top-line beat with more pronounced outperformance at the adjusted EBITA level, while earnings per share growth remained in the low-single-digit range.
Despite the consensus beat, profit estimates for the full current year were subsequently revised downward, while sales estimates were nudged higher, suggesting that analysts see margin pressures or normalization affecting future profitability even as revenue expectations improve. The adjustment of profit estimates pushed the average target price down by 0.4 percent to SEK 273.06 as of August 24, 2026, from SEK 274.24 before the interim report, and the updated target now sits about 3 percent below the contemporaneous share price snapshot of SEK 281.60 noted in the same dataset. That quantified gap between the share price and the consensus target indicates that Essity B is trading at a premium to the current analyst narrative, even while buybacks and insider buying are providing technical and sentiment support.
Business profile and feminine care expansion
Essity AB (publ) is a global hygiene and health company with leading positions in products such as tissue, baby diapers, incontinence products and feminine care solutions, supplying both consumer brands and professional customers worldwide. In addition to focusing on organic growth and operational efficiency, Essity has recently pursued portfolio moves in growth markets. A corporate communication dated August 24, 2026 reports that Essity has agreed to acquire a feminine care business in Brazil, expanding its footprint in the Latin American hygiene segment and bolstering its position in categories such as sanitary pads and related products. The acquisition is designed to strengthen Essity's exposure to a market with favorable demographics and increasing demand for branded hygiene products, complementing its existing operations in the region. Feminine care acquisition in Brazil
The combination of a targeted acquisition in Brazilian feminine care, an active share buyback program, and ongoing efforts in digital transformation underscores Essity's strategy to balance shareholder returns with investments in category growth and efficiency. For investors, these moves sit alongside the mixed signal from the latest interim report, where near-term earnings beats have been followed by cautious profit estimate revisions.
Essity product example: feminine care brands
In the feminine care category, Essity markets sanitary pads, pantyliners and tampons under a range of regional brands tailored to local consumer preferences, supported by marketing that emphasizes comfort, reliability and discreet protection. In the context of the Brazilian feminine care acquisition announced in August 2026, Essity will integrate the acquired product portfolio into its broader hygiene offering, leveraging its global sourcing and innovation capabilities to enhance product design and expand distribution in modern retail and pharmacy channels. These products play a central role in Essity's consumer tissue and personal care portfolio, contributing both to volume growth and to the company's efforts to improve margins through brand-led differentiation.
Essity B stock price context
Essity B stock is primarily listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in Swedish kronor, with market portals quoting a last closing price of SEK 273.50 as of the most recent completed trading session in August 2026. Intraday indications on August 24, 2026 showed trading around SEK 281.50, linked to a daily change of 2.93 percent and positive short- and year-to-date performance metrics in the mid-single-digit range. In parallel, an alternative euro-denominated quote on Tradegate reported a price of EUR 24.85 with a 0.81 percent daily increase and a modest positive performance since the start of 2026, underscoring cross-venue liquidity for investors accessing Essity shares outside Sweden. Essity AB market data
For retail investors reviewing Essity B stock on August 24, 2026, the picture is of a defensive hygiene and health name that is currently trading slightly above its consensus target price, buoyed by company-led buybacks, insider purchasing and an earnings profile that recently exceeded expectations but led to more cautious profit forecasts for the full year. The balance between these supporting and moderating forces will likely shape how Essity B performs relative to the OMXS30 large-cap index over the coming quarters, as the buyback program continues through the 2027 Annual General Meeting and the Brazilian feminine care acquisition is integrated into the business.
Read more
For further details on Essity's capital allocation, earnings and acquisitions, investors can consult the company's dedicated investor information on its corporate website or review recent market-data overviews covering Essity B stock and its consensus estimates.
Fact box
Company: Essity AB (publ)
ISIN: SE0009922164
Ticker: ESSITY B
Exchange: Nasdaq Stockholm
Sector / Industry: Consumer staples / Hygiene and health products
Index membership: OMXS30 large-cap index
