Regulatory announcements

Resilient results ahead of recently upgraded expectations; more dividend growth; drive into Asian academic market; success of portfolio of portfolios strategy

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (LSE: BMY), the leading independent publisher, today announces audited results for the year ended 28 February 2025.

Download To view a full version of the results in PDF format click here

 

Commenting on the results, Nigel Newton, Founder and Chief Executive, said:

“Bloomsbury is pleased to report revenue up £18m to £361m, up 5%, with profit¹ of £42m. We are making significant progress in executing our Bloomsbury 2030 vision focused on our growth, portfolio and people. In 2024/25 Bloomsbury acquired Rowman & Littlefield, strengthening our Academic portfolio, entered the FTSE 250 in August 2024, earned the Great Place To Work Certification^TM and became the 39^th largest publisher in the world².

The success in the Consumer Division was based across our portfolio. In the Non-Consumer Division growth has been driven by the acquisition of Rowman & Littlefield, where integration is progressing well. Bloomsbury Digital Resources sales increased 2% to £27m and our ambitious target remains at £41m revenue in 2027/28.

In recognition of the achievements of this financial year and our confidence that the Company is well positioned for further development, the Board recommends a final dividend of 11.54 pence which contributes to a full year dividend of 15.43 pence per share, an increase of 5% year on year.

In 2025, we will be expanding our business in Asia by opening an office in Singapore to further capitalise on the growing student population³ in the region, building on the success of our established offices in India and Australia. Bloomsbury will be well placed geographically and structurally to benefit from student growth alongside the continued shift to digital learning.

Bloomsbury was voted Publisher of the Year 2025 at the British Book Awards and also won Publicity Campaign of the Year for Gillian Anderson’s Want.

We are progressing opportunities to monetise academic content through AI deals in our authors’ best interests.

Trading for 2025/26 is expected to be broadly in line with current consensus expectation⁴ in constant currency.  

Bloomsbury’s diversification strategy has forged a portfolio of portfolios combining consumer and academic publishing, a resilient model delivering long-term success.”

Operational Highlights

Consumer Division

• Consumer revenue growth of 3% to £256.0m (2023/24: £249.2m)
• Consumer profit before taxation and highlighted items⁵ was £31.4m (2023/24: £37.8m)
• Profit was in line with consensus expectation and follows high operational gearing on exceptional sales in 2023/24
• Commercial and literary success across the portfolio.

Non-Consumer Division

• Non-Consumer revenue growth of 12% to £105.0m (2023/24: £93.5m)
• Non-Consumer profit before taxation and highlighted items⁵ grew to £11.4m (2023/24: £9.8m)
• Academic & Professional revenue growth of 18% to £83.3m (2023/24: £70.5m) and profit before taxation and highlighted items⁵ growth of 34% to £12.5m (2023/24: £9.3m)
• Academic & Professional organic revenue⁶ declined 10% following current UK and US budgetary pressures and the accelerated shift from print to digital, against a positive outlook of student numbers being projected to grow worldwide²
• Rowman & Littlefield has traded in line with our expectations, contributing £19.8m revenue
• We have implemented efficiencies in the enlarged Academic division and the Rowman & Littlefield integration is progressing well
• Bloomsbury Digital Resources revenue growth of 2% to £27.0m (2023/24: £26.6m) and our ambitious target remains at c.£41m of revenue in 2027/28.

Financial Highlights

	2024/25	2023/24	2022/23	‘25 vs ‘24	‘25 vs ‘23
Revenue	£361.0m	£342.7m	£264.1m	5%	37%
Organic revenue6	£341.2m	£342.7m	£264.1m	0%	29%
Profit before taxation and highlighted items5	£42.1m	£48.8m	£31.1m	(14)%	35%
Profit before taxation	£32.5m	£41.5m	£25.4m	(22)%	28%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share	41.45p	46.62p	30.56p	(11)%	36%
Diluted earnings per share	30.71p	39.11p	24.54p	(21)%	25%
Net cash	£17.0m7	£65.8m	£51.5m	(74)%	(67)%
Final dividend per share	11.54p	10.99p	10.34p	5%	12%
Total dividend per share	15.43p	14.69p	11.75p	5%	31%

Notes

¹   Profit before taxation and highlighted items.

²   Source: The 2024 Global 50 Publishing Ranking www.wischenbart.com/ranking

³   World Bank estimates that globally there will be 380m higher education students by 2030 up 73% from 220m in 2021. It is estimated that by 2040 there could be 600m students with over 60% in Asia.

⁴   The Board considers consensus market expectations (before this publication) for the year ending 28 February 2026 to be revenue of £349.2m and profit before taxation and highlighted items of £45.1m.

⁵   Highlighted items comprise amortisation of acquired intangible assets and legal and other professional costs relating to ongoing and completed acquisitions, integration and restructuring costs.

⁶   Organic revenue for 2024/25 is defined as total revenue of £361.0m less revenue attributable to the acquisition of Rowman & Littlefield in the year of £19.8m.

⁷   Net cash is Cash and cash equivalents less borrowing and was £17m post acquisition of Rowman & Littlefield for £65m.

 

For further information, please contact:

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Tamsin Garrity, Head of Investor Relations	[email protected]
Hudson Sandler	+44 (0) 20 7796 4133
Dan de Belder / Hattie Dreyfus / Emily Brooker	[email protected]

 

Disclaimer

Certain statements, statistics and projections in this announcement are or may be forward looking. By their nature, forward‑looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or assumptions that may or may not occur and actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any particular expectation will be met and reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements contained in this announcement regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on the knowledge and information available only at the date of this announcement’s preparation. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or keep current the information contained in this announcement, including any forward‑looking statements, or to correct any inaccuracies which may become apparent and any opinions expressed in it are subject to change without notice. References in this announcement to other reports or materials, such as a website address, have been provided to direct the reader to other sources of information on Bloomsbury Publishing Plc which may be of interest. Neither the content of Bloomsbury’s website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks from Bloomsbury’s website nor any additional materials contained or accessible thereon, are incorporated in, or form part of, this announcement.