Pearson Cancels 527,679 Shares in Ongoing £350m Buyback Programme

Pearson ( (GB:PSON) ) has issued an update.

Pearson plc has repurchased 527,679 of its ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange at an average price of 1,081.68p per share, with prices ranging between 1,076.50p and 1,085.00p. The company plans to cancel these shares, thereby reducing its share count and potentially enhancing earnings per share over time.

The transaction, executed by Morgan Stanley & Co. International on April 17, 2026, forms part of the second £175 million tranche of Pearson’s £350 million share buyback programme announced earlier this year. By continuing to deploy substantial capital into buybacks across multiple trading venues, Pearson underlines its confidence in its balance sheet strength and its strategy of returning excess cash to shareholders.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:PSON) stock is a Hold with a £1100.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Pearson stock, see the GB:PSON Stock Forecast page.

Spark’s Take on PSON Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, PSON is a Neutral.

The score is driven primarily by steady but not accelerating fundamentals—strong operating profitability offset by low growth, weaker net margin, rising leverage, and softer 2025 free cash flow. Earnings call guidance adds support via clear mid-single-digit growth and profit/cash-conversion targets, while technicals remain a headwind with the stock below key longer-term moving averages and negative MACD. Valuation is reasonable with a mid-teens/high-teens P/E and a ~2.5% dividend yield.

To see Spark’s full report on PSON stock, click here.

More about Pearson

Pearson plc is a U.K.-listed education and publishing company that provides digital learning platforms, courseware and assessment services to schools, higher education institutions and professional learners worldwide. The group focuses on subscription-based and digital-first products, positioning itself to benefit from the ongoing shift toward online and lifelong learning.

Average Trading Volume: 2,702,320

Technical Sentiment Signal: Strong Buy

Current Market Cap: £6.39B

See more data about PSON stock on TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.