Last 24 quarters of trend data · Communication Services · Publishing
Quarterly valuation ratios — annualised for comparability. YoY Δ shows same-quarter-prior-year change.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 | Q2 '19 | Q4 '18 | Q2 '18 | Q4 '17 | Q2 '17 | Q4 '16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio → | 24.36 | 16.55 | 13.50 | 14.93 | 10.07 | 13.57 | 11.38 | 10.08 | 18.78 | 13.56 | 11.05 | 129.00 | 6.56 | 28.60 | 7.53 | 42.74 | 5.74 | 12.08 | 4.72 | — | — |
| — | +22.0% | +18.6% | +48.2% | -46.4% | +0.0% | +3.0% | -92.2% | +186.5% | -52.6% | +46.8% | +201.8% | +14.2% | +136.7% | +59.4% | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| P/S Ratio | 2.12 | 1.38 | 1.24 | 1.45 | 1.53 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.97 | 0.87 | 1.38 | 0.91 | 0.92 | 0.80 | 1.10 | 1.03 | 1.21 | 0.81 | 0.89 | 0.76 |
| — | +12.8% | +1.1% | +45.0% | +53.1% | +26.0% | +40.6% | -27.1% | +10.5% | +5.5% | +8.2% | +25.1% | -11.6% | -24.1% | -0.5% | +23.1% | +35.4% | -14.5% | -8.8% | -53.7% | -49.7% | |
| P/B Ratio | 2.20 | 2.96 | 2.50 | 2.78 | 2.72 | 2.25 | 2.21 | 1.80 | 1.86 | 1.55 | 1.49 | 2.17 | 1.67 | 1.31 | 1.52 | 1.87 | 2.05 | 2.21 | 1.98 | 1.85 | 1.87 |
| — | +31.6% | +13.3% | +54.4% | +46.1% | +45.7% | +48.0% | -17.3% | +11.5% | +18.0% | -1.9% | +16.1% | -18.6% | -40.7% | -23.5% | +1.5% | +9.7% | +34.7% | +45.2% | -35.3% | -25.3% | |
| P/FCF | 11.72 | 7.82 | 4.96 | 14.06 | 6.18 | 37.63 | 4.79 | — | 5.74 | — | 5.23 | — | 3.62 | — | 3.32 | — | 3.89 | — | 3.64 | — | 2.95 |
| — | -79.2% | +3.5% | — | +7.6% | — | -8.4% | — | +58.6% | — | +57.7% | — | -6.9% | — | -8.9% | — | +31.9% | — | -11.2% | — | -89.3% | |
| EV / EBITDA | 7.34 | 5.64 | 4.30 | 9.69 | 3.79 | 8.83 | 4.41 | 4.33 | 3.62 | 4.92 | 5.26 | 8.32 | 4.09 | 18.66 | 3.77 | 10.25 | 5.87 | 17.16 | 5.03 | 17.18 | 3.19 |
| — | -36.1% | -2.5% | +123.7% | +4.9% | +79.6% | -16.2% | -47.9% | -11.6% | -73.6% | +39.7% | -18.8% | -30.3% | +8.8% | -25.0% | -40.4% | +84.1% | — | +56.9% | — | -52.5% | |
| EV / EBIT | 14.12 | 11.08 | 8.92 | 11.35 | 8.47 | 10.44 | 8.15 | 7.73 | 11.46 | 10.90 | 9.40 | 77.03 | 5.33 | 27.68 | 9.48 | 185.26 | 6.55 | 5.76 | 6.07 | — | — |
| — | +6.1% | +9.5% | +46.8% | -26.1% | -4.2% | -13.3% | -90.0% | +115.1% | -60.6% | -0.8% | -58.4% | -18.7% | +380.6% | +56.1% | — | — | — | +44.9% | — | — |
Quarterly margins and returns. Watch for margin compression across consecutive quarters.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 | Q2 '19 | Q4 '18 | Q2 '18 | Q4 '17 | Q2 '17 | Q4 '16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 52.0% | 51.2% | 52.9% | 51.0% | 51.8% | 50.1% | 51.0% | 48.9% | 47.2% | 46.1% | 50.4% | 47.5% | 51.8% | 43.2% | 53.2% | 50.6% | 54.5% | 51.1% | 56.5% | 51.5% | 56.0% |
| — | +2.1% | +3.6% | +4.4% | +9.7% | +8.6% | +1.3% | +2.9% | -8.7% | +6.9% | -5.4% | -6.0% | -5.0% | -15.5% | -5.8% | -1.8% | -2.8% | -0.1% | -4.2% | -0.2% | -3.8% | |
| Operating Margin | 17.3% | 14.2% | 14.8% | 13.9% | 17.9% | 12.5% | 14.9% | 12.3% | 12.7% | 7.6% | 5.7% | 6.3% | 16.0% | -5.1% | 17.3% | 4.2% | 15.9% | 1.1% | 14.3% | -1.2% | 23.1% |
| — | +13.9% | -0.3% | +13.4% | +40.9% | +65.4% | +161.9% | +96.3% | -20.3% | +248.2% | -67.1% | +48.7% | +0.4% | -575.0% | +20.9% | +444.7% | -31.2% | +106.6% | -37.1% | +81.1% | +14.4% | |
| Net Margin | 9.2% | 8.3% | 9.2% | 9.5% | 15.4% | 9.0% | 10.7% | 9.9% | 5.4% | 7.3% | 7.8% | 1.1% | 13.8% | 3.2% | 10.6% | 2.6% | 17.7% | 10.1% | 17.2% | -0.8% | -78.8% |
| — | -7.1% | -13.8% | -3.8% | +184.9% | +22.2% | +37.9% | +829.9% | -60.7% | +127.7% | -27.1% | -58.6% | -22.2% | -68.1% | -38.0% | +409.4% | +122.4% | +185.1% | +263.0% | +82.0% | -969.0% |
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 | Q2 '19 | Q4 '18 | Q2 '18 | Q4 '17 | Q2 '17 | Q4 '16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 8.5% | 4.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 7.0% | 4.0% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 3.4% | 0.4% | 6.3% | 1.1% | 5.0% | 1.1% | 9.3% | 4.6% | 10.6% | -0.4% | -39.2% |
