BlackBerry Kicks Off Share Buyback Plan After Gaining TSX Green Light
BlackBerry’s Big Move: Share Buybacks Are Back
It's been a while since BlackBerry made headlines for its stocks, but here we go. On May 8, 2025, BlackBerry revealed it got the nod from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) to launch a Normal Course Issuer Bid (NCIB). Not everyone’s familiar with the term, but in plain English, that means the company can start buying back its own shares.
The program officially kicks off on May 12, 2025, and could run all the way until May 11, 2026—unless BlackBerry decides to wrap it up sooner. The company says it can repurchase up to 27,855,153 of its common shares. That’s about 4.7% of its public float, which is finance-speak for the shares available for everyday folks to buy and sell. For some context, BlackBerry’s public float stood at a whopping 596,180,623 shares as of early May.
How the Buyback Works and Why It Matters
Share buybacks used to be the bread and butter for companies wanting to reward investors and boost confidence in their own business. After taking a breather for the past year—no shares repurchased since May 2024—BlackBerry is back in the game. The new program permits the company to scoop up shares on several platforms: TSX, NYSE, other Canadian and U.S. exchanges, alternative trading systems, or even through direct deals with certain shareholders.
There are rules, though. BlackBerry can’t just grab as many shares as it wants in one go, especially not on the TSX. The daily limit is set at 721,194 shares (unless we’re talking about block trades, which is a different story). With an average daily trading volume of 2,884,777 shares on the TSX over the past six months, the daily cap keeps things fair and prevents market drama.
Every single share bought back will be canceled. So, they’re not keeping those shares for a rainy day—they’re reducing the total number of shares on the market. As of May 5, BlackBerry had 597,096,623 shares outstanding. Fewer shares out there can potentially bump up the value of what’s left, giving current shareholders a little more bang for their buck.
Buybacks often signal that a company is feeling confident about its future or thinks its stock is undervalued. For BlackBerry, which has seen its business model shift from smartphones to software and cybersecurity over the past decade, the move could also be about keeping investor spirits high at a time when tech stocks are under the microscope.
Investors and market watchers will be eyeing the impact of this share buyback both on stock price and on BlackBerry’s balance sheet. Will it help reel in new investors or reassure longtime holders that the company is on solid ground? Only time will tell, but it’s clear BlackBerry is playing a proactive hand for the next 12 months.