John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (WLYB) Key Metrics
WLYB valuation today
Trailing 12 months · as of October 17, 2026- Market cap
- $2.66B
- Enterprise value
- $3.69B
- P/E (TTM)
- 14.2
- Forward P/E
- 15.7
- PEG ratio
- 13.40
- Price / sales
- 1.6
- Price / book
- 3.0
- EV / EBITDA
- 9.7
- Dividend yield
- 0.47% $1.43 a year
- Beta
- 0.75
WLYB key metrics, FY2017–FY2026
Fiscal year ended April 30, 2026 · U.S. dollarsWLYB returns How much profit the business earns on the capital it uses.
WLYB financial health Debt, liquidity and how easily interest is covered.
WLYB efficiency & capital use Working capital cycle and where the cash goes.
WLYB returns on capital
Net income (ROE, ROA) or after-tax operating income (ROIC) divided by the average of the opening and closing balance.
WLYB debt vs cash
Debt includes short- and long-term borrowings and, where reported, lease liabilities.
WLYB cash returned to shareholders
WLYB key metrics
FY2017–FY2026| FY2026 | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valuation | ||||||||||
| Share price at fiscal year-end | $41.20 | $43.45 | $38.00 | $37.33 | $52.75 | $57.32 | $38.57 | $46.04 | — | $53.09 |
| Returns & profitability | ||||||||||
| Return on equity (ROE) | 27.7% | 11.3% | −22.4% | 1.6% | 13.3% | 14.6% | −7.0% | 14.2% | 17.5% | 11.1% |
| Return on invested capital (ROIC) | 19.1% | 8.4% | 2.5% | 5.7% | 7.8% | 8.5% | 9.4% | 12.0% | 16.0% | 9.5% |
| Return on assets (ROA) | 8.4% | 3.1% | −6.9% | 0.5% | 4.4% | 4.5% | −2.4% | 5.8% | 7.1% | 4.1% |
| Return on tangible assets | 25.2% | 8.6% | −19.7% | 1.6% | 13.1% | 13.8% | −6.2% | 18.4% | 21.5% | 16.3% |
| Free cash flow margin | 10.5% | 7.1% | 5.7% | 8.4% | 10.4% | 11.7% | 10.8% | 9.1% | 13.0% | 11.9% |
| Income quality (OCF / net income) | 1.18 | 2.41 | — | 16.08 | 2.29 | 2.43 | — | 1.49 | 1.94 | 2.77 |
| Financial health | ||||||||||
| Total debt | $768.9M | $899.2M | $887.3M | $883.5M | $940.1M | $989.9M | $956.6M | $478.8M | $360.0M | $365.0M |
| Cash & short-term investments | $75.6M | $85.9M | $83.2M | $106.7M | $100.4M | $93.8M | $202.5M | $92.9M | $169.8M | $58.5M |
| Net debt | $693.3M | $813.3M | $804.0M | $776.8M | $839.7M | $896.1M | $754.2M | $385.9M | $190.2M | $306.5M |
| Debt / equity | 0.91 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 0.85 | 0.82 | 0.91 | 1.02 | 0.41 | 0.30 | 0.36 |
| Debt / assets | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.33 | 0.28 | 0.28 | 0.29 | 0.30 | 0.16 | 0.13 | 0.14 |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.71 | 2.37 | 20.65 | 2.68 | 1.88 | 2.26 | 5.33 | 0.99 | 0.50 | 0.84 |
| Current ratio | 0.54 | 0.54 | 0.52 | 0.60 | 0.57 | 0.53 | 0.66 | 0.56 | 0.55 | 0.46 |
| Quick ratio | 0.51 | 0.51 | 0.49 | 0.57 | 0.53 | 0.49 | 0.62 | 0.52 | 0.50 | 0.40 |
| Interest coverage | 6.8 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 5.5 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 7.7 | 10.8 | 18.0 | 13.0 |
| Working capital | −$359.3M | −$381.0M | −$419.2M | −$354.3M | −$418.6M | −$462.7M | −$312.3M | −$379.8M | −$394.3M | −$428.1M |
| Invested capital | $1.54B | $1.57B | $1.54B | $1.82B | $1.98B | $1.99B | $1.69B | $1.57B | $1.38B | $1.31B |
| Tangible asset value | −$863.1M | −$964.3M | −$967.3M | −$1.01B | −$1.09B | −$1.28B | −$1.04B | −$842.4M | −$756.1M | −$906.3M |
| Net current asset value | −$1.32B | −$1.50B | −$1.53B | −$1.52B | −$1.67B | −$1.83B | −$1.62B | −$1.26B | −$1.17B | −$1.24B |
| Capital allocation | ||||||||||
| Dividends paid | $74.4M | $76.1M | $77.0M | $77.3M | $77.2M | $76.9M | $76.7M | $75.8M | $73.5M | $71.5M |
| Share buybacks (net) | $100.1M | $60.4M | $45.0M | $35.0M | $30.0M | $15.8M | $46.6M | $60.0M | $39.7M | $50.3M |
| Dividend payout ratio | 33.6% | 90.4% | — | 448.5% | 52.1% | 51.9% | — | 45.0% | 38.3% | 63.0% |
| Dividends + buybacks / free cash flow | 98.7% | 113.9% | 115.2% | 65.9% | 49.3% | 40.9% | 62.2% | 82.7% | 48.6% | 59.8% |
