Wiley Announces Q4 and FY 2024 Financial Results

HOBOKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Wiley (NYSE: WLY) today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended April 30, 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS

• FY24 Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS guidance exceeded; Adjusted Revenue in higher end of range
• GenAI content rights project completed this quarter with large tech company; another executed GenAI project with second large tech company to be realized in FY25
• Advancing Value Creation Plan with 2 of 3 non-core divestitures closed and $90 million of $130 million run-rate cost savings actioned
• FY25 growth outlook driven by Research & Learning momentum and accelerated cost savings

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

"We finished the year strong and head into Fiscal 2025 with full confidence in our Research trajectory, GenAI momentum, and profit and performance outlook," said Matthew Kissner, Interim President and CEO. "We are seeing robust demand to publish and significant output acceleration in Research as well as continued outperformance in Learning. On top of this, we're seeing significant interest in leveraging our authoritative content to train AI and machine learning models. Finally, we've executed on our stated commitments with discipline and speed, enabling us to exceed our earnings guidance and accelerate our cost savings program, setting us up well for continued margin expansion and strong cash generation ahead."

FOURTH QUARTER SUMMARY

Fiscal Year 2024 was a transition year for Wiley as the Company divested non-core assets, restructured and realigned the organization, and recorded multiple non-cash impairments. Results reflect this activity.

• GAAP Results (including Held for Sale or Sold Assets): Revenue of $468 million (-11%), Operating income of $69 million (-17%), and EPS of $0.46 (-$0.76).
• Adjusted Results at Constant Currency (excluding Held for Sale or Sold Assets): Revenue of $441 million (+4%), Adjusted EBITDA of $125 million (+7%), and Adjusted EPS of $1.21 (+2%).

FULL YEAR SUMMARY

• GAAP Results: Revenue of $1,873 million (-7%), Operating income of $52 million (-6%), and EPS loss of $3.65 (-$3.96).
• Adjusted Results at Constant Currency: Revenue of $1,617 million (-1%), Adjusted EBITDA of $369 million (-3%), and Adjusted EPS of $2.78 (-19%).
• Cash from Operations of $208 million (-$69 million) and Free Cash Flow of $114 million (-$59 million) mainly due to lower cash earnings and higher restructuring payments.

For GAAP purposes, Wiley's reporting structure consists of three segments: (1) Research, (2) Learning, and (3) Held for Sale or Sold. Adjusted numbers exclude our Held for Sale or Sold reporting segment, as well as restructuring costs and other unusual items. See the reconciliation provided in the tables that follow.

Research

• Fourth Quarter Revenue of $271 million was down 3% as reported and at constant currency, mainly due to timing and declines in ancillary print and licensing revenue in Research Publishing, and soft market conditions in advertising and recruiting in Research Solutions. Full Year Revenue of $1,043 million was down 3% as reported, or 4% at constant currency, mainly due to the full year Hindawi impact. Excluding Hindawi, Research revenue for the year was flat.
• Fourth Quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $94 million was down 11% as reported and 12% at constant currency due to lower revenue and lower incentive compensation costs in the prior year due to underperformance. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the quarter was 34.6%. Full Year Adjusted EBITDA of $331 million was down 13% at constant currency mainly driven by revenue performance and the incentive compensation swing. Excluding Hindawi, Research Adjusted EBITDA for the year was down 4%. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the year was 31.8%.

Learning

• Fourth Quarter Revenue of $170 million was up 18% as reported and at constant currency driven by a $23 million content rights project for training GenAI large language models and continued growth in Academic content and courseware. Excluding the one-time GenAI project, Q4 Learning revenue rose 2% on a constant currency basis. Full Year Revenue of $574 million was up 5% as reported and at constant currency due to outperformance in digital content and courseware in Academic and the GenAI content rights project in both Academic and Professional. Excluding the one-time project, full year Learning revenue rose 1% on a constant currency basis.
• Fourth Quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $74 million was up 54% as reported and at constant currency due to the GenAI content rights project and restructuring savings. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the quarter was 43.5% compared to 33.5% in the prior year period. Full Year Adjusted EBITDA of $200 million was up 27% at constant currency mainly due to revenue performance and restructuring savings. Full Year Adjusted EBITDA margin of 34.9% compared to 28.9% in the prior year period.

