Buyback Accelerators: 3 Stocks Boosting Capacity & Spending Speed
Adding new buyback capacity is great, but it doesn’t always mean that the pace of a company’s buyback spending will increase. This latter action is particularly relevant, as it means a firm is increasing the speed at which it is delivering buyback benefits. This includes lowering its share count more rapidly, adding a tailwind to key metrics like earnings per share.
Below, we’ll detail three stocks that recently boosted their buyback capacity and could also see their buyback pace increase: a two-sided win for investors.
Capital One Greatly Boosts Buybacks in Q3, Adds $16 Billion in Capacity
First up is one of the world’s biggest names in consumer finance, Capital One Financial (NYSE: COF). Like shares of many financial services companies, Capital One has performed well in 2025. Overall, the stock has delivered a return of just over 27%. The firm released its Q3 financial results on Oct. 21 and announced a hefty new buyback program. Its new authorization is worth $16 billion, equal to a very large 11.2% of its approximately $143 billion market capitalization.
The company is notably accelerating its buyback spending, and could accelerate it further. This latest announcement comes on the heels of Capital One spending $1 billion on buybacks in Q3. It spent a total of just $600 million on repurchases from Q3 2024 to Q2 2025.
On the earnings call, Capital One indicated that its buyback spending pace could increase even more. Chief Financial Officer Andrew Young said, “At least in the very near term, it's reasonable to assume that we'll be picking up the pace of share repurchases from here.” Clearly, buybacks look poised to become a much more critical part of Capital One’s plans, a positive sign for the stock.
EPAM May Accelerate Repurchases With Shares Down Big
Next is mid-cap IT services company EPAM Systems (NYSE: EPAM). 2025 has hit EPAM very hard, with shares down by approximately 32%. Overall, EPAM now trades at nearly one-third of its 2022 high. A new $1 billion share repurchase program, announced on Oct. 21, indicates that the company may now see significant value in its share price. The buyback plan equals around 11.3% of EPAM’s approximately $8.9 billion market capitalization. That is another very substantial repurchase program. Furthermore, EPAM could use its buyback capacity quickly, as the authorization only has a 24-month term.
In Q2, the firm spent around $195 million on buybacks, its second-highest quarterly spending level ever. To fully utilize its new capacity over the next eight quarters, it would need to boost its average spending by around 28% from that level. This would be a welcome tailwind for shares. Still, it is essential to note that the firm is not obligated to use its capacity in full or at all.
Barclays Boosts Guidance and Announces Unlikely Buyback
Last up is another huge name in finance, Barclays (NYSE: BCS). Barclays' shares have soared in 2025, delivering a return of just under 60%. Along with its Q3 2025 financial results, Barclays announced a surprise buyback authorization. This surprise comes as Barclays is generating better-than-expected earnings. The firm increased its return on tangible equity (ROTE) guidance for 2025 to greater than 11%, up from 11%. The authorization equals around $670 million, or approximately 0.9% of its $71.9 billion market cap. This relatively small authorization sits within Barclays' much larger three-year capital return program.
From 2024 to 2026, Barclays intends to return $13 billion in capital to shareholders (or “at least 10 billion GBP,” according to the company). This will come through dividends and buybacks, with total distributions in 2025 set to be higher than in 2024. Due to its better-than-expected results, Barclays authorized $670 million of this $13 billion spending early. Overall, Barclays's business is gaining momentum, allowing it to deliver on its capital return plans faster than anticipated. This indicates that Barclays's already impressive run in 2025 may still have legs in 2026.
Does EPAM Steep Drop and Buyback Boost Indicate Opportunity?
Capital One, EPAM, and Barclays all look like they could see the pace of their buyback spending move up.
In this group, EPAM stands out as a candidate for further examination. The stock’s dramatic decline indicates that there may be solid value in this name, especially as it looks poised to ramp up repurchases.
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