Bernard Arnault Tightens Grip on LVMH With $440 million USD Share Buyback
The luxury titan is “buying the dip” after vowing to cross the 50% ownership threshold this year.
Summary
- Bernard Arnault has purchased approximately €407 million EUR in LVMH shares following a post-earnings stock dip
- The move aligns with his January 27 pledge to increase the family’s equity stake beyond 50% in 2026
- Filings reveal the acquisition of roughly 757,000 shares via holding companies Financière Agache and Christian Dior SE
Bernard Arnault is putting his money where his mouth is. Following a public vow to secure a definitive majority stake in his luxury empire, the LVMH Chairman and CEO has aggressively acquired approximately €407 million (approx. $440 million USD) worth of shares. The move comes immediately after the conglomerate reported mixed 2025 earnings, signaling a massive vote of confidence from Europe’s richest man during a noticeable market downturn.
According to regulatory filings from the Paris Stock Exchange, Arnault’s family holding companies—Financière Agache and Christian Dior SE—purchased roughly 757,000 shares between January 28 and February 4. This buying spree kicked off just one day after Arnault explicitly told investors during an earnings call: “This year, we will cross the 50% ownership threshold… We are confident in our business.”
The acquisition follows a sharp decline in LVMH’s stock price, which reportedly wiped out an estimated $15 billion USD from Arnault’s personal net worth in a single day. While the Arnault family already commands nearly 65% of voting rights, the push to own more than 50% of the actual equity is viewed by analysts as a symbolic “icing on the cake” designed to reassure markets amidst a cooling luxury sector.
This latest consolidation is part of a broader strategy. Arnault’s accumulation follows an eight-month buying period in 2025 and coincides with other internal moves, including a recent €1 billion investment to increase LVMH’s stake in cashmere specialist Loro Piana from 85% to 94%. The Arnault family currently holds approximately 49% of LVMH’s share capital. Based on recent filings and Arnault’s own declarations, the 50% equity milestone is expected to be officially crossed later this year.
