John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (WLYB) Financial Ratios
30 years of historical data (1996–2025) · Communication Services · Publishing
EV/EBITDA
↓
8.41
↓-11% vs avg
5yr avg: 9.46
30Y Low6.8·High12.8
P/FCF
↑
19.16
+20% vs avg
5yr avg: 15.99
30Y Low7.0·High29.2
P/B Ratio
↑
3.05
+12% vs avg
5yr avg: 2.72
30Y Low2.0·High8.3
ROE
↓
11.3%
↓+208% vs avg
5yr avg: 3.7%
30Y Low-22%·High31%
Debt/EBITDA
↓
2.43
↓-7% vs avg
5yr avg: 2.61
30Y Low0.6·High4.0
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
WLYB Valuation Multiples
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. trades at 27.4x earnings, 43% below its 5-year average of 47.7x, sitting at the 86th percentile of its historical range. Compared to the Communication Services sector median P/E of 15.4x, the stock trades at a premium of 78%. On a free-cash-flow basis, the stock trades at 19.2x P/FCF, 20% above the 5-year average of 16.0x.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $2.3B | $2.4B | $2.1B | $2.1B | $3.0B | $3.2B | $2.2B | $2.7B | $3.9B | $3.1B | $2.9B |
| Enterprise Value | $3.1B | $3.2B | $2.9B | $2.9B | $3.8B | $4.1B | $2.9B | $3.0B | $4.1B | $3.4B | $3.2B |
| P/E Ratio → | 27.36 | 28.40 | — | 120.42 | 20.13 | 21.79 | — | 15.82 | 20.31 | 27.23 | 19.99 |
| P/S Ratio | 1.37 | 1.42 | 1.11 | 1.04 | 1.43 | 1.67 | 1.18 | 1.48 | 2.17 | 1.80 | 1.69 |
| P/B Ratio | 3.05 | 3.17 | 2.82 | 2.01 | 2.61 | 2.97 | 2.32 | 2.25 | 3.28 | 3.08 | 2.81 |
| P/FCF | 19.16 | 19.88 | 19.72 | 12.35 | 13.73 | 14.28 | 10.95 | 16.22 | 16.76 | 15.16 | 11.36 |
| P/OCF | 11.33 | 11.76 | 10.06 | 7.59 | 8.80 | 8.99 | 7.52 | 10.62 | 10.44 | 9.82 | 8.32 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
WLYB EV Ratios
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s enterprise value stands at 8.4x EBITDA, 11% below its 5-year average of 9.5x. The Communication Services sector median is 9.0x, placing the stock at a 7% discount on an enterprise-value basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 1.90 | 1.54 | 1.43 | 1.84 | 2.13 | 1.60 | 1.69 | 2.28 | 1.98 | 1.83 |
| EV / EBITDA | 8.41 | 8.65 | 12.61 | 6.75 | 8.70 | 10.57 | 7.83 | 7.92 | 10.40 | 9.36 | 9.17 |
| EV / EBIT | 14.04 | 16.35 | — | 37.98 | 16.98 | 21.68 | — | 13.31 | 18.01 | 16.32 | 16.46 |
| EV / FCF | — | 26.67 | 27.31 | 16.91 | 17.60 | 18.23 | 14.76 | 18.57 | 17.58 | 16.66 | 12.30 |
WLYB Profitability
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. earns an operating margin of 13.2%. Operating margins have expanded from 10.3% to 13.2% over the past 3 years, signaling improving operational efficiency. ROE of 11.3% is modest. ROIC of 10.7% represents solid returns on invested capital.
Margins
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 74.3% | 74.3% | 69.0% | 65.7% | 66.4% | 67.8% | 67.7% | 69.2% | 73.0% | 73.2% | 73.0% |
| Operating Margin | 13.2% | 13.2% | 2.8% | 10.3% | 10.5% | 9.6% | 10.6% | 12.4% | 13.3% | 12.0% | 10.9% |
| Net Profit Margin | 5.0% | 5.0% | -10.7% | 0.9% | 7.1% | 7.6% | -4.1% | 9.3% | 10.7% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
Return on Capital
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 11.3% | 11.3% | -22.4% | 1.6% | 13.3% | 14.6% | -7.0% | 14.2% | 17.5% | 11.1% | 13.9% |
| ROA | 3.1% | 3.1% | -6.9% | 0.5% | 4.4% | 4.5% | -2.4% | 5.8% | 7.1% | 4.1% | 4.9% |
| ROIC | 10.7% | 10.7% | 2.3% | 8.2% | 8.3% | 7.6% | 8.9% | 11.4% | 13.4% | 11.9% | 10.7% |
| ROCE | 11.9% | 11.9% | 2.6% | 9.1% | 9.0% | 7.9% | 9.0% | 11.1% | 12.7% | 10.4% | 8.7% |
WLYB Leverage & Debt
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 2.4x, which is manageable (31% below the sector average of 3.5x). Net debt stands at $813M ($899M total debt minus $86M cash). Interest coverage of 4.2x is adequate, though a cyclical earnings downturn could tighten the margin of safety.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 0.85 | 0.82 | 0.91 | 1.02 | 0.41 | 0.30 | 0.36 | 0.58 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 2.43 | 2.43 | 3.87 | 2.07 | 2.14 | 2.53 | 2.56 | 1.24 | 0.91 | 1.01 | 1.76 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 1.08 | 1.09 | 0.74 | 0.74 | 0.82 | 0.81 | 0.33 | 0.16 | 0.31 | 0.23 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 2.20 | 2.20 | 3.51 | 1.82 | 1.91 | 2.29 | 2.02 | 1.00 | 0.48 | 0.84 | 0.70 |
| Debt / FCF | — | 6.79 | 7.59 | 4.56 | 3.86 | 3.95 | 3.81 | 2.35 | 0.82 | 1.50 | 0.94 |
| Interest Coverage | 4.21 | 4.21 | 1.07 | 5.54 | 11.07 | 10.09 | 7.65 | 10.76 | 18.05 | 13.02 | 11.26 |
WLYB Liquidity & Efficiency
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
