PEARSON PLC
In the published model solve dated 2026-Q2, anchored at $16.65, PEARSON PLC (PSO) is priced for +2.6% growth. boothcheck publishes no house fair value, target price, or buy/sell rating; individual model outputs and user-controlled scenarios are analytical inputs, not Boothcheck targets. The narrative was composed July 24, 2026 from SEC EDGAR filings.
• The textbook company is now mostly not a textbook company: print is 15% of revenue, services 58% and software another 27%, and the fastest line, Virtual Learning, lifted sales 21% in the first quarter of 2026 on enrolment growth of 15%. [Source: Pearson Q1 2026 trading update, 1 May 2026] • The risk that matters is substitution rather than solvency: Higher Education grew just 2% in the first quarter and Assessment and Qualifications fell 1%, and generative AI attacks precisely the willingness
Is PSO overvalued? See what's priced in →
197 institutional managers reported holding PSO in 13F filings for the quarter ended 2026-03-31. Together they hold about 4% of the company; the top 10 hold 3%. 31 opened new positions that quarter. Held by Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, among others. On the short side, 4.2M shares were sold short as of the 2026-06-15 count, about 0.7% of shares outstanding (4.9 days of typical volume to cover).
Quarterly 13F filings arrive up to 45 days after quarter end, so the picture is never current (filed through 2026-05-29). Nothing here is investment advice.
PSO has cut its share count 13.6% over the past five years. It pays a dividend, and has paid one every year in our records (11 and counting), raised 7 years straight. Cash returned over the past three years: $596.20M in dividends.
Share counts are split-adjusted; repurchase totals are gross of share issuance. Nothing here is investment advice.
Model solve date: 2026-Q2
Narrative composed: July 24, 2026
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.