John Wiley Sons Cl A (WLY) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: $1.82B
• Dividend Yield: 4.48%
• Average Volume (3M): 527.98K
• Price to Earnings (P/E): 13.7
• Beta (1Y): 0.64
• Revenue Growth: -5.33%
• EPS Growth: N/A
• Country: US
• Employees: 6,400
• Sector: Communication Services
• Sector Strength: 97
• Industry: Publishing
• EPS (TTM): 0.97
• Shares Outstanding: 43,792,360
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 484,021
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 527,975
• PEG Ratio: -0.20
• Price to Book (P/B): 3.14
• Price to Sales (P/S): 1.41
• P/FCF Ratio: 16.72
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: 1.46
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: 1.59
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: 2.27
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: 7.86
• 1Y Price Target: N/A
• Price Target Upside: N/A
• Rating Consensus: N/A
• Number of Analyst Covering: 0
• EPS Forecast (FY): 4
• Revenue Forecast (FY): $1.66B

• Rating: 70 Outperform
• Price Target: $38.00 ▲(5.53% Upside)
• Action: Upgraded Date: 03/06/26
• Date: Action: Upgraded 03/06/26

Overall score is driven primarily by improving financial performance (margin and cash-flow recovery with strong gross margins) and a constructive earnings outlook emphasizing margin expansion, cash generation, and accelerating AI revenue. Valuation adds support via a reasonable P/E and solid dividend yield. The main offsets are technically overbought momentum signals and the fundamental risk of uneven revenue durability (including Learning weakness and AI legal uncertainty).

Positive Factors

Margin Expansion & High Gross Margin

Sustained margin expansion and a very high gross margin (~70%) materially increase durable earnings power. Higher margins provide buffer against revenue softness, support cash returns and investment in digital products, and make operating profits less sensitive to cyclical top-line swings.

Strong Free Cash Flow & Improving Leverage

Improving free cash flow and lower leverage bolster financial flexibility: they fund buybacks/dividends, capex, and M&A while reducing refinancing risk. High FCF coverage of earnings (~75%) implies durable cash conversion and ability to sustain strategic investments over the medium term.

AI Commercialization & Platform Adoption

Early recurring AI/data revenues and large platform migrations create a structural growth vector beyond legacy publishing. Multi-year partnerships, Nexus licensing and platform adoption embed Wiley into institutional workflows, increasing stickiness and potential for scaling subscription-like AI revenue.

Negative Factors

Modest Top-Line Growth & Uneven History

Persistent modest revenue growth and a history of uneven top-line performance limit the sustainability of margin gains. If sales growth remains low, margin expansion alone may not generate meaningful long-term earnings upside without renewed top-line momentum or successful new revenue streams.

Learning Segment Weakness

Structural weakness in the Learning/Professional segment reduces revenue diversification and growth optionality. Continued softness in corporate and consumer spending could keep a sizable, higher-margin segment under pressure, constraining consolidated revenue resilience and long-term growth.

AI Legal & Execution Uncertainty

Material legal uncertainty around AI copyrights presents execution risk for Wiley's AI licensing model. Adverse rulings or protracted litigation could limit addressable market, delay monetization, or increase compliance costs, undermining projected AI revenue scaling and long-term commercial adoption.

John Wiley Sons Cl A Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. operates as a research and education company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Research Publishing & Platforms, Academic & Professional Learning, and Education Services. The Research Publishing & Platforms segment offers scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, as well as related content and services to learned societies, individual researchers, other professionals, and academic, corporate, and government libraries. This segment also publishes physical sciences and engineering, health sciences, social sciences, and humanities and life sciences journals; and provides a publishing software and service for scholarly and professional societies, and publishers to deliver, host, enhance, market, and manage their content on the web through the Literatum platform. It sells and distributes its products through various channels, including research libraries and library consortia, and independent subscription agents, as well as directly to professional society members, bookstores, online booksellers, and other customers. The Academic & Professional Learning segment provides education publishing and professional learning products and services, including scientific, professional, and education print and digital books, digital courseware, and test preparation services to libraries, corporations, students, professionals, and researchers, as well as learning, development, and assessment services for businesses and professionals. This segment distributes its products through chain and online booksellers, libraries, colleges and universities, corporations, direct to consumer, websites, distributor networks, and other online applications. The Education Services segment provides online program management services for higher education institutions and talent development services including placement and training for professionals and businesses. The company was founded in 1807 and is headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey.

