Shares of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: WLY) surged 8% in premarket trading on Tuesday after the academic publisher delivered stronger-than-expected fourth quarter earnings and offered encouraging guidance for the upcoming fiscal year.
For the quarter ending April 30, Wiley posted adjusted earnings of $1.37 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31. Quarterly revenue reached $443 million, outpacing forecasts of $434.9 million.
The company’s Research division, which includes its core scientific and academic publishing operations, was a key driver of growth with a 4% year-over-year increase to $280.7 million. However, revenue in the Learning segment dipped 5% to $161.9 million, primarily due to lower AI licensing revenue compared to the same period last year.
“We delivered another strong year of execution as we met or exceeded our financial commitments, drove profitable growth in our core, expanded margins and free cash flow,” said Matthew Kissner, President and CEO.
Looking ahead, Wiley is forecasting adjusted earnings per share of $2.78 to $3.64 for fiscal 2026. While the EPS range slightly brackets analysts’ average estimate of $3.55, the company’s projected revenue of $1.62 billion to $1.66 billion falls just short of the $1.67 billion consensus.
Still, Wiley reaffirmed its commitment to profitability, with plans to grow its adjusted EBITDA margin to between 25.5% and 26.5% in the next fiscal year.