John Wiley & Sons
Through the investors’ lenses
1 of 4 cleared5 of 9 criteria
Each of these investors has said in public what they look at before buying. Click a name to see how this company measures up — a tick where it passes one of their tests, a cross where it does not.
Warren Buffett 3/4
| Measure | WLY | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner earnings | $313.93m | positive | ✓ |
| Return on equity | 26.1% | US median 2.8% | ✓ |
| Debt to equity | 0.81x | US median 0.57x | ✗ |
| Operating margin | 16.5% | US median 3.1% | ✓ |
Passes 3 of 4. These are the measures Warren Buffett published, applied to John Wiley & Sons’s own figures — their criteria, not their view of this company. What he looks at, and why →
Benjamin Graham 0/2
| Measure | WLY | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 0.54x | 2.00x published | ✗ |
| Long-term debt to working capital | — | 1.00x published | — |
| Positive earnings, ten years running | 2 yrs | 10 published | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 2. These are the measures Benjamin Graham published, applied to John Wiley & Sons’s own figures — their criteria, not their view of this company. What he looks at, and why →
Joel Greenblatt 1/1
| Measure | WLY | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 18.1% | US median 5.1% | ✓ |
Passes 1 of 1. These are the measures Joel Greenblatt published, applied to John Wiley & Sons’s own figures — their criteria, not their view of this company. What he looks at, and why →
Peter Lynch 1/2
| Measure | WLY | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt to equity | 0.81x | US median 0.57x | ✗ |
| Net margin | 13.2% | US median 2.0% | ✓ |
Passes 1 of 2. These are the measures Peter Lynch published, applied to John Wiley & Sons’s own figures — their criteria, not their view of this company. What he looks at, and why →
| Basis | Payout | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GAAP earnings | 33.6% | whyThe figure most screeners publish. |
| Operating cash flow | 28.5% | whyBefore capital spending. |
| Free cash flow | 35.5% | whyAfter maintaining the business. |
7 points between highest and lowest basis.
Coverage rating 55 / 100 — Tight. ? Peer standing 18/50Direction 25/30Stability 12/20
Free cash flow payout, last 6 years
| Fiscal year | Payout |
|---|---|
| 2026-04-30 | 35.5% |
| 2025-04-30 | 53.9% |
| 2024-04-30 | 58.5% |
| 2023-04-30 | 44.7% |
| 2022-04-30 | 34.6% |
| 2021-04-30 | 30.0% |
36% of the 25 communications here pay out more.
The arithmetic
- GAAP earnings — dividends declared per share $1.40 ÷ diluted EPS $4.16
- Operating cash flow — dividends paid $74.4m ÷ operating cash flow $261m
- Free cash flow — dividends paid $74.4m ÷ (operating cash flow $261m − capex $51.2m)
Where the figures came from
- 10-K filed 2026-06-24 · accession 0001628280-26-045111
Every one is public at sec.gov and free to check. That is the point — you should not have to take our word for any of it.
Caveats on this company
- DPS derived from dividends paid ($1.40); no per-share tag filed
Computed by an open pipeline reading SEC XBRL directly. If any number here looks wrong to you, tell us — that is more useful to us than agreement.
What the free cash flow payout ratio measures, and where every company here sits on it.
Also on: rated tight · when it files.
Who else looks like this
Every figure above is computed from John Wiley & Sons’s own filing, and every company here is measured the same way. Screen all of them on any of these twelve measures, or on the rules four investors published — free, and nothing you screen leaves your browser.
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