How the Company Makes Money

Wiley generates revenue through multiple streams, primarily from the sale of academic and professional content, including subscriptions to journals and online databases. The Academic Publishing segment is a significant contributor, with revenue coming from institutional subscriptions, individual sales, and licensing agreements. The Professional Learning segment earns income from the sale of training materials, certification programs, and professional development courses. Additionally, Wiley has established partnerships with educational institutions and organizations to provide tailored learning solutions, which further support its revenue growth. The company also benefits from a growing emphasis on digital content and online learning, allowing it to reach a broader audience and diversify its offerings.

John Wiley Sons Cl A Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Financials show a clear TTM recovery: net margin rebounded to ~9.2% with very strong gross margin (~70%), and cash generation improved (TTM FCF ~$190M; FCF +28.4%; ~75% of net income). Offsetting factors are a historically choppy revenue trend (declines in FY2023–FY2025 before a TTM rebound) and prior-period balance-sheet variability despite a more moderate latest leverage snapshot.

Income Statement

Profitability improved meaningfully in TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months), with net margin rebounding to ~9.2% (vs. ~5.0% in FY2025 and a loss in FY2024). Gross margin remains very strong (~70%), supporting resilient earnings power. The main offset is uneven top-line trajectory: revenue growth was negative in FY2023–FY2025 before turning positive in TTM (+32.5%), creating some uncertainty around the durability of the rebound.

Balance Sheet

Leverage looks moderate on the latest TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) view (debt-to-equity ~0.35) and returns on equity are healthy (~12.9%). However, the annual history shows periods of higher leverage (debt-to-equity ~1.2 in FY2024–FY2025) and equity volatility, which suggests the capital structure has been less stable than the most recent snapshot implies.

Cash Flow

Cash generation is solid and improving: TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) operating cash flow (~$254M) and free cash flow (~$190M) are both up, with free cash flow growth strong (+28.4%). Free cash flow covers a large share of earnings (free cash flow is ~75% of net income in TTM), indicating decent earnings quality. The key weakness is that operating cash flow relative to revenue remains modest (coverage ratio ~0.37 in TTM), implying conversion is good but not exceptional.

Breakdown	TTM	Apr 2025	Apr 2024	Apr 2023	Apr 2022	Apr 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue	1.67B	1.68B	1.87B	2.02B	2.08B	1.94B
Gross Profit	1.17B	1.19B	1.29B	1.33B	1.38B	1.32B
EBITDA	338.68M	343.63M	53.28M	293.60M	445.63M	395.88M
Net Income	154.36M	84.16M	-200.32M	17.23M	148.31M	148.26M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	2.56B	2.69B	2.73B	3.11B	3.36B	3.45B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	95.11M	85.88M	83.40M	106.71M	100.40M	93.80M
Total Debt	897.39M	899.20M	887.28M	883.50M	940.14M	989.86M
Total Liabilities	1.81B	1.94B	1.99B	2.06B	2.22B	2.36B
Stockholders Equity	2.56B	752.21M	739.72M	1.05B	1.14B	1.09B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	190.44M	141.12M	105.88M	170.38M	217.40M	226.71M
Operating Cash Flow	253.65M	202.59M	207.64M	277.07M	339.10M	359.92M
Investing Cash Flow	21.28M	-94.02M	-106.64M	-98.40M	-194.02M	-433.15M
Financing Cash Flow	-289.38M	-125.33M	-107.22M	-168.57M	-131.64M	-47.09M

John Wiley Sons Cl A Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Positive
• Last Price: 36.01
• 50DMA: Positive
• 100DMA: Positive
• 200DMA: Negative
• MACD: Negative
• RSI: Negative
• STOCH: Negative

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For WLY, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 36.01 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 29.99, above the 50-day MA of 30.53, and below the 200-day MA of 36.09, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 0.34 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 73.27 is Negative, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 82.07 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for WLY.

