In July 2026, listed companies on the STAR Market launched a wave of share buybacks. Data shows that 84 firms on the board executed repurchases during the month, with a total amount of 4.132 billion yuan and around 160 million shares bought back. These three key metrics all set new monthly records for the year, marking a multiple-fold increase over the average monthly levels seen in the first half of the year.

From January to June, the number of STAR Market companies conducting monthly buybacks fluctuated between 12 and 52, averaging just 25 per month, while the monthly buyback amount ranged from 607 million yuan to 2.472 billion yuan, with an average of 1.443 billion yuan. In July, the number of companies conducting buybacks and the total buyback amount jumped to 84 and 4.132 billion yuan respectively, representing a 236% and 186% increase over the first-half monthly averages. Even compared to previous monthly peaks, July’s performance stood out. In June, 52 companies conducted buybacks totaling 2.343 billion yuan, the highest count in the first half; March saw a buyback amount of 2.472 billion yuan, the highest value in the first half. July’s company count rose 61.5% from June, and the buyback amount increased 67.2% from March.

From a sector perspective, July’s buyback funds were heavily concentrated in the hard-tech track. According to Wind industry classifications, Biotechnology led with 900 million yuan in buybacks across 8 companies, followed by Semiconductor Products, where 11 companies collectively repurchased 835 million yuan. These two sectors contributed 42% of the total monthly buyback amount. Industrial Machinery (11 companies, 352 million yuan), Western Pharmaceuticals (4 companies, 332 million yuan), and Electronic Equipment & Instruments (8 companies, 287 million yuan) ranked third to fifth respectively. Application Software, Consumer Electronics, Electrical Components & Equipment, Specialty Chemicals, and Aerospace & Defense also made the top ten. Notably, both the Semiconductor Products and Industrial Machinery sectors had 11 companies each participating in buybacks, making them the most widely covered segments, reflecting a collective recognition of their own value by listed firms in these fields.

At the individual company level, TopScie Bio led the STAR Market buyback list in July with 403 million yuan, citing “other buyback purposes.” Additionally, sector leaders such as Montage Technology and Jinko Energy also conducted large-scale buybacks, explicitly for “market value management.” Further statistics show that the top ten companies by buyback amount spent a total of approximately 2.188 billion yuan, accounting for 53% of the monthly total. Among them, five companies aimed for market value management, four for equity incentives or employee stock ownership plans, and one for other purposes. Market value management-type buybacks accounted for 50%, signaling management’s core judgment that current valuations are undervalued.

In terms of progress, among the 85 company announcements of buyback progress in July (including different plans from the same company), 34 had completed their buybacks, 35 were in the implementation phase, 10 were in the board resolution stage (including 4 plan revisions), and 6 were for targeted buybacks and cancellations. The proportions of completed and ongoing buybacks were roughly equal, indicating that the buyback activity is in a period of intensive implementation. At the same time, 10 companies newly disclosed buyback plans, including Espressif Systems, Vanchip, and United Imaging Healthcare, providing support for the continuity of buybacks in the following months.