Earnings Reports

Bloomsbury announced results for the six month period ending August 31, with “stronger than anticipated” overall sales of £78.3 million, up from £71.3 million in the first half of 2019, or 10 percent. Pre-tax earnings were £4 million, up from £2.5 million. One-time charges of £1 million were down modestly from £1.2 million last year. The big boom came in May and June, previously reported over the summer, when the company said trade sales were up 28 percent for the first four months of the year, lifted by titles on race and a new Sarah J. Maas book. That increase […]

Pearson announced third quarter and nine month sales results for the period ending September 30, 2020. Sales were down (10) percent for the quarter, which the company deemed “an improving trend” — with the heaviest declines in international (down 26 percent) and North American courseware/higher ed (down 15 percent). Online learning rose 32 percent during the quarter. For the nine months, overall sales have been down 14 percent, “largely reflecting the continuing impact of COVID-19 and test centre and school closures in Global Assessment and International, and expected declines in North American Courseware.” The company says it’s “on track to […]

Scholastic reported earnings results yesterday afternoon for the first quarter of fiscal 2021, ending August 31. Sales were $215 million, down 7 percent compared to $233 million last year, due largely to the delayed reopening of schools. Trade revenue was down $2.2 million, to $71.9 million compared to $74.1 million last year, as the new Dave Pilkey Dog Man book released on September 1, the first day of the second quarter. (“It’s doing extremely well and is outpacing the Dog Man from the year before,” ceo Dick Robinson said on the conference call for analysts.) Book clubs and fairs remained […]

Wiley reported first quarter sales for the period ended July 31, with sales of $431 million, compared to $423.5 million last year’s period, an increase of 2 percent. EBITDA was $81.8 million, compared to $57.5 million, up 42 percent and outperforming analysts expectations. Education Publishing sales were $64.1 million, down 2 percent from last year’s period. Consistent with the long-term trend, there were “continued market pressures on print books.” The release noted, “Digital content and courseware growth accelerated while print textbooks continued to decline sharply.” Professional Learning declined 21 percent, as COVID-19 closures impacted in-person corporate training. In Education Publishing, […]

Bertelsmann reported results for the first half of the year on Tuesday morning, with book publishing as one its more resilient divisions during the pandemic. Sales at Penguin Random House were down 1.4 percent, or €23 million, at 1.627 billion. Operating EBITDA was 7.9 percent lower, at €209 million, €18 million lower than a year ago. As at other publishers, a 15 percent increase in digital sales (which had been roughly 20 percent of overall sales) helped offset declines in print sales during the pandemic. Unlike other publishers, remember that PRH’s accounting practices now count the full consumer price paid […]