Last year's share buybacks were lowest since 2015, shows data

The average buyback amounts have fallen for listed firms, shows Prime data analysis

Companies spent less money buying back their shares from the public last year than at any time since 2015.

They announced buybacks of up to Rs 14,341 crore, show numbers from primary market tracker Prime Database. The total amount spent was Rs 13,597 crore. Both the amounts are lower than what was offered (Rs 39,564 crore) and spent (Rs 36,517 crore) in 2020. The 2020 amounts were also lower than what companies spent in the year before that (see chart).

A buyback is a way for a company to return capital to shareholders, and firms usually buy back shares at a price