John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLYB) Shares Gap Down - Here's Why

Key Points

• John Wiley & Sons shares fell sharply, opening at $48.10 versus a prior close of $54.02, a decline of roughly 11%.
• Analyst sentiment remains neutral: Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “Hold (C)” rating, matching the company’s overall consensus “Hold” rating.
• Wiley’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.44 versus $0.40 expected and revenue of $386.36 million versus $380.20 million estimated. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.3575, for an annualized yield of about 3%.

Shares of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE:WLYB - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $54.02, but opened at $48.10. John Wiley & Sons shares last traded at $48.10, with a volume of 160 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of John Wiley & Sons in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, John Wiley & Sons has a consensus rating of "Hold".

John Wiley & Sons Price Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $51.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.83. The stock has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLYB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 3rd. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $386.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.20 million. John Wiley & Sons had a net margin of 11.90% and a return on equity of 27.99%.

John Wiley & Sons Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 7th were issued a $0.3575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 7th. This represents a $1.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from John Wiley & Sons's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. John Wiley & Sons's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.83%.

About John Wiley & Sons

John Wiley & Sons, Inc is a global publishing and knowledge services company headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1807, Wiley has established itself as a leading provider of scholarly, educational and professional content across scientific, technical, medical and academic disciplines. The company leverages both print and digital platforms to deliver peer-reviewed journals, books, reference works and online resources to researchers, educators, students and professionals around the world.

Wiley's operations are organized into key segments, including Research Publishing, which publishes over 1,600 peer-reviewed journals and a broad suite of digital books; Academic and Professional Learning, which offers course materials, interactive digital platforms and certification programs; and Education Solutions, providing custom learning environments, online degree programs and professional development services.

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