| Capex / revenue | 5.0% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 5.3% | 5.8% | 6.9% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 7.8% | 6.4% |
| Capex / operating cash flow | 32.2% | 40.9% | 49.0% | 38.5% | 35.9% | 37.0% | 31.4% | 34.5% | 37.7% | 35.2% |
| Capex / depreciation | 0.57 | 0.56 | 0.57 | 0.50 | 0.57 | 0.67 | 0.52 | 0.54 | 0.92 | 0.95 |
| Stock-based compensation / revenue | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.0% |
| R&D / revenue | — | — | 1.2% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| SG&A / revenue | — | 56.5% | 57.4% | 53.7% | 54.3% | 55.0% | 51.9% | 51.1% | 54.8% | 56.3% |
| Efficiency | ||||||||||
| Days sales outstanding | 51.4 | 49.2 | 52.1 | 58.0 | 56.4 | 58.4 | 61.4 | 52.6 | 40.8 | 37.8 |
| Days of inventory on hand | 15.9 | 20.8 | 17.9 | 17.7 | 20.6 | 25.1 | 24.5 | 24.7 | 32.9 | 41.8 |
| Days payables outstanding | 48.3 | 49.3 | 44.1 | 42.6 | 45.1 | 55.3 | 57.0 | 59.6 | 86.2 | 121.0 |
| Cash conversion cycle (days) | 19.0 | 20.7 | 25.9 | 33.1 | 31.9 | 28.2 | 28.8 | 17.7 | -12.6 | -41.3 |
| Receivables turnover | 7.10 | 7.41 | 7.01 | 6.29 | 6.47 | 6.25 | 5.95 | 6.94 | 8.96 | 9.65 |
| Payables turnover | 7.56 | 7.40 | 8.28 | 8.56 | 8.09 | 6.60 | 6.40 | 6.13 | 4.23 | 3.02 |
| Inventory turnover | 23.00 | 17.57 | 20.36 | 20.58 | 17.71 | 14.52 | 14.93 | 14.78 | 11.11 | 8.72 |
| Asset turnover | 0.63 | 0.62 | 0.64 | 0.62 | 0.61 | 0.59 | 0.60 | 0.62 | 0.66 | 0.62 |
| Average receivables | $236.3M | $226.3M | $267.2M | $321.0M | $321.8M | $310.5M | $308.0M | $259.5M | $200.5M | $178.2M |
| Average payables | $64.1M | $58.3M | $70.0M | $80.9M | $86.6M | $94.7M | $92.3M | $90.5M | $114.7M | $152.7M |
| Average inventory | $21.1M | $24.5M | $28.5M | $33.7M | $39.6M | $43.1M | $39.6M | $37.5M | $43.7M | $52.8M |
| Intangibles / total assets | 66.0% | 63.8% | 62.6% | 66.2% | 66.4% | 68.7% | 62.4% | 68.9% | 68.6% | 73.3% |
Computed from WLYB's annual financial statements (latest annual report filed June 24, 2026) and the closing share price on each fiscal year-end, adjusted for stock splits. Figures in U.S. dollars; data from EODHD. Averages use the opening and closing balance of each year.
WLYB valuation and financial ratios
Based on the latest twelve months, the trailing P/E is 14.2 and the forward P/E is 15.7. John Wiley & Sons earned a return on equity of 27.7% and a return on invested capital of 19.1% in fiscal 2026. It ended the year with $768.9 million of debt and $75.6 million in cash and short-term investments, net debt of $693.3 million. It returned $174.4 million to shareholders: $74.4 million in dividends and $100.1 million in share buybacks, 99% of free cash flow.
See the WLYB income statement, the WLYB chart for price history, or the WLYB stock overview for the latest quote and news.
WLYB key metrics FAQ
What is John Wiley & Sons's P/E ratio?
John Wiley & Sons's trailing P/E ratio is 14.2 based on the last twelve months of earnings (as of October 17, 2026), and its forward P/E is 15.7. At the end of fiscal 2026 it was —.
What is John Wiley & Sons's return on equity?
John Wiley & Sons's return on equity (ROE) was 27.7% in fiscal 2026: net income of $221.6 million on average shareholders' equity of $800.2 million.
What is John Wiley & Sons's ROIC?
John Wiley & Sons's return on invested capital was 19.1% in fiscal 2026, using after-tax operating income divided by average debt plus equity minus cash.
How much debt does John Wiley & Sons have?
John Wiley & Sons had total debt of $768.9 million at the end of fiscal 2026, a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91 and $693.3 million of net debt (1.71 times EBITDA).
Does John Wiley & Sons buy back its shares?
Yes. John Wiley & Sons spent $100.1 million on net share repurchases in fiscal 2026.
What is John Wiley & Sons's current ratio?
John Wiley & Sons's current ratio was 0.54 at the end of fiscal 2026: current assets were 0.54 times current liabilities.