| Factor | Score | Distribution | Value | Avg | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valuation | 86 | 12.5x | 17.8x | Top tier | |
Growth | 42 | -0.3% | 7.1% | Around median | |
Quality | 91 | 13.6% | 4.5% | Top tier | |
Safety | 53 | 3.3x | 2.6x | Around median | |
Capital Return | 39 | 2.92% | 2.12% | Bottom tier | |
Momentum | 86 | 34.2% | 2.9% | Top tier | |
Sentiment | 24 | 1 | 3 | Bottom tier |
Estimates — analyst targets and a simplified DCF, not investment advice.
Ten ratios that matter, each compared against its sector median and average — so you can see whether a number is rich or cheap relative to peers in the same sector.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (WLY) operates in publishing research and educational content and licensing scientific data and knowledge. Its business model centers on the Research segment, which includes journal publishing, open access, and research solutions, and the Learning segment, which includes academic, professional, and digital content, course materials, and assessments. The company is expanding the monetization of its intellectual property through AI model training licenses, subscription-based knowledge feeds, clinical outcome assessment tools, and spectroscopy APIs.
In Q1 fiscal 2027, revenue was $386.4 million and gross profit was $285.5 million, while the company recorded a net loss of $11.7 million and a loss per share of $0.23. The Research segment generated revenue of $293 million, up 4%, and adjusted EBITDA of $87 million, up 9%, with its margin expanding 130 basis points to 29.6%. By contrast, Learning segment revenue fell 20% to $93 million, and its adjusted EBITDA was $14 million, with the margin declining to 15.1% from 27.4%.
The business mix showed a clear divergence in Q1 fiscal 2027: Research Publishing grew 12%, supported by $13 million from Emerald, open access growth, and AI licensing, while Research Solutions declined 30% due to the comparison with AI licensing revenue in the prior period. Within the Learning segment, Academic revenue fell 20% to $45 million, while Professional revenue also fell 20% to $48 million. For fiscal 2026, Wiley generated revenue of $1.7 billion, net income of $221.6 million, and earnings per share of $4.16.
Automated analysis for informational purposes only — not investment advice.
The analyst consensus on WLY is Neutral, and the available data does not include a consensus price target or a range of analyst targets, so a reliable comparison with a fixed target cannot be made. The 52-week range extends from $28.38 to $57.4499, while no displayed price-to-earnings ratio is available; this makes the stock's valuation dependent on the extent to which the adjusted earnings-per-share outlook of $4.60 to $5.05 for fiscal 2027 is achieved, and on the ability of Research and AI growth to offset Learning weakness and Emerald costs.
Figures in the text are as of 2026-09-05; the live price is shown at the top of the page.
Wiley generates revenue from research and journal publishing, open access, research solutions, academic and professional content, assessments, and licensing content and data for AI. In Q1 fiscal 2027, the Research segment generated $293 million of the company's total revenue of $386.4 million, compared with $93 million for the Learning segment. The adjusted EBITDA margin in Research was 29.6%, compared with 15.1% in Learning.
Wiley generated AI revenue of $14 million in Q1 fiscal 2027, split between $10.5 million from model training and $3.5 million in recurring revenue. It also contracted for an additional $14 million to be recognized across Q2 and Q3 fiscal 2027. Management is targeting more than $50 million for fiscal 2027, following $49 million in fiscal 2026 and $40 million in fiscal 2025.
Wiley acquired Emerald for approximately $450 million net cash in Q1 fiscal 2027, at approximately seven times adjusted EBITDA after accounting for targeted savings. Emerald added revenue of $13 million and adjusted EBITDA of $5 million in the quarter, but the acquisition increased net debt to EBITDA to 2.7 times from 1.9 times a year earlier. The company is targeting full annual savings of $30 million by year three and expects Emerald to become a positive contributor to free cash flow in fiscal 2028.
Learning segment revenue fell 20% to $93 million, including $45 million from the Academic business and $48 million from the Professional business, with each down 20%. The Academic business was affected by a comparison that included $8 million in AI licensing revenue in the prior period and by a decline in print, despite growth in digital content and course materials. The Professional business also faced a comparison that included $5 million in AI licensing revenue, as well as weak consumer demand in retail, institutional demand for assessments, and Amazon inventory pressures.
On September 3, 2026, management reaffirmed its full fiscal 2027 outlook, including low- to mid-single-digit organic growth and mid-single-digit growth in the Research segment. It expects an adjusted EBITDA margin between 26.5% and 27.5%, compared with 26.2% in fiscal 2026. It also expects adjusted earnings per share between $4.60 and $5.05 and free cash flow of $205 million, with a contribution of $78 million from Emerald over 11 months excluded from the organic growth calculation.
Publishing submissions rose 31% and output increased 8% in Q1 fiscal 2027, while customer retention during the calendar 2026 journal renewal season remained above 99%. The Advanced portfolio includes more than 30 journals and generates revenue exceeding $70 million with strong double-digit growth, while 15 Wiley journals ranked first in their categories and 248 journals ranked among the top ten. In addition, 1,600 journals were migrated to the research publishing platform, and the Research segment margin increased 130 basis points to 29.6%.
