Mercedes-Benz Pairs Buyback With Buyouts as October's Earnings Test Nears
Published on 10/07/2026 at 05:41 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Mercedes-Benz is keeping two very different clocks running at once. One is the steady, mechanical rhythm of its share repurchase program; the other is a countdown to October 28, when the Stuttgart automaker reports third-quarter 2026 results and faces investors on a conference call.
Between September 28 and October 2, the company picked up another 875,000 of its own shares, according to its fifth interim disclosure released Monday. That brings the total bought back since the program launched on September 1 to 3,851,805 shares. The stock closed Tuesday at EUR 40.54, a level that leaves it down 33% year to date and just 2.9% above its 52-week low.
Buyouts Return, Office Rules Tighten
While the buyback hums along, management is redrawing its domestic cost base. Roughly a week ago the group revived a voluntary severance package aimed mainly at employees in indirect functions, with the scheme expected to get underway in December. No specific headcount target was attached to the offer.
A separate change to working arrangements is in the pipeline. Under a new agreement, managers would be able to require full-time staff to be on site as many as four days a week. That rule is slated to take effect in January 2027 and still needs sign-off from local works council bodies.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Mercedes-Benz?
On the commercial side, Mercedes-Benz is leaning on an established ally. Lubricant specialist FUCHS SE and the automaker extended their strategic partnership, a tie-up focused on Mercedes-Benz Global Services & Parts and designed to support the worldwide after-sales network.
Product Push Meets Political Headwind
The fourth quarter opens with the brand putting its higher-margin nameplates front and center. Belgium's Zoute Grand Prix, running through October 11, hosts the first public showing for Belgian audiences of the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and the electric Mercedes-Benz VLE. A global campaign for the new four-door AMG coupe, fronted by actor Brad Pitt as brand ambassador, kicked off Monday.
More show premieres follow at the Paris Motor Show from October 12 to 18, including versions of the GLA and GLE plus the AMG CLA 45. The lineup extends beyond cars: from October 13, a limited-edition adidas Samba OG x Mercedes-Benz sneaker goes on sale. Technology is advancing too — since Tuesday, the all-electric EQS sedan can be ordered with a steer-by-wire system, which Mercedes-Benz bills as the first purely electronic steering setup in a series-production passenger car from a German manufacturer.
Washington, meanwhile, is working on legislation that would restrict connected vehicles with Chinese ownership. A current draft cited by Reuters sets a threshold of more than 15% Chinese participation, while passive Chinese investors hold close to 20% of Mercedes-Benz. US Senator Bernie Moreno said in late September that the measure is not intended to shut Mercedes-Benz out of the American market, and talks over the final text continue.
China in the Crosshairs
Analysts are training their attention on Asian sales markets. Tim Rokossa of Deutsche Bank Research trimmed his price target to EUR 70 from EUR 73 on September 29, sticking with a "Buy" rating. He called China the single largest structural challenge facing the industry as a whole.
Investors get their next hard data point in a few weeks, when the interim report for the third quarter of 2026 lands on October 28 alongside a call for analysts and investors.
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