Pearson plc (PSO)
Communication Services · NYQ · US
Fundamentals
Valuation and ratings
Pearson plc trades at USD16.89, which is 55% above the USD7.67 our discounted cash flow model puts on the business. On that measure it screens as expensive, which is not the same as saying it will fall.
Our moat model scores it 53 out of 100, which is a moat, but not a deep one. A moat is a structural reason competitors cannot take the profits away, and it matters more to a long holding period than any single quarter's numbers do.
It changes hands at 26.3 times earnings. Be careful reading that in isolation: for a cyclical business a low P/E arrives at the top of the cycle, when profits are peaking and about to fall, which is exactly when the shares look cheapest and are not.
About Pearson plc
Pearson plc provides educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Enterprise Learning & Skills, and Higher Education. The Assessment & Qualifications segment offers pearson professional assessments, US student assessment, clinical assessment, UK GCSE, and A levels and international academic qualifications and associated courseware, including the English-speaking Canadian and Australian K-12 businesses, and PDR. The Virtual Learning segment provides virtual schools and online program management. The English Language Learning segment offers Pearson test of English, institutional courseware, and English online solutions. The Enterprise Learning & Skills segment provides vocational qualifications, GED, TalentLens, Faethm, Credly, Pearson College, and Enterprise content and training. The Higher Education segment engages in the US, Canadian, and international higher education courseware businesses. Pearson plc was founded in 1844 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Common questions
Is Pearson plc (PSO) undervalued?
Against our discounted cash flow estimate of USD7.67, PSO at USD16.89 is 55% above fair value. That is one model's answer, not a recommendation, and most of a DCF's output sits in a terminal value nobody can forecast.
What is PSO's P/E ratio?
PSO trades at 26.3 times earnings. A low P/E is not automatically cheap: on a cyclical company it is usually a warning that earnings are at a peak.
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Data from company filings, exchange quotes and SEC EDGAR 13F disclosures. Quotes are delayed. Metrics we do not have are left out rather than estimated. Educational information, not financial advice.