John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Class A (WLY)

Over the past six months, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (WLY) stock has experienced a decline. As of October 1, 2025, the share price was $40.15, representing a 20.10% decrease from $50.25 on October 2, 2024. Key events impacting the stock include AI collaborations and launches, such as the collaboration with AWS and the launch of the AI Gateway. Wiley announced quarterly dividends, including raising its dividend for the 32nd consecutive year. The company reported its Q3 2025 earnings, with shares declining 3.8% the day following the announcement. In fiscal year 2024, Wiley divested non-core businesses, including University Services, Wiley Edge, and CrossKnowledge, resulting in net losses on sale and impairments of assets. Wiley announced key findings from its second ExplanAItions study, revealing a significant increase in AI adoption among researchers.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is described as a seasonal business that must build up inventory during certain quarters. This seasonality is reflected in its cash flow, where the company burned through cash in Q2, similar to the previous year, indicating a pattern of investment in inventory during specific periods. The demand for its products and services, particularly in the Learning segment, is likely influenced by academic calendars, with peak demand often occurring around the start of new academic terms. The Research segment's demand for journals and scholarly content may be more consistent but can also see fluctuations related to research cycles and funding.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (WLY), also known as Wiley, is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807, operating in the Communication Services sector, specifically in the Publishing industry. Wiley focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials, providing content, insights, and knowledge services for the advancement of science, innovation, and learning. The company's business is structured around two primary segments: Research and Learning. The Research Segment provides scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, as well as related content and services, covering areas such as physical sciences and engineering, health sciences, social sciences, humanities, and life sciences. The Learning Segment offers scientific, professional, and education print and digital books, digital courseware, and assessment services, catering to libraries, corporations, students, professionals, and researchers. Wiley also engages in strategic collaborations, such as with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to integrate scientific content into life sciences AI agents and the launch of the AI Gateway to bring trusted research content into leading AI tools.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has a global presence, with operations primarily located in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company also maintains offices and serves customers in other regions, including China, Japan, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, and Germany. Its services reach academic institutions, corporations, libraries, and individual professionals worldwide.

Wiley's brand reputation in the past year has been influenced by its engagement with AI and ongoing discussions within the academic publishing landscape. Wiley has been actively positioning its content for AI training, demonstrated by the launch of the AI Gateway and collaborations with AWS. Academic publishers, including Wiley, have faced controversies related to publication practices, such as issues like forced inclusion of content in AI LLM training, journal protests, manipulation of bibliometrics, and the publication of "Paper Mill" generated papers. Wiley has also voluntarily reported against the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (WLY) has a diverse ownership structure, with significant holdings by both institutional and individual investors. Major institutional owners include Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc., and BlackRock Fund Advisors, with institutional investors collectively holding a significant portion of the company's stock. Several members of the Wiley family are significant individual shareholders, with Deborah E. Wiley being the largest individual shareholder.