Corporate Expense Category

• Fourth Quarter Adjusted Corporate Expenses of $43 million on an Adjusted EBITDA basis was up 15% over prior year at constant currency, driven by higher professional fees. Full Year Adjusted Corporate Expenses of $163 million was up 4% primarily due to higher incentive compensation.

Businesses Held for Sale or Sold (HFS)

Our Held for Sale or Sold segment reflects the performance of those businesses for the periods owned. Wiley University Services was sold on January 1, 2024. The sale of Wiley Edge, with the exception of its India operation, was completed on May 31, 2024. The sale of Wiley Edge's India operation will be finalized later in calendar year 2024. See accompanying financial tables for Q4 and FY24 performance.

EPS

• Fourth Quarter GAAP EPS of $0.46 compared to $1.22 in the prior year period primarily due to a valuation allowance on US deferred tax assets, restructuring charges, and a net increase in the loss on the sale of University Services. Fourth Quarter Adjusted EPS of $1.21 was up 2% at constant currency due to revenue performance partially offset by tech write-offs as part of our legacy decommissioning.
• Full Year GAAP EPS loss of $3.65 compared to +$0.31 in the prior year period primarily due to non-cash impairments related to held for sale or sold assets and losses on sale, as well as higher restructuring charges. Full Year Adjusted EPS of $2.78 was down 19% impacted by lower Adjusted Operating Income, higher interest and tax expense, and higher pension expense.

Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, and Capital Allocation

• Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (Trailing Twelve Months) at quarter end was 1.7 compared to 1.5 in the year-ago period.
• Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities (full year) was $208 million compared to $277 million in the prior year period due to lower cash earnings and higher restructuring payments.
• Free Cash Flow less Product Development Spending (full year) was $114 million compared to $173 million in the prior year period due to lower cash provided by operating activities and higher restructuring and interest payments partially offset by lower Capex. Capex of $93 million was below prior year by $11 million. Note, Wiley does not provide an adjusted Free Cash Flow metric; results include held for sale or sold businesses.
• Returns to Shareholders (full year): Wiley allocated $122 million toward dividends and share repurchases, up from $112 million in the prior year, with $45 million used to acquire 1.3 million shares at an average cost per share of $34.71. This compares to 832,000 shares repurchased in the prior year period. In June 2023, Wiley raised its dividend for the 30^th consecutive year.

FISCAL YEAR 2025 OUTLOOK

• Adjusted Revenue - growth outlook driven by favorable trends and key indicators in Research Publishing, notably open access and institutional models; new business in Research Solutions; and strong momentum in digital courseware and assessments in Learning. Research is entering FY25 with strong leading indicators, including 15% submissions growth and mid-single digit output growth in Q4.
• Adjusted EBITDA - margin expansion outlook in line with previous targets driven by revenue growth and cost savings while reflecting reinvestments to scale and optimize Research, modernize infrastructure and expand GenAI content licensing, capabilities, and product development.
• Adjusted EPS - significant growth expectation driven by higher expected Adjusted Operating Income and accrued interest income from divestitures offsetting higher interest and tax expense.
• Free Cash Flow - growth outlook driven by lower restructuring payments and favorable working capital partially offset by higher capex and year-over-year swing in incentive compensation payments. The Company expects capex of $130 million compared to $93 million in Fiscal 2024 driven by the acceleration of its Research Publishing platform work and infrastructure modernization.

The Company remains on track with its Fiscal 2026 targets.

EARNINGS CONFERENCE CALL

Scheduled for today, June 13 at 10:00 am (ET). Access webcast at Investor Relations at investors.wiley.com, or directly at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/333300189. U.S. callers, please dial (888) 210-3346 and enter the participant code 2521217#. International callers, please dial (646) 960-0253 and enter the participant code 2521217#.

ABOUT WILEY

Wiley (NYSE: WLY) is one of the world's largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We enable knowledge-seekers to transform today's biggest obstacles into tomorrow's brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com