Last 23 quarters of trend data · Communication Services · Publishing
Quarterly valuation ratios — annualised for comparability. YoY Δ shows same-quarter-prior-year change.
Pearson plc's quarterly P/E stands at 14.9x, up 48.2% year-over-year — indicating the stock has re-rated higher or earnings have softened. EV/EBITDA has expanded 123.7% YoY to 9.7x, reflecting rising market expectations or slowing EBITDA growth.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio → | 17.91 | 14.93 | 10.07 | 13.57 | 11.38 | 10.08 | 18.78 | 13.56 | 11.05 | 129.00 | 6.56 | 28.60 | 7.53 |
| — | +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 | 2.01 | 1.45 | 1.53 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.97 | 0.87 | 1.38 | 0.91 | 0.92 | 0.80 |
| — | +45.0% | +53.1% | +26.0% | +40.6% | -27.1% | +10.5% | +5.5% | +8.2% | +25.1% | -11.6% | -24.1% | -0.5% | |
| P/B Ratio | 1.90 | 2.78 | 2.72 | 2.25 | 2.21 | 1.80 | 1.86 | 1.55 | 1.49 | 2.17 | 1.67 | 1.31 | 1.52 |
| — | +54.4% | +46.1% | +45.7% | +48.0% | -17.3% | +11.5% | +18.0% | -1.9% | +16.1% | -18.6% | -40.7% | -23.5% | |
| P/FCF | 14.18 | 14.06 | 6.18 | 37.63 | 4.79 | — | 5.74 | — | 5.23 | — | 3.62 | — | 3.32 |
| — | — | +7.6% | — | -8.4% | — | +58.6% | — | +57.7% | — | -6.9% | — | -8.9% | |
| EV / EBITDA | 7.56 | 9.69 | 3.79 | 8.83 | 4.41 | 4.33 | 3.62 | 4.92 | 5.26 | 8.32 | 4.09 | 18.66 | 3.77 |
| — | +123.7% | +4.9% | +79.6% | -16.2% | -47.9% | -11.6% | -73.6% | +39.7% | -18.8% | -30.3% | +8.8% | -25.0% | |
| EV / EBIT | 14.90 | 11.35 | 8.47 | 10.44 | 8.15 | 7.73 | 11.46 | 10.90 | 9.40 | 77.03 | 5.33 | 27.68 | 9.48 |
| — | +46.8% | -26.1% | -4.2% | -13.3% | -90.0% | +115.1% | -60.6% | -0.8% | -58.4% | -18.7% | +380.6% | +56.1% |
Quarterly margins and returns. Watch for margin compression across consecutive quarters.
Pearson plc's operating margin was 13.9% in Q2 2025, down 4.0 pp QoQ and up 1.6 pp YoY. Gross margin expanded 4.4% YoY, indicating pricing power or improving input costs.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 51.0% | 51.0% | 51.8% | 50.1% | 51.0% | 48.9% | 47.2% | 46.1% | 50.4% | 47.5% | 51.8% | 43.2% | 53.2% |
| — | +4.4% | +9.7% | +8.6% | +1.3% | +2.9% | -8.7% | +6.9% | -5.4% | -6.0% | -5.0% | -15.5% | -5.8% | |
| Operating Margin | 15.2% | 13.9% | 17.9% | 12.5% | 14.9% | 12.3% | 12.7% | 7.6% | 5.7% | 6.3% | 16.0% | -5.1% | 17.3% |
| — | +13.4% | +40.9% | +65.4% | +161.9% | +96.3% | -20.3% | +248.2% | -67.1% | +48.7% | +0.4% | -575.0% | +20.9% | |
| Net Margin | 12.2% | 9.5% | 15.4% | 9.0% | 10.7% | 9.9% | 5.4% | 7.3% | 7.8% | 1.1% | 13.8% | 3.2% | 10.6% |
| — | -3.8% | +184.9% | +22.2% | +37.9% | +829.9% | -60.7% | +127.7% | -27.1% | -58.6% | -22.2% | -68.1% | -38.0% |
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 10.8% | 4.3% | 7.0% | 4.0% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 3.4% | 0.4% | 6.3% | 1.1% | 5.0% |
| — | -0.9% | +182.7% | +34.8% | +37.6% | +939.4% | -60.4% | +165.0% | -32.2% | -61.0% | -32.2% | -75.7% | -52.5% | |
| ROA | 6.4% | 2.5% | 4.1% | 2.3% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 0.2% | 3.5% | 0.6% | 2.8% |
| — | -4.6% | +171.2% | +32.1% | +41.7% | +1007.9% | -57.1% | +179.4% | -28.3% | -60.1% | -32.0% | -73.9% | -45.0% | |
| ROIC | 8.3% | 3.7% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 4.0% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 2.0% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 4.5% | -1.0% | 4.6% |
| — | +9.9% | +28.4% | +65.7% | +143.9% | +112.9% | -17.8% | +291.1% | -64.6% | +44.5% | -19.7% | -429.3% | -11.1% |
Quarterly solvency trend — watch for debt spikes or covenant pressure.
Pearson plc's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 5.2x, up from 1.9x last quarter — elevated, raising questions about debt serviceability. The current ratio has improved 7.0% YoY to 2.31x, strengthening the short-term liquidity position.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q4 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q4 '20 | Q2 '20 | Q4 '19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.36 | 0.42 | 0.36 | 0.42 | 0.29 | 0.33 | 0.28 | 0.29 | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.40 | 0.44 | 0.39 |
| — | +25.9% | +32.0% | +46.1% | -11.0% | -5.7% | -31.1% | -34.1% | -15.8% | -25.2% | +151.0% | +63.3% | +43.9% | |
| Debt / EBITDA | 1.38 | 5.20 | 1.87 | 5.78 | 2.12 | 2.80 | 1.98 | 3.26 | 4.31 | 4.93 | 3.62 | 20.70 | 3.24 |
| — | +85.9% | -5.4% | +77.3% | -50.7% | -43.2% | -45.4% | -84.2% | +32.9% | -42.4% | +102.2% | +168.6% | +27.0% | |
| Current Ratio | 1.85 | 2.31 | 1.85 | 1.78 | 1.73 | 2.16 | 1.91 | 1.90 | 2.04 | 2.21 | 2.03 | 1.94 | 2.13 |
| — | +7.0% | -3.6% | -6.4% | -15.1% | -2.2% | -5.7% | -2.1% | -4.1% | +13.3% | +28.3% | +32.6% | +36.4% | |
| Quick Ratio | 1.80 | 2.24 | 1.80 | 1.72 | 1.67 | 2.07 | 1.84 | 1.83 | 1.98 | 2.11 | 1.95 | 1.82 | 2.13 |
| — | +8.5% | -2.6% | -6.3% | -15.7% | -2.3% | -5.6% | +0.4% | -7.1% | +17.5% | +29.7% | +32.1% | +43.4% | |
| Interest Coverage | 6.85 | 10.00 | 9.20 | 1.92 | 5.93 | 6.42 | 5.02 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Includes 30+ ratios · 23 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 17.9x. The average P/E over the last 4 quarters is 12.5x. Quarterly P/E ratios can vary due to seasonal revenue patterns and one-time charges.
Pearson plc's current operating margin is 15.2%. 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.