RELX: AI Fears Eased by Strong Growth

RELX, an information and analytics group, announced accelerating growth in its scientific and legal divisions, offering reassurance to investors concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence. In the six months leading up to June 2026, the company achieved a 7% underlying growth in revenue and a 9% increase in adjusted operating profit, while also improving its profit margin by 70 basis points.

The performance of its scientific, technical, and medical division was particularly strong, marking a record 6% growth. The legal unit also saw robust performance with 10% growth. RELX reiterated its outlook for continued strong underlying growth in both revenue and adjusted operating profit for the full year.

Chief Executive Officer Erik Engstrom highlighted the company's strategic shift towards higher-growth analytics and decision tools, which are increasingly powered by AI. This focus is driving an improving growth trajectory. RELX is actively applying generative AI to its trusted data to assist professionals in legal, scientific, and financial services sectors.

Despite initial investor concerns regarding AI companies like Anthropic potentially impacting its business, RELX's shares saw a positive reaction to the latest results. The company emphasized that its professional markets, serving doctors, researchers, lawyers, and banks, rely on absolute accuracy for high-value decisions, a domain where its trusted data and AI applications excel.