diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 49362fbb..38f4ca02 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 xbps-0.44 (???):
 
+ * xbps-query(8): only compile the ERE (Extended Regular Expression) once in
+   the ownedby mode. A performance improvement suggested by Christian Neukirchen.
+
 xbps-0.43.1 (2015-01-05):
 
  * Fixed a regression in virtual packages defined via xbps.d(5) introduced in 0.43.
diff --git a/bin/xbps-query/ownedby.c b/bin/xbps-query/ownedby.c
index 0def81a0..4e3e175a 100644
--- a/bin/xbps-query/ownedby.c
+++ b/bin/xbps-query/ownedby.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*-
- * Copyright (c) 2010-2014 Juan Romero Pardines.
+ * Copyright (c) 2010-2015 Juan Romero Pardines.
  * All rights reserved.
  *
  * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
@@ -37,8 +37,9 @@
 #include "defs.h"
 
 struct ffdata {
-	bool regex;
+	bool rematch;
 	const char *pat, *repouri;
+	regex_t regex;
 	xbps_array_t allkeys;
 	xbps_dictionary_t filesd;
 };
@@ -52,7 +53,6 @@ match_files_by_pattern(xbps_dictionary_t pkg_filesd,
 	xbps_array_t array;
 	xbps_object_t obj;
 	const char *keyname, *filestr, *typestr;
-	regex_t regex;
 
 	keyname = xbps_dictionary_keysym_cstring_nocopy(key);
 
@@ -72,13 +72,10 @@ match_files_by_pattern(xbps_dictionary_t pkg_filesd,
 		xbps_dictionary_get_cstring_nocopy(obj, "file", &filestr);
 		if (filestr == NULL)
 			continue;
-		if (ffd->regex) {
-			if (regcomp(&regex, ffd->pat, REG_EXTENDED|REG_NOSUB) != 0)
-				return;
-			if (regexec(&regex, filestr, 0, 0, 0) == 0) {
+		if (ffd->rematch) {
+			if (regexec(&ffd->regex, filestr, 0, 0, 0) == 0) {
 				printf("%s: %s (%s)\n", pkgver, filestr, typestr);
 			}
-			regfree(&regex);
 		} else {
 			if ((fnmatch(ffd->pat, filestr, FNM_PERIOD)) == 0)
 				printf("%s: %s (%s)\n", pkgver, filestr, typestr);
@@ -176,16 +173,24 @@ ownedby(struct xbps_handle *xhp, const char *pat, bool repo, bool regex)
 	char *rfile;
 	int rv;
 
-	ffd.regex = regex;
+	ffd.rematch = false;
 	ffd.pat = pat;
 
 	if ((rfile = realpath(pat, NULL)) != NULL)
 		ffd.pat = rfile;
 
+	if (regex) {
+		ffd.rematch = true;
+		if (regcomp(&ffd.regex, ffd.pat, REG_EXTENDED|REG_NOSUB) != 0)
+			return EINVAL;
+	}
 	if (repo)
 		rv = xbps_rpool_foreach(xhp, repo_ownedby_cb, &ffd);
 	else
 		rv = xbps_pkgdb_foreach_cb(xhp, ownedby_pkgdb_cb, &ffd);
 
+	if (regex)
+		regfree(&ffd.regex);
+
 	return rv;
 }