JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.
WLY, WLYB · Books: Publishing or Publishing & Printing · 60.9M shares · -1%/yr ↓ buyback · EDGAR filings ↗
Net buyback after stock comp: $20M (gross $45M, SBC $25M)
Reference price $43.30 · est. market cap ~$2.6B — last insider sale, 2025-07-02 (estimated from the dated SEC Form 4 price × shares outstanding — not a live quote)
Grade
B80Wide-moat scholarly publisher with high margins and strong returns, tempered by AI and research-funding headwinds.
Strengths
- ROE 26.1% (82nd pct), ROA 8.6% (87th pct) and operating margin 16.5% (83rd pct)
- Durable copyright/journal moat with 74% gross margin and solid FCF (12.5% margin, 75th pct)
Risks
- AI/LLM disruption and content cannibalization risk to core publishing
- Dependence on federal research funding and university enrollment now under pressure
- Weak liquidity (current ratio 0.54, 14th pct) and moderate leverage
Notable findings
- Exec changeRecent 8-K item 5.02 8-K ↗
- Weak liquidityCurrent ratio 0.54 (<1)
Quarterly revenue
Last 4 quarters · from SEC filings.
Key metrics
Gross margin
74.3%
Operating margin
16.5%
Net margin
13.2%
Return on equity
26.1%
Return on assets
8.6%
ROIC
14.4%
Revenue growth (QoQ)
9.2%
Net-income growth
163.3%
Debt / equity
0.8×
Net debt / EBITDA
1.4×
Current ratio
0.5×
Free cash flow
$209M
EBITDA
$420M
Tangible book value
-$863M
Cash & investments
$76M
Stock comp / revenue
1.2%
Insider transactions · last 18 months
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 604 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 884 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 1.1K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 2.0K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Tax withheld | 2.6K | $40.93 |
| 2026-04-30 | Albright Craig Morrow | Option exercise | 2.7K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 1.6K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 3.3K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Kissner Matthew | Option exercise | 5.0K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Kissner Matthew | Option exercise | 6.8K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Kissner Matthew | Option exercise | 9.4K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Kissner Matthew | Tax withheld | 11K | $40.93 |
| 2026-04-30 | Albright Craig Morrow | Tax withheld | 1.2K | $40.93 |
| 2026-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 3.3K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 3.1K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Tax withheld | 5.5K | $40.93 |
| 2026-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 1.2K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 1.9K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 1.8K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 1.7K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Tax withheld | 3.0K | $40.93 |
| 2026-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 1.2K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 2.0K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 1.9K | — |
| 2026-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Tax withheld | 4.1K | $40.93 |
| 2026-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 395 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 576 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 547 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 555 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Tax withheld | 799 | $40.93 |
| 2026-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 351 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 511 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 452 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 508 | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Tax withheld | 662 | $40.93 |
| 2026-01-09 | WILEY DEBORAH E | Disposition | 75K | $30.53 |
| 2025-09-24 | PESCE WILLIAM J | Option exercise | 2.8K | $40.11 |
| 2025-07-24 | Silver Deirdre P. | Grant | 223 | $39.63 |
| 2025-07-02 | Flynn Jay | Sell | 5.3K | $43.30 |
| 2025-07-01 | Caridi Christopher | Sell | 5.7K | $44.14 |
| 2025-06-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 905 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 8.1K | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Flynn Jay | Tax withheld | 4.1K | $44.63 |
| 2025-06-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 1.8K | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Monaco Kevin | Tax withheld | 520 | $44.63 |
| 2025-06-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 3.0K | $32.68 |
| 2025-06-30 | Monaco Kevin | Sell | 3.0K | $45.10 |
| 2025-06-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Caridi Christopher | Tax withheld | 1.0K | $44.63 |
| 2025-06-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 905 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 3.1K | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Weber Andrew | Tax withheld | 1.6K | $44.63 |
| 2025-06-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 6.4K | — |
| 2025-06-30 | McMahan Danielle | Tax withheld | 3.6K | $44.63 |
| 2025-06-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 6.1K | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Tax withheld | 2.8K | $44.63 |
| 2025-05-09 | WILEY BRADFORD II | Gift | 35K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 990 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 1.2K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Option exercise | 2.0K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | McMahan Danielle | Tax withheld | 2.6K | $43.64 |
| 2025-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 329 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 395 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 576 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Option exercise | 546 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Caridi Christopher | Tax withheld | 711 | $43.64 |
| 2025-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 625 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 1.6K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 3.3K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Option exercise | 3.3K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Flynn Jay | Tax withheld | 4.4K | $43.64 |
| 2025-04-30 | Kissner Matthew | Option exercise | 5.0K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Kissner Matthew | Option exercise | 6.8K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 279 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 350 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 511 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Option exercise | 507 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Monaco Kevin | Tax withheld | 575 | $43.64 |
| 2025-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 484 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 603 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 884 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Option exercise | 1.1K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Weber Andrew | Tax withheld | 1.3K | $43.64 |
| 2025-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 843 | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 1.2K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 1.9K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Option exercise | 1.8K | — |
| 2025-04-30 | Silver Deirdre P. | Tax withheld | 2.6K | $43.64 |
| 2025-04-30 | Kissner Matthew | Tax withheld | 6.0K | $43.64 |
| 2025-03-11 | Dobson David C | Sell | 1.3K | $46.01 |
| 2025-03-10 | Dobson David C | Sell | 2.0K | $46.00 |
All non-derivative Form 4 activity (SEC), newest first.
Notable events (8-K)
| Date | Items | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-25 | OtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-06-16 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-06-15 | Exec/director changeExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-06-02 | Material agreementAcquisition/dispositionReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-05-06 | Exec/director changeExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-03-05 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-12-10 | OtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-12-04 | ResultsReg FDExhibits | filing ↗ |
Recent filings
| Form | Filed | Period | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-K | 2026-06-25 | 2026-06-25 | 0001628280-26-045363 ↗ |
| 10-K | 2026-06-24 | 2026-04-30 | 0001628280-26-045111 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-06-16 | 2026-06-16 | 0001628280-26-043447 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-06-15 | 2026-06-10 | 0001628280-26-043043 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-06-02 | 2026-06-01 | 0000107140-26-000034 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-05-06 | 2026-05-06 | 0000107140-26-000028 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2026-03-06 | 2026-01-31 | 0000107140-26-000012 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-03-05 | 2026-03-05 | 0000107140-26-000009 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-12-10 | 2025-12-10 | 0000107140-25-000200 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2025-12-05 | 2025-10-31 | 0000107140-25-000198 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-12-04 | 2025-12-04 | 0000107140-25-000194 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-10-01 | 2025-09-25 | 0000107140-25-000175 ↗ |