| — | +5.9% | -0.3% | -0.9% | +182.7% | +34.8% | +37.6% | +939.4% | -60.4% | +165.0% | -32.2% | -61.0% | -32.2% | -75.7% | -52.5% | +360.6% | +123.7% | +234.9% | +340.9% | +74.7% | -1101.2% | |
| ROA | 4.9% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 4.1% | 2.3% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 0.2% | 3.5% | 0.6% | 2.8% | 0.6% | 5.1% | 2.4% | 5.1% | -0.2% | -19.3% |
| — | -0.2% | -4.9% | -4.6% | +171.2% | +32.1% | +41.7% | +1007.9% | -57.1% | +179.4% | -28.3% | -60.1% | -32.0% | -73.9% | -45.0% | +429.4% | +126.6% | +228.6% | +319.1% | +78.2% | -1049.4% | |
| ROIC | 9.5% | 4.0% | 4.3% | 3.7% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 4.0% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 2.0% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 4.5% | -1.0% | 4.6% | 1.1% | 5.7% | 0.3% | 5.2% | -0.3% | 7.0% |
| — | +21.0% | +7.6% | +9.9% | +28.4% | +65.7% | +143.9% | +112.9% | -17.8% | +291.1% | -64.6% | +44.5% | -19.7% | -429.3% | -11.1% | +419.1% | -19.4% | +110.5% | -9.1% | +72.8% | +42.9% |
Quarterly solvency trend — watch for debt spikes or covenant pressure.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 | Q2 '19 | Q4 '18 | Q2 '18 | Q4 '17 | Q2 '17 | Q4 '16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.41 | 0.52 | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.36 | 0.42 | 0.29 | 0.33 | 0.28 | 0.29 | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.40 | 0.44 | 0.39 | 0.47 | 0.16 | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.53 | 0.57 |
| — | +23.6% | +39.1% | +25.9% | +32.0% | +46.1% | -11.0% | -5.7% | -31.1% | -34.1% | -15.8% | -25.2% | +151.0% | +63.3% | +43.9% | -10.9% | -72.0% | -28.8% | -25.7% | +6.9% | +52.7% | |
| Debt / EBITDA | 1.25 | 3.49 | 2.48 | 5.20 | 1.87 | 5.78 | 2.12 | 2.80 | 1.98 | 3.26 | 4.31 | 4.93 | 3.62 | 20.70 | 3.24 | 8.55 | 1.79 | 7.71 | 2.55 | 16.02 | 3.44 |
| — | -39.7% | +16.6% | +85.9% | -5.4% | +77.3% | -50.7% | -43.2% | -45.4% | -84.2% | +32.9% | -42.4% | +102.2% | +168.6% | +27.0% | -46.6% | -48.0% | — | -19.7% | — | -3.8% | |
| Current Ratio | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.31 | 1.85 | 1.78 | 1.73 | 2.16 | 1.91 | 1.90 | 2.04 | 2.21 | 2.03 | 1.94 | 2.13 | 1.95 | 1.58 | 1.46 | 1.56 | 1.92 | 2.12 |
| — | +12.5% | +15.4% | +7.0% | -3.6% | -6.4% | -15.1% | -2.2% | -5.7% | -2.1% | -4.1% | +13.3% | +28.3% | +32.6% | +36.4% | +1.6% | -25.5% | -29.6% | -27.4% | +48.3% | +58.8% | |
| Quick Ratio | 1.94 | 1.94 | 1.94 | 2.24 | 1.80 | 1.72 | 1.67 | 2.07 | 1.84 | 1.83 | 1.98 | 2.11 | 1.95 | 1.82 | 2.13 | 1.80 | 1.51 | 1.38 | 1.48 | 1.79 | 2.00 |
| — | +13.0% | +16.5% | +8.5% | -2.6% | -6.3% | -15.7% | -2.3% | -5.6% | +0.4% | -7.1% | +17.5% | +29.7% | +32.1% | +43.4% | +0.5% | -24.8% | -28.1% | -27.3% | +51.5% | +62.1% | |
| Interest Coverage | 7.66 | 3.42 | 5.69 | 10.25 | 10.09 | 2.07 | 6.58 | 7.69 | 3.73 | 17.36 | 4.45 | 0.83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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Includes 30+ ratios · 24 years · Updated daily
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Quick answers to the most common questions about buying PSO stock.
Pearson plc's current P/E is 24.4x. The average P/E over the last 4 quarters is 13.8x. Quarterly P/E ratios can vary due to seasonal revenue patterns and one-time charges.
Pearson plc's current operating margin is 17.3%. Margins have been compressing over recent quarters. Quarterly margins are particularly useful for identifying trend inflections that annual data smooths over.
Quarterly financial ratios reveal short-term trend shifts — margin compression, debt spikes, or valuation re-ratings — that annual figures smooth over. They're essential for active investors tracking Pearson plc's business trajectory between earnings reports.