Highest realized buyback yield (2026)
The most aggressive retirer is PAYC, 22.1% of itself in a year. Ranked by shares actually retired — not dollars spent over a market cap that may have collapsed since. Add dividends for the full realized shareholder yield, or see who spends the most in absolute terms on the biggest buyback programs.
as of market close, Aug 6, 2026
Top 50 by shares retired (1y)#
| #Company | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1PAYC | +35.5% | $10B | +22.14% |
| 2PINS | -9.9% | $13B | +17.92% |
| 3CRBG | +12.7% | $15B | +17.26% |
| 4IT | -26.7% | $12B | +16.63% |
| 5CHTR | -24.6% | $19B | +15.82% |
| 6CRM | -29.5% | $153B | +14.34% |
| 7TAP | -9.1% | $8B | +14.18% |
| 8SYF | -5.7% | $26B | +12.56% |
| 9RNR | +15.1% | $13B | +11.72% |
| 10FCNCA | +4.3% | $27B | +11.11% |
| 11DVA | +59.0% | $12B | +10.78% |
| 12FTV | +10.3% | $19B | +10.15% |
| 13FICO | -39.0% | $22B | +10.03% |
| 14CART | +0.1% | $11B | +9.87% |
| 15PTC | -15.2% | $16B | +9.43% |
| 16PYPL | +2.4% | $53B | +9.30% |
| 17C | +14.7% | $224B | +8.89% |
| 18THC | +29.1% | $21B | +8.87% |
| 19EQH | +9.5% | $14B | +8.85% |
| 20WDAY | -20.7% | $42B | +8.62% |
| 21EG | +9.1% | $14B | +8.59% |
| 22ACGL | +3.5% | $34B | +8.58% |
| 23GDDY | -27.2% | $11B | +8.53% |
| 24UHS | -22.2% | $10B | +8.34% |
| 25HSIC | +16.7% | $10B | +8.13% |
| 26ROP | -10.8% | $39B | +8.10% |
| 27VOD | +21.1% | $38B | +8.10% |
| 28DECK | -5.6% | $13B | +8.05% |
| 29AIG | -6.5% | $42B | +8.01% |
| 30EXEL | +19.1% | $13B | +7.98% |
| 31TTE | +31.9% | $190B | +7.98% |
| 32DLTR | +5.4% | $25B | +7.94% |
| 33GM | +6.9% | $76B | +7.84% |
| 34HCA | -12.4% | $91B | +7.79% |
| 35MPC | +84.0% | $84B | +7.63% |
| 36MTB | +24.2% | $36B | +7.59% |
| 37MGM | +22.5% | $11B | +7.57% |
| 38LEN | -17.5% | $20B | +7.45% |
| 39KR | -8.3% | $35B | +7.36% |
| 40TRV | +33.1% | $81B | +7.36% |
| 41VLO | +86.1% | $87B | +7.32% |
| 42JCI | +29.1% | $94B | +7.29% |
| 43CPAY | +32.3% | $26B | +7.28% |
| 44BKNG | -3.2% | $156B | +7.27% |
| 45NVR | -13.5% | $17B | +7.15% |
| 46CSL | +19.7% | $15B | +7.11% |
| 47UNM | +15.9% | $14B | +7.05% |
| 48LUV | +13.6% | $23B | +6.86% |
| 49ZBRA | +50.0% | $17B | +6.85% |
| 50FOXA | -15.4% | $26B | +6.77% |
Methodology#
Realized buyback yield = 1 − (shares outstanding now ÷ shares outstanding ~12 months ago), from SEC-filed share counts (split-adjusted). Net dilution ranks negative and is excluded here. Every entry is cash-corroborated: the trailing-twelve-month dollars actually spent on repurchases (net of issuance) must plausibly cover the retirement — multi-class filers whose count basis changed mid-year are excluded rather than shown with impossible yields. Universe: US-listed stocks ≥ $5B market cap, share classes deduplicated. Returns are total returns (dividends reinvested), updated daily. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.
FAQ
- Which stock has the highest buyback yield?
- Paycom (PAYC) retired about 22.1% of its shares outstanding over the past year — the highest realized buyback yield among US large caps.
- What is realized buyback yield?
- Realized buyback yield is the percentage of shares outstanding actually retired over the past year, from SEC-filed share counts. The conventional dollars-spent-over-market-cap version flatters fallen stocks: spend billions at high prices, watch the stock halve, and the "yield" doubles while shareholders got nothing. A shrinking share count can't be flattered that way.