Bloomsbury released an innocuous looking trading update ahead of today’s annual meeting, saying they expect results for the fiscal year ending in February 2026 to be “in line with consensus expectations” — which they express as £336 million in sales and £41.6 million in profit before taxation and highlighted items. What’s unsaid is those figures are lower than their previous expectations, announced in May, when they expected results to be “broadly in line with current consensus expectation” of £349 million in sales and £45.1 million in profit before taxation and highlighted items. The new profit guidance is 7.8 percent lower […]
Earnings Reports
Scholastic Reaffirms Plan to Raise Cash from Real Estate, Forecasts Improved Earnings
With its stock continuing to languish, Scholastic issued an earnings update, reversing the small down grade in profits from last quarter. The company is now back to expecting adjusted EBITDA for fiscal 2025 to range between $140 million to $150 million. That was the original guidance before a “subsequently narrowed outlook” after the fiscal third quarter in March. The company cites “successful cost management and solid execution in the fourth quarter.” Following up on ceo Peter Warwick’s statement in March underscoring the value of their “non-operating assets that could be monetized, if and when the company chose to” — pointing […]
Wiley Finishes Fiscal Year with Improved Profits, Forecasts More Gains
Wiley reported results for their fiscal fourth quarter, ending April 30, and full fiscal year. Sales for Q4 were $443 million, down $25 million “due to foregone revenue from divestitures,” with adjusted sales “essentially even” at constant currency. Operating income rose, however, up $7.7 million to $76.5 million, though adjusted EBITDA was “essentially even.” Due in part to a tax benefit, net income was much higher than last year, at $68 million, compared to $25 million a year ago. The Learning segment had sales of $162 million for the quarter, down 5 percent. But the company reported “strong demand for […]
Bloomsbury Sales Flatten and Profits Fall, as the World Waits for a New Maas Book
Bloomsbury reported preliminary results for the full year ended February 28, with sales up 5 percent to £361 million, from £343 million a year ago — though organic sales were flat, since Roman & Littlefield contributed £19.8 million in sales in the nine months since they joined the company. Profit before taxation and highlighted items fell 14 percent to £42.1 million. This is a big change from the first half of the year, when sales were up 32 percent to £180 million and profits gained 50 percent to £26.6 million. The boom is attributed to the Sarah J. Maas effect, […]
PRH Helps Drive Moderate Growth at Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann issued a preliminary report for the first quarter ended March 31, with sales up 3 percent to €4.5 billion. Organic growth was 2 percent. Penguin Random House is said to have helped drive the company’s performance, led by Mel Robbins’ The Let Them Theory, which sold more than 1.2 million copies globally. “The year has got off to a promising start,” Bertelsmann chair and ceo Thomas Rabe said in a release. “Thanks to its broad business and geographic positioning, Bertelsmann can look back on a good first quarter with continued revenue growth. The investments in our Boost strategy are […]
Thomson Supports IP, Criticizes Tariffs as Harper Collins Sales Grow
News Corp reported results for the third quarter ended March 31, with sales at Harper Collins of $514 million, up 2 percent from $506 million in the same period last year. The growth is attributed to higher book sales, particularly from the acquisition of a German guidebook publisher in late 2024. EBITDA for the quarter grew 3 percent to $64 million due to higher sales overall, “partially offset by higher employee costs.” Digital sales grew 3 percent due to a 3 percent growth in audiobook sales. Digital books made up 25 percent of consumer sales and backlist represented a slightly […]