Relx's first-half 2026 interim results prompted a positive reaction in pre-market trading, with the stock rising 2.0% after the London-headquartered information analytics group released its numbers. The company reported 7% underlying revenue growth, taking revenues to ,871 million, while adjusted operating profit grew 9% to 727 million. Adjusted earnings per share increased 11% at constant currency.
Executives said that each of the group's four business divisions contributed to the improvement in the first half. Management also reaffirmed its full-year guidance, maintaining expectations for continued strong underlying growth in revenue, adjusted operating profit, and EPS for 2026.
The Legal division emerged as the standout performer, recording 10% underlying revenue growth and a 13% increase in adjusted operating profit. Company commentary attributes the strength in Legal to accelerating adoption of AI-enabled offerings, specifically naming Lexis+ and the Protege workflow platform as drivers of customer uptake.
On a margin basis the group saw adjusted operating margin expand by 70 basis points to 35.5%, a move the company linked to a shift in business mix toward higher-margin analytics and decision tools. That mix shift and margin expansion were cited as material contributors to the improved profitability metrics.
Chief Executive Officer Erik Engstrom highlighted the companys overall performance, saying the group delivered "strong underlying revenue and profit growth and strong new sales in the first half of 2026," and that Legal delivered "a further step up in growth."
The results carry weight against a backdrop of prior investor concern about potential third-party AI disruption. Specifically, market participants had expressed worry that Anthropic's legal AI tool might erode Relx's core Legal franchise. The companys robust H1 showing, and Legals particular strength, provided tangible evidence that Relx's proprietary data assets and embedded workflow tools continue to hold competitive ground, according to the reporting.
Relxs stock gain came even as the broader market was trading cautiously: the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq were all modestly in the red ahead of the open. Taken together, the combination of broad-based divisional growth, margin expansion, a reaffirmed full-year outlook, and a direct rebuttal of prominent AI disruption fears appeared to give investors a clear, fundamentals-based reason to bid the shares higher in pre-market trading.