The Filing Desk

Pearson vs John Wiley & Sons

Pearson PSO · John Wiley & Sons WLY · Publishing

Pearson reported revenue of £3.6 billion in fiscal 2025, and John Wiley & Sons $1.7 billion in fiscal 2026, in different currencies. Pearson's revenue grew 0.7% in its latest year, and John Wiley & Sons' fell 0.1%. Pearson had an operating margin of 14.2%, against 16.5% at John Wiley & Sons. Their fiscal years end in different months (December 31 and April 30), so the periods don't line up exactly.

Side by side

PearsonJohn Wiley & Sons
Latest fiscal yearFY2025, Dec 31, 2025FY2026, Apr 30, 2026
Revenue£3.6B$1.7B
Revenue growth0.7%−0.1%
Revenue growth a year, last 5 years1.0%−2.9%
Gross margin52.0%74.3%
Operating margin14.2%16.5%
Net margin9.4%13.2%
Free cash flow—$209M
Free cash flow margin—12.5%
Return on capital7.3%18.9%
Net debt to EBITDA—1.4x
Dividends and buybacks£223M$174M
Change in diluted share count−3.5%−2.9%
Last close$18.30$53.63
P/E at the last close—14.5×
Insider trades, last 12 months——
Piotroski F-score—8 of 9
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ 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
In each company's own currency, fiscal years
PearsonJohn Wiley & Sons
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
PearsonJohn Wiley & Sons
Free cash flow
In each company's own currency. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
PearsonJohn Wiley & Sons

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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 Pearson and John Wiley & Sons pages.