John Wiley Sons Cl A Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
NYT	80 Outperform	$13.21B	32.93	17.34%	0.95%	8.43%	21.38%
YELP	71 Outperform	$1.44B	13.22	20.02%	―	5.35%	33.74%
WLY	70 Outperform	$1.82B	13.74	13.61%	4.48%	-5.33%	―
SCHL	65 Neutral	$902.16M	3.37	-0.35%	2.78%	2.53%	-23.86%
PSO	64 Neutral	$8.19B	20.71	8.86%	2.11%	1.93%	34.40%
ZD	63 Neutral	$1.64B	30.42	2.66%	―	5.70%	97.88%
Sector *	60 Neutral	$48.67B	4.58	-11.27%	4.14%	2.83%	-41.78%

John Wiley Sons Cl A Corporate Events

Wiley Posts Strong Q3 Results, Highlights Growing AI Momentum

On March 5, 2026, Wiley reported third quarter fiscal 2026 results showing GAAP revenue up 1% to $410 million, operating income up 21% to $63 million, and diluted EPS improving to $0.56 from a loss a year earlier. Adjusted results at constant currency were stronger, with operating income up 22%, EBITDA up 12%, and EPS up 19%, driven by margin expansion, AI momentum, and cost controls.

Research Publishing revenue rose 3% as reported, or 4% at constant currency excluding a tough comparison from a prior AI agreement, supported by strong article submissions and growth in open access and multi-year institutional licenses. Learning revenue dipped 1% amid softness in professional markets, but margins improved slightly thanks to restructuring savings and favorable mix.

AI and data services generated $7 million in quarterly revenue and about $42 million year-to-date, as Wiley expanded partnerships in life sciences, named a new AI and Data Services leader, and after quarter end signed a strategic recurring revenue agreement with OpenEvidence for clinical decision support. The company highlighted surpassing $100 million in lifetime AI revenue and securing its first large language model customer outside the U.S., underscoring AI as an emerging growth pillar.

Corporate expenses fell 21% on an adjusted EBITDA basis, reflecting multi-year efficiency and technology initiatives that contributed to a 280-basis-point improvement in adjusted operating margin. Year-to-date operating cash flow climbed to $103 million and free cash flow to $56 million, while net debt-to-EBITDA eased to 1.7, supporting stronger balance sheet flexibility.

Wiley sharply increased capital returns, deploying $54 million in the quarter and $126 million year-to-date on share repurchases and dividends, and repurchasing nearly 2 million shares so far in fiscal 2026. Management reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 revenue and free cash flow outlook and now expects adjusted EBITDA margin and adjusted EPS to come in at the high end of prior guidance, signaling confidence in ongoing research and AI-driven growth and sustained margin gains.

The most recent analyst rating on (WLY) stock is a Buy with a $35.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on John Wiley Sons Cl A stock, see the WLY Stock Forecast page.

John Wiley & Sons Boosts 2026 Share Repurchase Plan

On December 10, 2025, John Wiley & Sons announced an increase in its Fiscal 2026 share repurchase allocation to $100 million, reflecting confidence in its growth trajectory and financial strength. The company reported strong Q2 results, including a 250 basis point improvement in adjusted operating margin and significant growth in research and AI content licensing, while reaffirming its full-year financial guidance.

The most recent analyst rating on (WLY) stock is a Hold with a $34.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on John Wiley Sons Cl A stock, see the WLY Stock Forecast page.