Wiley Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2021 Results
March 4, 2021 - Hoboken, NJ – John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JW-A and JW-B), a global leader in research and education, today announced results for the third quarter ended January 31, 2021.
THIRD QUARTER SUMMARY
● | GAAP Results: Revenue of $483 million (+3%) and EPS of $0.39 (-$0.24) due to restructuring charges of $0.28 primarily related to real estate capacity reduction |
● | Adjusted Results at constant currency (cc): Revenue +2%, EBITDA +7%, and EPS +6% |
● | Full Year Outlook raised for Revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EPS and Free Cash Flow |
“Wiley’s strategic focus and solid execution in open research and online education continue to yield strong results,” said Brian Napack, President and CEO. “During the quarter, we accelerated our Research growth strategy with the acquisition of Hindawi, a rapidly-growing leader in open access publishing, and we strengthened the Wiley network with new university and corporate partners for online degree and talent development services.”
THIRD QUARTER PERFORMANCE
GAAP Measures Unaudited ($millions except for EPS) | | | Q3 2021 | | | | Q3 2020 | | | Change | |
Revenue | | $ | 482.9 | | | $ | 467.1 | | | | 3 | % |
Diluted EPS | | $ | 0.39 | | | $ | 0.63 | | | | (38 | %) |
Non-GAAP Measures | | | Q3 2021 | | | | Q3 2020 | | | Change Constant Currency | |
Revenue | | $ | 482.9 | | | $ | 467.1 | | | | 2 | % |
Adjusted EBITDA | | $ | 104.3 | | | $ | 95.5 | | | | 7 | % |
Adjusted EPS | | $ | 0.68 | | | $ | 0.68 | | | | 6 | % |
Excluding acquisitions and currency impact, revenue declined 1% for the quarter. Wiley recorded a favorable FX variance of $7.6 million in revenue and $2.1 million in Adjusted EBITDA, and an unfavorable FX variance of $0.04 per share in Adjusted EPS.
Revenue
● | Research Publishing & Platforms rose 3% as reported and 1% at constant currency, with strong growth in open access and inorganic contributions from acquisitions offsetting anticipated subscription revenue pressure. |
● | Academic & Professional Learning declined 2% as reported and 4% at constant currency mainly due to COVID-19 impact on test prep and in-person corporate training, and a decline in print book revenue, which offset continued growth in digital content and courseware. |
● | Education Services increased 25% as reported and 24% at constant currency, driven by organic revenue growth of 13% from strong online enrollment and new student starts, and the two-month inorganic contribution from mthree (+$8 million). |
Adjusted EBITDA
● | Research Publishing & Platforms was even with the prior year at constant currency, as revenue growth, operational efficiencies, and COVID-related expense savings were offset by higher royalties and one-time charges associated with the Hindawi acquisition. |
● | Academic & Professional Learning rose 2% at constant currency, reflecting business optimization gains and COVID-related expense savings. |
● | Education Services rose $12 million to $13 million, driven by revenue growth and business optimization initiatives, notably sustained improvement in student acquisition costs. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the quarter was 19%, up from 2% in the prior year. |
● | Adjusted Corporate Expenses rose 19% to $44 million mainly due to higher employment-related expenses. |
EPS
● | GAAP EPS of $0.39 declined from $0.63 in the prior year, reflecting restructuring charges of $0.28 per share, primarily related to a previously disclosed reduction in Wiley’s real estate footprint. |
● | Adjusted EPS of $0.68 compared to $0.68 in the prior year with operating income growth and lower interest expense partially offset by higher FX transaction losses mostly related to the funding of the Hindawi acquisition. In the quarter, the Hindawi acquisition was dilutive to EPS by approximately $0.12 per share. |
Balance Sheet and Liquidity
● | Net debt-to-EBITDA ratio (trailing twelve months) at quarter-end was 2.2 as compared to 1.8 at the end of the year-ago period. |
● | Available liquidity was approximately $620 million at quarter-end, including $91 million of cash on hand and $529 million of undrawn credit capacity. |
Cash Flow (YTD)
● | Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities was $155 million compared to $89 million in the prior year period, primarily driven by higher cash earnings. |
● | Free Cash Flow less Product Development Spending was $80 million compared to $5 million in the prior year, reflecting the improvement in Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities and lower capital expenditures. |
● | Share repurchases resumed in January following the announcement of the Hindawi acquisition. During the brief remaining trading period, Wiley spent approximately $7 million to acquire 146,852 shares at an average cost per share of $48.09. |
FISCAL YEAR 2021 OUTLOOK
Based on performance through nine months, Wiley is raising its full year outlook for Revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EPS, and Free Cash Flow. The updated outlook assumes that current foreign exchange rates prevail through the end of the fiscal year. The outlook also includes the projected fourth quarter impact of the Hindawi acquisition. For the full year, the Company continues to anticipate low-single digit revenue growth overall, which includes low-single digit growth in Research, a mid-single digit decline in Academic & Professional Learning, and double-digit growth in Education Services (mid-to-high single digit growth on an organic basis).
