John Wiley & Sons (WLY): Reassessing Valuation After Earnings Beat, Research Strength and Learning Segment Weakness

John Wiley & Sons (WLY) just delivered a mixed but interesting quarter, with earnings beating expectations even as revenue slipped, thanks to strong Research growth, rising AI licensing, and ongoing weakness in its Learning business.

See our latest analysis for John Wiley & Sons.

The latest earnings beat and upbeat AI commentary have not yet swayed investors. The share price is down roughly 25% year to date, and the 1 year total shareholder return is also firmly negative. This suggests momentum is still fading despite buybacks and cost savings.

If Wiley’s slump has you rethinking where to look for steadier growth, this could be a good moment to explore fast growing stocks with high insider ownership as potential fresh ideas.

With Wiley trading near 52 week lows despite solid Research growth, rising AI revenue, hefty buybacks, and a sizeable discount to analyst targets, investors may be weighing whether this represents a contrarian entry point or whether the market is correctly discounting future growth.

Most Popular Narrative Narrative: 46.0% Undervalued

With John Wiley & Sons last closing at $32.40 against a most popular narrative fair value of $60, the storyline leans heavily toward a deep value recovery case.

Margin expansion and operational efficiency initiatives including ongoing restructuring, technology cost rationalization, and portfolio simplification are expected to deliver significant improvements in net margins and free cash flow through FY26 and beyond.

Read the complete narrative.

Want to see how modest top line growth can still justify a near double in fair value? The secret lies in transformed margins and a leaner share count. Curious which profitability leap and valuation reset underpin this bold target? Dive in to unpack the full narrative math.

Result: Fair Value of $60 (UNDERVALUED)

Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts.

However, sustained AI revenue volatility and mounting open access pressure could quickly erode the optimistic margin and valuation assumptions behind this recovery story.

Find out about the key risks to this John Wiley & Sons narrative.

Another Take on Value

While the popular narrative leans on a recovery story and analyst targets, our SWS DCF model also points to upside, with fair value around $44.75 versus today’s $32.40, suggesting the stock is still undervalued. But is that margin of safety real or just model optimism?

Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value.

Build Your Own John Wiley & Sons Narrative

If this view does not quite fit your own thinking, you can dig into the numbers yourself and build a fresh story in minutes, Do it your way.

A great starting point for your John Wiley & Sons research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 2 important warning signs that could impact your investment decision.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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