The point I was trying to make is that there is too much...

The point I was trying to make is that there is too much inconsistency (even accounting for cash flow etc). They haven't bought shares for a few weeks now and that happens quite often. Its quite an amateurish buyback tbh and quite embarrassing. For example they very rarely buy before and after public holidays ( people are taking days off to go on holidays and no one is left in the office to buy shares).

On a secondary note, shares are being shorted to buggery atm buy the vultures (State Street and Vanguard). Shorts are at record 3 year highs atm with 14 million shares shorted. The buyback could be counterbalancing the vultures from making a quick buck!