John Wiley & Sons Inc. (WLY) AI Stock Analysis

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. operates globally as a research and education company founded in 1807. It is structured into three key segments: Research Publishing & Platforms, Academic & Professional Learning, and Education Services. Research Publishing & Platforms supplies scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals alongside content management through its Literatum software platform. Academic & Professional Learning produces print and digital books, courseware, and test preparation products for students, professionals, and libraries. Education Services delivers online program management for higher education institutions and talent development services.

Between FY2022 and FY2026, Wiley experienced a 5-year revenue CAGR of -2.9%. Revenue declined from $2.08B in FY2022 to $1.68B in FY2025 before holding relatively flat at $1.68B in FY2026. Despite revenue headwinds, gross margin expanded from 62.3% in FY2022 to 74.3% in FY2026, and operating margin rose from 10.5% to 16.5%. After posting a net loss of -$200.3M in FY2024, net income reached $221.6M in FY2026 with an EPS of $3.93. For the latest quarter ended July 31, 2026, quarterly revenue fell 2.6% year-over-year, while quarterly earnings grew 108.4%. Over the trailing twelve months, revenue was $1.67B with an operating margin of 7.3%.

As of July 31, 2026, Wiley held $106.4M in cash and short-term investments against $1.37B in total debt, resulting in net debt of $1.27B. Shareholders' equity was $797.0M, yielding a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, while the current ratio stood at 0.64. In FY2026, the company generated $260.5M in operating cash flow and $176.7M in free cash flow. Capital expenditures totaled $83.8M. Wiley allocated $100.1M to share buybacks and paid $74.4M in dividends during FY2026, contributing to a 10.0% reduction in share count over 5 years.

Wiley trades at a trailing P/E of 14.2x, below the 16.2x median of its US-listed Communication Services peers. Its forward P/E of 15.3x sits above the peer median of 14.1x, while its EV/EBITDA of 9.6x is slightly lower than the peer median of 10.0x. The company's price-to-sales multiple is 1.6x, compared to the peer median of 0.8x. Over the past year, Wiley's stock gained 47.7%, outperforming the S&P 500 (SPY) return of 16.8%. Over a 5-year span, its return of 18.7% trailed the S&P 500 return of 83.0%.

Wiley pays a quarterly dividend with an annual forward dividend of $1.43, representing a dividend yield of 2.71% and a payout ratio of 36.7%. The company has paid dividends for 43 consecutive years. Its 5-year annualized dividend growth rate stands at 0.7%, with the most recent ex-dividend date on October 6, 2026.

One analyst covers Wiley, carrying 1 Buy rating and no Hold or Sell ratings. The mean price target is $68.00, which is 29.0% above the last close of $52.72. For the fiscal year ending April 30, 2027, consensus estimates project revenue of $1.75B and EPS of $4.80, representing 14.6% EPS growth. Over the last four quarters, the company topped EPS expectations 3 times. The next earnings date is December 3, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of John Wiley & Sons Inc. (WLY). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

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