Updated projected performance ranges for consolidated Revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EPS, and Free Cash Flow are as follows:
Metric ($millions, except EPS) | | Fiscal 2020 Actual | | | Fiscal 2021 Previous Outlook | | Fiscal 2021 Current Outlook |
Revenue | |
| $1,831 | | |
| $1,865 - $1,885 | | Raised, $1,900 - $1,920 |
Adjusted EBITDA | |
| $356 | | |
| $380 - $395 | | Raised, $395 - $410 |
Adjusted EPS | |
| $2.40 | | |
| $2.50 - $2.70 | | Raised, $2.60 - $2.75 |
Free Cash Flow | |
| $173 | | |
| $175 - $200 | | Raised, $200 - $225 |
● | Current outlook reflects actual currency impact to date, current exchange rates sustained through Q4 (Euro at $1.18 and Pound Sterling at $1.32), and the approximate four-month impact of the Hindawi acquisition (Revenue +$10M, Adjusted EBITDA neutral, and Adjusted EPS -$0.15). |
Scheduled for today, March 4 at 10:00 a.m. (ET). Access the webcast directly at https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3036824/A98F5D273A4855BB2457F285ACDA49A7, or at Wiley.com under Investor Relations - Events and Presentations at https://www.wiley.com/en-us/investors. U.S. callers, please dial (844) 418-0103 and enter the participant code 7251548#. International callers, please dial (236) 714-3019 and enter the participant code 7251548#.
ABOUT WILEY
Wiley drives the world forward with research and education. Through publishing, platforms, and services, we help researchers, professionals, students, universities, and corporations to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. And for more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to all our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at www.wiley.com.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
Wiley provides non-GAAP financial measures and performance results such as “Adjusted EPS,” “Adjusted Revenue,” “Adjusted Operating Income,” “Adjusted EBITDA,” “Adjusted CTP,” “Free Cash Flow less Product Development Spending,” “organic revenue,” and results on a Constant Currency basis to assess underlying business performance and trends. Management believes non-GAAP financial measures, which exclude the impact of restructuring charges and credits and certain other items, and the impact of acquisitions provide a useful comparable basis to analyze operating results and earnings. See the reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures and explanations of the uses of non-GAAP measures in the supplementary information.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company's operations, performance, and financial condition. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of the Company and are subject to change based on many important factors. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) the level of investment in new technologies and products; (ii) subscriber renewal rates for the Company's journals; (iii) the financial stability and liquidity of journal subscription agents; (iv) the consolidation of book wholesalers and retail accounts; (v) the market position and financial stability of key online retailers; (vi) the seasonal nature of the Company's educational business and the impact of the used book market; (vii) worldwide economic and political conditions; (viii) the Company's ability to protect its copyrights and other intellectual property worldwide (ix) the ability of the Company to successfully integrate acquired operations and realize expected opportunities; (x) the Company’s ability to realize operating savings over time and in fiscal year 2021 in connection with our multi-year Business Optimization Program; (xi) the impact of COVID-19 on our operations, performance, and financial condition; and (xii) other factors detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Investor Contact:
Brian Campbell
201.748.6874
brian.campbell@wiley.com
Media Contact:
Katie Roberts
602.373.7233
karoberts@wiley.com