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what it is
Wiley sells the journals, books, databases, and learning tools that researchers, students, and professionals keep paying for.
how it gets paid
Last year John Wiley & Sons made $1.7B in revenue. Research Publishing and Solutions was the main engine at $1.09B, or 64% of sales.
why growth slowed
Revenue fell 10.4% last year. On the other hand, the top line at wiley’s learning arm fell 11% from the prior year, as revenues from professional and academic categories declined.
what just happened
Latest reported revenue hit $1.2B and EPS reached $1.62, but the cleaner signal was Research revenue up 6%.
At a glance
B++ balance sheet — above average — nothing keeping you up at night
5/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
10.6x trailing p/e — the market's not buying it — or you found a deal
4.6% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
10.0% return on capital — nothing to write home about
xvary composite: 48/100 — below average
What they do
Wiley sells the journals, books, databases, and learning tools that researchers, students, and professionals keep paying for.
Research made up 64% of fiscal 2024 revenue. Your citations, journal access, and lab protocols sit inside systems that are annoying to replace. That stickiness helps Wiley post a 21.5% operating margin while total annual revenue was still only $1.7 billion.
How they make money
$1.7B
annual revenue · their business grew -10.4% last year
Research Publishing and Solutions
$1.09B
+6.0%
Academic Learning
$0.34B
10.4%
Professional Learning
$0.26B
10.4%
Assets Held for Sale
$0.02B
0.0%
The products that matter
publishes journals and research content
Research
+6% last quarter
research revenue rose 6% vs. prior year in the recent quarter. on a company with $1.7B in annual revenue, this is the part still acting like a growth business.
holds the story together
sells education and courseware content
Learning
-11% last quarter
learning revenue fell 11% vs. prior year in the recent quarter. when total company revenue is already down 10.4% for the year, you don't need a spreadsheet to see why this matters.
the drag
monetizes AI tools in research
AI within Research
contributed in a +6% quarter
AI revenue was called out as a contributor, but this page doesn't break out a stand-alone number. that's honest but limiting. you know it helped during a quarter when research grew 6%, not how much it helped.
watch list
Key numbers
10.6x
trailing p/e
P/E ratio → how many dollars you pay for one dollar of profit → so what: Wiley is priced like a no-growth asset, not a 21.5% margin business.
4.6%
dividend yield
Dividend yield → your yearly cash payout at today's price → so what: you get paid while you wait for the stock to close the gap to $41.
$862M
long debt
Long-term debt → money the company still owes over many years → so what: at 34% of capital, the balance sheet is fine until revenue weakens again.
21.5%
operating margin
Operating margin → profit after running the business, before interest and taxes → so what: Wiley still keeps about 22 cents from each sales dollar.
Financial health
B++
strength
- balance sheet grade B++ — above average financial health
- risk rank 3 — safer than 50% of stocks
- price stability 50 / 100
- long-term debt $862M (34% of capital)
- net profit margin 10.0% — keeps 10 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 16% — $0.16 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B++ — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in WLY 3 years ago → it's now worth $8,190.
The index would have given you $14,770.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
beat estimates
Latest reported revenue hit $1.2B and EPS reached $1.62, but the cleaner signal was Research revenue up 6%.
The quarter looked loud because EDGAR shows revenue up 200% vs. prior year and EPS up 189%. Value Line says the real driver was Research, helped by double-digit open-access growth and AI-related revenue.
$1.2B
revenue
$1.62
eps
21.5%
operating margin
the number that mattered
Research revenue rose 6%, and that matters more than the headline jump because Research is 64% of Wiley’s business.
-
john wiley & sons registered mixed results in the fiscal second quarter. (year ends april 30th.) earnings per share jumped nearly 14% vs. prior year, during the october period, while revenues slipped about 1%.
-
much of the recent performance was driven by its research operations.
-
revenues there were up 6% from the year-ago figure, thanks to double-digit gains in author-funded open access, and solid growth in article submissions and output.combining subscriptions and transformational agreements, recurring revenues built momentum over the past few months.
-
what’s more, ai revenues also contributed nicely to results at the research segment.
-
on the other hand, the top line at wiley’s learning arm fell 11% from the prior year, as revenues from professional and academic categories declined 16% and 8%, respectively.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk is continued decline in the learning segment.
high
learning keeps shrinking
Learning revenue fell 11% in the recent quarter. if that stays in double-digit decline territory, the companywide 10.4% annual revenue drop won't be a one-off.
exposes the whole $1.7B revenue base to another year of contraction
med
research growth may not be enough
Research grew 6%, which is good. it's just not enough on its own if the rest of the company is shrinking faster.
6% growth in one segment does not offset an 11% drop in another forever
med
institutional support is fading
institutions were net sellers for 3 straight quarters, with 114 buyers versus 138 sellers in 3q2025. when the big holders lean out, cheap stocks can stay cheap.
sentiment risk sits on top of a stock already down from $47 to $31.92
if learning stays down double digits, a 10.6x multiple and 4.6% yield stop looking cheap and start looking like compensation for a shrinking business.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
risk
learning segment trend
the last read was -11%. if that doesn't improve, the turnaround case gets a lot weaker.
trend
research growth durability
research grew 6% in the recent quarter. you want to see that hold or improve, not fade back to flat.
calendar
next earnings report
this is the next real test. one more mixed quarter and the low multiple will look earned.
metric
AI revenue disclosure
management called AI a contributor. the next step is a number. without that, it's a talking point, not an investment driver.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
below average
momentum score 4 — in human-speak, analysts think this is more likely to lag than lead in the next stretch.
risk profile
average
stability score 3 — this sits in the middle. not especially defensive, not especially fragile.
chart momentum
average
technical score 3 — no strong trend signal here. the chart is not doing the thesis any favors.
earnings predictability
5 / 100
that score is extremely low. translation: expect uneven quarters and don't pay up for certainty that isn't there.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net selling for 3 consecutive quarters — 114 buyers vs. 138 sellers in 3q2025. total institutional holdings: 42.1M shares. net selling for 3 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$25
$57
$32
current price
$41
target midpoint · +28% from current · 3-5yr high: $70 (+120% · 24% ann'l return)
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