Why John Wiley & Sons Stock Triumphed on Tuesday

To crib a quote from a great author, the demise of physical media is greatly exaggerated. That was the feeling many investors had with book publisher John Wiley & Sons' (NYSE: WLY) stock on Tuesday. The company reported earnings that trounced analyst estimates and was rewarded with a 10% share-price boost on the day. That was far more impressive than the S&P 500 index's 0.8% decline.

Booking bottom-line gains

For its fiscal fourth quarter of 2025, Wiley earned $443 million in revenue. That was down from the $468 million in the same period of fiscal 2024. However, the decline was mainly due to divestments.

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The company's bottom-line dynamic was much different. Net income according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) standards nearly tripled, rising to over $68 million from the year-ago profit of slightly more than $25 million. On a non-GAAP (adjusted) and per-share basis, profitability also improved by rising to $1.37 from $1.21.

Despite the top-line slide, Wiley convincingly topped the consensus analyst estimates. Collectively, pundits tracking the stock were modeling just under $435 million for revenue and only $1.31 per share for adjusted net income.

In its earnings release, Wiley quoted CEO Matthew Kissner as saying that in fiscal 2025, the company

met or exceeded our financial commitments, drove profitable growth in our core, expanded margins and free cash flow, and extended further into the corporate market through artificial intelligence (AI) licensing and partnership, science analytics, and knowledge services.

Profitability leaps expected

Wiley also proffered guidance for the entirety of its current (2026) fiscal year. The company believes it will post low-to-mid-single-digit growth over 2025 on the top line and earn $3.90 to $4.35 (versus the previous year's $3.64) per share in net income.

Assuming these forecasts are realized, they would show Wiley is clearly continuing on the path of bottom-line growth. As such, it's surely a growth stock to watch.

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Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.