Stock Buyback Tracker

Stock Buyback Tracker monitors corporate share repurchase program authorizations from SEC EDGAR 8-K filings — extracting the program size, announcement date, and context snippet from each disclosure. US companies spent $800B+ on buybacks in 2023 alone; this actor delivers those announcements in real time as a direct shareholder return signal.

Buyback announcements typically drive 1–5% stock appreciation on announcement day, and the authorization itself creates a demand floor as companies systematically repurchase shares.

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Why use Stock Buyback Tracker?

1. Shareholder return signal — A large buyback authorization signals management confidence in the business and commitment to returning capital. Track them as a quality/value factor.
2. EPS growth without revenue growth — Buybacks reduce share count, mechanically boosting EPS. Companies with aggressive buyback programs tend to show better EPS growth than peers.
3. Capital allocation research — Compare buyback activity to dividend payments and capex to assess a company's capital allocation philosophy. Large buybacks + low debt = financial strength.
4. Buyback blackout period awareness — Companies enter "blackout periods" (typically 2-4 weeks before earnings) during which they suspend repurchases. Track buybacks to identify when demand support resumes.
5. Sector buyback trends — Tech and financial services dominate buyback volume. Tracking sector-level buyback announcements reveals which industries are generating the most excess cash.

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How to use

1. Open the actor on Apify Store and click Try for free.
2. Set daysBack to define your lookback window.
3. Enable enrichAmounts to extract the dollar amount from filing text (recommended).
4. Set minAmountM to filter for large programs only.
5. Click Start. Results are structured buyback announcement records from SEC 8-K filings.

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Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
daysBack	number	30	How far back to search SEC EDGAR 8-K filings
enrichAmounts	boolean	true	Parse filing text to extract buyback program dollar amount
minAmountM	number	0	Minimum authorization size in millions USD (0 = no filter)
searchTerm	string	""	Filter by company name (e.g. "Apple", "Microsoft")
maxResults	number	50	Maximum records to return

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Output

{
  "company": "Apple Inc.",
  "form_type": "8-K",
  "items": "8.01",
  "filed_date": "2026-05-02",
  "buyback_amount_m": 110000,
  "context_snippet": "...authorized the purchase of up to $110 billion of the Company's common stock...",
  "accession_no": "0000320193-26-000134",
  "filing_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/..."
}

{
  "company": "JPMorgan Chase & Co.",
  "form_type": "8-K",
  "items": "7.01, 8.01",
  "filed_date": "2026-07-15",
  "buyback_amount_m": 30000,
  "context_snippet": "...repurchase up to $30 billion of its common stock under a new share repurchase program...",
  "accession_no": "0000019617-26-000234",
  "filing_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19617/..."
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Description
company	string	Company name from SEC EDGAR
form_type	string	Always 8-K for buyback announcements
items	string	8-K item codes triggering the filing
filed_date	string	Filing date (YYYY-MM-DD)
buyback_amount_m	float	Authorization amount in millions USD (null if not parseable)
context_snippet	string	Text excerpt containing the buyback disclosure
accession_no	string	SEC EDGAR accession number
filing_url	string	Direct link to the SEC 8-K document

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Largest buyback programs historically

Company	Authorization	Year
Apple	$110B	2023
Alphabet	$70B	2023
Meta	$50B	2023
Microsoft	$60B	2021
Berkshire Hathaway	Open-ended	Ongoing

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Cost estimation

Pay-Per-Event: $0.005 per actor start + $0.02 per buyback announcement returned.

Use case	Records	Estimated cost
30-day large buybacks (>$500M)	~10–25	$0.20–$0.50/run
30-day all buybacks	~40–100	$0.80–$2.00/run
Specific company history	~2–10	$0.04–$0.20/run
Weekly monitoring	~10–20	$0.20–$0.40/week

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FAQ

Does a buyback authorization mean the company will actually buy that amount? No — the authorization is a ceiling, not a commitment. Many companies use only part of their authorized program. Actual repurchase activity is disclosed in quarterly 10-Q filings.

How timely is the data? 8-K filings for buyback authorizations typically appear within 1-2 days of the board announcement (usually at earnings or analyst days). The actor surfaces them within hours of SEC filing.

Does it track actual share repurchases, or just authorizations? This actor tracks authorization announcements (8-K). Actual repurchase quantities are disclosed in 10-Q quarterly filings — a different data source.

Can I screen for buybacks alongside insider buying? Use this actor for corporate buybacks + combine with a 13D tracker for insider buying signals. Both are positive conviction signals for value investors.

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Related actors

• Activist Investor Tracker — Activists often demand buybacks as a value unlock lever
• M&A Deals Tracker — Companies with large buybacks are sometimes acquisition targets (excess cash signal)
• Executive Compensation Tracker — Buyback CEOs often have comp tied to EPS — check incentive alignment

Feedback

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Keywords: stock buyback, share repurchase, SEC 8-K, corporate finance, EPS accretion, capital allocation, buyback announcement, EDGAR, value investing, equity reduction, shareholder returns