Tencent shares slide as AI spending plans overshadow strong Q4 earnings

try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry SpaceX, Tesla to continue ordering Nvidia chips at scale- Musk Oil prices surge; Brent rallies over 4%, WTI near $100/bbl on Iran escalation Gold prices hit over a one-month low after Fed holds rates steady as expected Stocks end in the red after Fed expresses uncertainty over impact of oil shock FLASH SALE (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) FLASH SALE Tencent shares slide as AI spending plans overshadow strong Q4 earnings By Author Ambar Warrick Stock Markets Published 03/19/2026, 01:41 AM Tencent shares slide as AI spending plans overshadow strong Q4 earnings 0 HK50 -2.06% 0700 -6.45% Investing.com-- Tencent Holdings (HK: 0700 ) fell sharply in Hong Kong trade on Thursday after the company signaled it will cut its share buybacks to fund increased spending on its artificial intelligence ambitions. The messaging largely overshadowed stronger-than-expected fourth quarter earnings from the Chinese internet giant, as its core videogames and advertising businesses logged strong returns. Tencent shares slid 6.4% to HK$515.50 by 01:00 ET (05:00 GMT), and were among the biggest weights on the Hang Seng index, which slid nearly 2%. Get more key insights on China’s top AI firms by subscribing to InvestingPro Speaking during a post-earnings call, Tencent CFO John Lo said the company will “likely buy back lower value of our shares versus 2025 to fund investment in AI while increasing our dividends.” Lo cited “high return opportunities from investing in AI.” Tencent bought back about 153 million shares for a total of HK$80 billion ($10.2 billion) in 2025, Lo said. Tencent President Martin Lau Chi-Ping said during the call that Tencent will effectively double its investment in AI in 2026, after the company spent about 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) on the technology in 2025. Lau said that Tencent’s AI integration into its videogames, social media apps, and fintech platforms was already yielding strong returns, justifying ...