Lee Enterprises vs John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons reported revenue of $1.7 billion in fiscal 2026, 3.0 times Lee Enterprises' $562 million in fiscal 2025. Lee Enterprises' revenue fell 8.0% in its latest year, and John Wiley & Sons' fell 0.1%. Lee Enterprises had an operating margin of -0.8%, against 16.5% at John Wiley & Sons. Free cash flow was −$7 million at Lee Enterprises and $209 million at John Wiley & Sons. Their fiscal years end in different months (September 28 and April 30), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Lee Enterprises | John Wiley & Sons | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Sep 28, 2025 | FY2026, Apr 30, 2026 |
| Revenue | $562M | $1.7B |
| Revenue growth | −8.0% | −0.1% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | −1.9% | −2.9% |
| Gross margin | — | 74.3% |
| Operating margin | −0.8% | 16.5% |
| Net margin | −6.7% | 13.2% |
| Free cash flow | −$7M | $209M |
| Free cash flow margin | −1.3% | 12.5% |
| Return on capital | −0.9% | 18.9% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 31.4x | 1.4x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $0M | $174M |
| Change in diluted share count | 2.0% | −2.9% |
| Last close | $6.59 | $50.23 |
| P/E at the last close | — | 13.5× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | — | — |
| Piotroski F-score | 2 of 8 | 8 of 9 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Lee EnterprisesJohn Wiley & Sons
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Lee EnterprisesJohn Wiley & Sons
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Lee EnterprisesJohn Wiley & Sons
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Lee Enterprises and John Wiley & Sons pages.