Pearson Plc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Pearson Plc (PSO) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Pearson Plc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 3,577M vs 6,828M combined for tracked competitors (34.4% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+300.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+13.9%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Pearson Plc generated 0.7% revenue growth year over year in Q4 2025, vs 0.0% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 9.4% net margin compares with -0.4% for the peer group.
- Scale: Pearson Plc ranks #2 of 15 companies by market capitalization in the Publishing & Information industry, holding 23.8% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Pearson Plc accounted for 64.8% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 64.6% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.15M compares with $0.34M for the peer group (0.5x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
PSO Sales vs. its Competitors, Q4 2025
Pearson Plc reported revenue growth of 0.70 % year on year in Q4 2025, above its competitors' combined revenue growth of 0.03 %.
With a net margin of 9.39 %, Pearson Plc achieved higher profitability than its competitors (-0.39 %).
Pearson Plc generated 64.79 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 64.63 % a year earlier.
Pearson Plc vs. its Competitors, Q4 2025
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Pearson Plc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (2) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Pearson Plc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Publishing & Information industry grew revenue 3.2% year over year, combined, vs 0.7% for Pearson Plc. Pearson Plc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 24.31% to 23.72%, a loss of 0.59 percentage points.
Pearson Plc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (9) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (2) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (6) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 62.50 % (5 of 8) | 50.00 % (4 of 8) | 12.50 % (1 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
PSO Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
PSO Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
PSO Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
PSO Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scholastic Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | John Wiley and Sons Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Barnes and Noble Education Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Franklin Covey Co | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Chegg Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Pearson Plc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Pearson Plc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Pearson Plc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | 10,525.18 | 3,577.00 |
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | 2,416.30 | 1,666.09 |
| Coursera Inc | 1,082.98 | 886.00 |
| Scholastic Corporation | 634.66 | 1,573.10 |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | 386.99 | 1,714.77 |
| Franklin Covey Co | 194.09 | 262.75 |
| SUBTOTAL | 15,393.33 | 11,269.15 |
Sign in to see all competitors of Pearson Plc.
Sources: Pearson Plc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Pearson Plc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Pearson Plc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Mcgraw Hill Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Pearson Plc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Pearson Plc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | Research 67.40 % |
| Scholastic Corporation | Book Fairs 34.43 % |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | Reportable 100.00 % |
| Franklin Covey Co | North America Segment 56.08 % |
| Skillsoft Corp | Talent Development Solutions Segment 79.33 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Pearson Plc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | 10,525 | 152,077 | 14,285 |
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | 2,416 | 370,242 | 44,042 |
| Coursera Inc | 1,083 | 677,888 | -104,285 |
| Scholastic Corporation | 635 | 227,820 | 8,197 |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | 387 | 474,611 | 4,686 |
| Franklin Covey Co | 194 | 234,596 | 1,952 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 4,868 | 335,990 | -29,525 |
Pearson Plc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | United States 50.97 % |
| Scholastic Corporation | United States 75.72 % |
| Franklin Covey Co | Americas 85.64 % |
| Chegg Inc | United States 81.95 % |
| Skillsoft Corp | EMEA 26.67 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Pearson Plc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 15 companies in Pearson Plc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Pearson Plc ranks #2 of 15 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 23.82 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 2,252, indicating a moderately concentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | News Corporation | 16,249 | 33.85 % |
| 2 | Pearson Plc | 11,433 | 23.82 % |
| 3 | The New York Times Company | 10,462 | 21.80 % |
| 4 | John Wiley and Sons Inc | 2,416 | 5.03 % |
| 5 | Cimpress Plc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Usa Today Co Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Deluxe Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Daily Journal Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Scholastic Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Quad | 1,234 | 5.2% |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Pearson Plc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Pearson Plc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | News Corporation | 16,249 | -6.93 % |
| 2 | Pearson Plc | 11,433 | 15.66 % |
| 3 | The New York Times Company | 10,462 | 8.67 % |
| 4 | John Wiley and Sons Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 5 | Cimpress Plc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 6 | Usa Today Co Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 7 | Deluxe Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Pearson Plc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Pearson Plc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Publishing & Information industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (24 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 52.00 % | 50.84 % (avg) | +1.2 pp |
| Operating Margin | 18.70 % | industry median | +8.6 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 12.78 % | 4.29 % (avg) | +8.5 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | - | 2.81 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Pearson Plc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Publishing & Information industry average (24 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 20.7x | 15.1x | +5.6x |
| EV / EBITDA | - | 12.9x | - |
| P/B | - | 2.5x | - |
| Return on Equity | 9.17 % | industry aggregate | -4.27 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 11.37 % | 9.05 % (avg) | 2.32 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Pearson Plc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | -4.35 % | -3.32 % | 0.70 % |
| Operating Margin | 16.86 % | 19.47 % | 18.70 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 9.88 % | 11.46 % | 11.37 % |
| P/E | 17.7x | 18.4x | 20.7x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Pearson Plc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Pearson Plc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Pearson Plc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Pearson Plc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Pearson Plc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Pearson Plc falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.70x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 0.3% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Pearson Plc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Moderate | Industry HHI of 2,252 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Pearson Plc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Pearson Plc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Pearson Plc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Pearson Plc falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Pearson Plc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Operating margin 8.6 points above the industry median.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+300.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Weaknesses
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Opportunities
- A meaningful share of tracked competitors (33.30 %) show financial-distress signals, a possible opening to gain share.
Threats
No rule matched.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Pearson Plc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | - | - | - |
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | 0.12 | 0.59 | 1.17 |
| Coursera Inc | 1.77 | 2.13 | - |
| Scholastic Corporation | 0.19 | 1.21 | 0.16 |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | 0.02 | 1.57 | 0.42 |
| Franklin Covey Co | 0.15 | 0.74 | 0.01 |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Pearson Plc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | Q4 2025 | +0.7 % | -22.8 % |
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | Q2 2026 | -2.6 % | - |
| Coursera Inc | Q2 2026 | +59.9 % | - |
| Scholastic Corporation | Q3 2026 | -3.9 % | - |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | Q1 2026 | -5.2 % | - |
| Franklin Covey Co | Q2 2026 | +1.0 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | -0.4 % | - |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Pearson Plc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | Q4 2025 | +1.8 % | - |
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | Q2 2026 | -7.7 % | -6.7 % |
| Coursera Inc | Q2 2026 | +49.0 % | -25.0 % |
| Scholastic Corporation | Q3 2026 | -4.4 % | +41.0 % |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | Q1 2026 | -17.8 % | - |
| Franklin Covey Co | Q2 2026 | +12.1 % | -35.0 % |
Pearson Plc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | 5.20% | 15.15% | 9.17% |
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | 7.28% | 9.85% | 25.27% |
| Coursera Inc | - | - | - |
| Scholastic Corporation | 3.15% | 4.66% | 7.02% |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | 1.91% | 2.63% | 6.12% |
| Franklin Covey Co | 0.98% | 3.07% | 4.07% |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Pearson Plc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Pearson Plc | 23.82 | 2.94 |
| John Wiley and Sons Inc | 12.83 | 1.45 |
| Coursera Inc | - | 1.22 |
| Scholastic Corporation | 25.06 | 0.40 |
| Barnes and Noble Education Inc | 23.79 | 0.23 |
| Franklin Covey Co | 105.94 | 0.74 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | - | 1.37 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.