The current ratio of 0.54x is below 1.0, meaning current liabilities exceed current assets. The current ratio has declined from 0.60x to 0.54x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.54 | 0.54 | 0.52 | 0.60 | 0.57 | 0.53 | 0.66 | 0.56 | 0.55 | 0.46 | 0.86 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.51 | 0.51 | 0.49 | 0.57 | 0.53 | 0.49 | 0.62 | 0.52 | 0.50 | 0.40 | 0.78 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.12 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.22 | 0.11 | 0.19 | 0.07 | 0.47 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.62 | 0.69 | 0.65 | 0.62 | 0.56 | 0.58 | 0.61 | 0.63 | 0.66 | 0.59 |
| Inventory Turnover | 18.86 | 18.86 | 22.11 | 22.53 | 19.15 | 14.70 | 13.55 | 15.59 | 12.29 | 9.63 | 8.06 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 49.70 | 43.69 | 56.04 | 58.17 | 58.58 | 61.66 | 62.18 | 43.16 | 40.07 | 35.43 |
WLYB Shareholder Yields
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. returns 5.9% to shareholders annually — split between a 3.3% dividend yield and 2.6% buyback yield. The payout ratio of 90.4% is elevated — while still covered by earnings, there is limited headroom for dividend increases. The earnings yield of 3.7% (inverse of P/E) provides a useful comparison to bond yields when assessing the stock's relative attractiveness to fixed income.
Dividends
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 2.4% |
| Payout Ratio | 90.4% | 90.4% | — | 448.5% | 52.1% | 51.9% | — | 45.0% | 38.3% | 63.0% | 47.9% |
Total Shareholder Return Metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 3.7% | 3.5% | — | 0.8% | 5.0% | 4.6% | — | 6.3% | 4.9% | 3.7% | 5.0% |
| FCF Yield | 5.2% | 5.0% | 5.1% | 8.1% | 7.3% | 7.0% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 6.0% | 6.6% | 8.8% |
| Buyback Yield | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 1.7% | 1.0% | 0.5% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.4% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 5.9% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 2.9% | 5.7% | 5.1% | 2.9% | 3.9% | 4.8% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $55M | $55M | $56M | $57M | $56M | $56M | $58M | $58M | $58M | $59M |
Peer Comparison
Compare WLYB with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 WLYBYou | $2B | 27.4 | 8.4 | 19.2 | 74.3% | 13.2% | 11.3% | 10.7% | 2.4 |
 PSO | $10B | 17.6 | 7.5 | 14.0 | 51.0% | 15.2% | 10.8% | 8.3% | 1.4 |
 SCHL | $968M | -581.3 | 9.3 | 13.4 | 51.7% | 1.3% | -0.2% | 1.4% | 2.8 |
 SSP | $552M | -2.5 | 285.5 | 84.7 | 33.7% | 7.5% | -7.9% | 3.1% | 239.5 |
 RELX | $62B | 24.4 | 16.5 | 17.6 | 65.0% | 30.3% | 55.7% | 21.8% | 2.1 |
 NWSA | $15B | 13.1 | 11.2 | 21.0 | 100.0% | 11.3% | 12.8% | 6.8% | 2.1 |
 GCI | $877M | -33.1 | 18.1 | 17.3 | 38.4% | -1.7% | -11.2% | -2.3% | 11.3 |
 NYT | $13B | 38.4 | 23.9 | 23.6 | 47.8% | 16.0% | 17.3% | 18.7% | 0.1 |
 SGRY | $2B | -23.5 | 10.0 | 9.6 | 23.1% | 11.8% | -2.2% | 4.1% | 7.1 |
 COUR | $1B | -20.2 | — | 9.9 | 54.6% | -10.3% | -8.3% | — | — |
 GOOG | $4.8T | 36.6 | 32.0 | 65.3 | 59.7% | 32.1% | 35.7% | 25.1% | 0.4 |
| Communication Services Median | — | 15.4 | 9.0 | 11.8 | 48.3% | 0.7% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 3.5 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
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Start ComparisonWLYB — Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying WLYB stock.
What is John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s P/E ratio?
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is 27.4x. The historical average is 24.9x. This places it at the 86th percentile of its historical range.
What is John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s EV/EBITDA?
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 8.4x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 9.8x.
What is John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s ROE?
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is 11.3%. The historical average is 17.3%.
Is WLYB stock overvalued?
Based on historical data, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is trading at a P/E of 27.4x. This is at the 86th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
What is John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s dividend yield?
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s current dividend yield is 3.32% with a payout ratio of 90.4%.
What are John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s profit margins?
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has 74.3% gross margin and 13.2% operating margin. Operating margin between 10-20% is typical for established companies.
How much debt does John Wiley & Sons, Inc. have?
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 2.4x, indicating moderate leverage. A ratio between 2-4x is manageable but warrants monitoring.