EarningsQ1 2027 Earnings Report
DE:2F7 Q1 2027 EPS Results
Actual EPS€0.38
Consensus EPS€0.34
Beat/MissBeat by +€0.03
One Year Ago EPS€0.42
DE:2F7 Q1 2027 Revenue Results
Actual Revenue€332.15M
Expected Revenue€326.86M
Beat/MissBeat by +€5.30M
YoY Revenue Growth-2.63%
Earnings Announcement Details
QuarterQ1 2027
Date09/03/2026
TimeBefore Open
Conference CallThursday, September 3, 2026
DE:2F7 Upcoming Earnings
John Wiley Sons Cl A's next earnings date is estimated for December 9, 2026, based on past reporting schedules.
Q1 2027 Earnings Call Audio
DE:2F7 Q1 2027 Earnings Call
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Q1 2027 Earnings Slide Deck
Q1 2027 Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Sentiment|Positive
The call was broadly positive. Strong research publishing growth, expanding AI and data analytics activity, favorable Emerald integration, cost reductions, improved free cash flow, shareholder returns, and reaffirmed full-year guidance significantly outweighed the learning downturn, prior-year AI licensing comparison, lower reported profitability metrics, and higher leverage following the acquisition.Company Guidance
Research Publishing Growth
Research publishing revenue increased 12%, reflecting strong global demand to publish, record submissions, the Emerald addition, and AI momentum. Excluding Emerald, publishing grew about 6%.
Strong Research Publishing KPIs
Research submissions increased 31% and publishing output increased 8%, while customer retention during the calendar 2026 journal renewal season remained above 99%.
Research Portfolio and Citation Leadership
Wiley launched Advanced Immunology and Advanced Brain, published the first papers in Advanced Computing and Advanced Oncology, and now has more than 30 advanced journal titles generating $70 million in revenue and growing at strong double digits. Fifteen Wiley journals ranked number 1 in their categories, 248 achieved top 10 rankings, and Wiley accounted for over 10% of all citations in the industry index.
Research Margin Expansion
Research adjusted EBITDA increased 9% to $87 million, with adjusted EBITDA margin expanding 130 basis points to 29.6%. The improvement reflected Emerald and organic cost savings, after continued investment in the advanced journal portfolio and clinical outcome assessments.
AI Revenue Progress and Pipeline
AI revenue was $14 million in Q1, including $10.5 million from model training and $3.5 million from recurring revenue. An additional $14 million of AI licensing revenue was already contracted across Q2 and Q3, and management remains well on track for over $50 million of AI revenue in fiscal 2027.
Expansion of AI Recurring Revenue
Wiley stated that AI recurring revenue is growing 2x to 3x over the prior year, with the customer base for subscription knowledge feeds expanding to 23 customers across five industry verticals.
Growth in AI and Data Partnerships
Wiley was invited to participate as the sole scientific publisher in the U.S. Department of Energy's Genesis Mission and became a founding data partner in Cusp AI's Global Materials Foundry, a network of more than 45 organizations. Wiley's Nexus licensing service also expanded to 71 society and publishing partners.
Spectral Analysis API Launch
Wiley launched its spectral analysis APIs for corporate and academic laboratories, delivering chemical reference data into automated laboratory software pipelines and supporting the company's evolution toward an AI and data analytics company.
Clinical Outcome Assessments Momentum
Clinical outcome assessments revenue increased more than threefold in Q1. The business grew from $6 million in fiscal 2025 to $11 million in fiscal 2026, and management said the pipeline and IQVIA go-to-market partnership continue to show strong growth potential.
Emerald Acquisition Integration Ahead of Schedule
Emerald contributed $13 million to the top line and $5 million of adjusted EBITDA in Q1. Integration was ahead of schedule, cost synergy capture was underway, and management said the teams, customer base, revenue base, and company cultures were a strong fit.
Emerald Synergy and EPS Expectations
Wiley acquired Emerald for approximately $450 million net in cash at roughly 7x adjusted EBITDA, including targeted cost synergies. The company expects EPS accretion in year 1, the bulk of cost synergies in year 2, and the full $30 million of synergies by year 3.
Corporate Cost Reduction
Corporate expenses on an adjusted EBITDA basis declined 19% to $33 million in Q1, or $8 million lower year over year. This builds on reductions from $166 million in fiscal 2025 to $143 million in fiscal 2026.
Free Cash Flow Improvement
Free cash flow was a use of $70 million compared with a use of $100 million a year ago, an improvement of $30 million. Management reaffirmed its full-year free cash flow outlook of $205 million, up from $195 million.
Dividend Increase and Shareholder Returns
Wiley raised its dividend for the 33rd consecutive year and returned $33 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.
Full-Year Guidance Reaffirmed
Management reaffirmed its outlook for organic revenue growth of low to mid single digits, research organic growth at mid single digits, adjusted EBITDA margin of 26.5% to 27.5%, adjusted EPS of $4.60 to $5.05, and free cash flow of $205 million.
Technology and Productivity Investments
Wiley is shifting technology spending from maintenance toward product development and innovation, retiring technology debt, consolidating facilities, expanding its Virtusa partnership, rolling out the research exchange platform, and establishing an AI Center of Excellence.
Audience Monetization Progress
Wiley is transitioning from traditional advertising to an audience analytics platform using modern ad technology, AI-enabled product development, contextual targeting, improved reporting, and agentic engagement tools. Management reported good growth in Q1 billings and said early results were promising.
Responsible AI Leadership
Wiley expanded its AI guidelines for authors, editors, and peer reviewers, incorporated citation and attribution requirements into technical integrations including its work with Anthropic, and established AI oversight across the company.
DE:2F7 Earnings History
The table shows recent earnings report dates and whether the forecast was beat or missed. See the change in forecast and EPS from the previous year.
Beat
Missed