PSO
BuyPremium GrowerAI neutralPearson plc · Communication Services · United Kingdom · $9.5B cap · $12.0M/day traded
$17.22 +1.5% · close 12 Oct · scored 14 Oct
StockRank down 5.5 since 13 Oct: Momentum down 5.
Premium Grower: Strong business with the market behind it, priced at a premium.
As of 14 Oct 2026, MoatMap's StockRank for Pearson plc (PSO) is 68/100, ranked against 24,000+ stocks in 35 markets (Quality 59, Value 37, Momentum 65, each scored against its sector).
Does StockRank work? Each month we publish how every decile did, whichever way it went. See the record →
Pearson is a global education and assessment company whose best assets are its testing businesses, such as Pearson VUE and PTE English testing. It is buying AI-era skills assessment firms such as Workera and ITS and is exploring credentials to verify AI agents. Its US higher-education courseware had a soft quarter, and generative AI could substitute for parts of its learning content, so the net effect of AI on the business is still unclear.
ABOUT PEARSON PLC
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Pearson plc provides educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM | 2026E | 2027E | Fwd CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 5.1B | 4.9B | 4.7B | 4.7B | -2.3% | 4.8B | 4.9B | 5.2B | 4.3% |
| EPS | 0.44 | 0.70 | 0.86 | 0.68 | 16.2% | 0.67 | 0.70 | 0.77 | 6.4% |
| Shares | 713.9M | 695.1M | 665.6M | 635.1M | -11.0% | 601.1M | — | — | — |
| Debt | 1.6B | 1.5B | 2.0B | 2.0B | 6.4% | 2.3B | — | — | — |
| Equity | 5.8B | 5.3B | 5.4B | 4.8B | -6.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Op CF | 478.9M | 696.4M | 831.7M | 870.2M | 22.0% | 1.1B | — | — | — |
| Inv CF | 17.2M | -399.3M | -173.8M | -322.3M | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | -1.1B | -596.9M | -319.7M | -807.8M | — | — | — | — | — |
Above its 200-day average and 2% below its 52-week high.
Calmer than 83% of stocks we rank over the past year (25% a year).
How this is worked out
StockRank judges the business. The price check reads only the chart: it is the price side of the Momentum score, in words.
The rules: Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high. Finding a floor is no new low since. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average and within 15% of the high.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn like this one cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: day-to-day price moves over the past year, as a yearly figure, ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Communication Services, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of PSO are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | StockRank | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSO | Pearson plc(you) | $9.5B | 68 | Buy |
| INF.L | Informa plc | $14.7B | 50 | Hold |
| BMY.L | Bloomsbury Publishing Plc | $664M | 84 | Strong Buy |
| FUTR.L | Future plc | $359M | 74 | Buy |
| SNWS.L | Smiths News plc | $222M | 93 | Strong Buy |
| RCH.L | Reach plc | $177M | 37 | Hold |
| LBG.L | LBG Media plc | $82M | 46 | Hold |
| ZEG.L | Zegona Communications plc | $5.3B | 62 | Hold |
| AAF.L | Airtel Africa Plc | $14.9B | 77 | Buy |
| WPP.L | WPP plc | $5.5B | 60 | Hold |
Peer medians: ROE 4.5% · P/E 16.6x · Gross margin 41.8%
Company Deep Dive
Business segments breakdown, earnings transcript analysis, management credibility scoring, competitive landscape, and scenario modelling.