It's been a sad week for John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE:WLY), who've watched their investment drop 12% to US$45.70 in the week since the company reported its quarterly result. The analyst typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analyst has changed their mind on John Wiley & Sons after the latest results.

Taking into account the latest results, the solitary analyst covering John Wiley & Sons provided consensus estimates of US$1.67b revenue in 2025, which would reflect a perceptible 5.3% decline over the past 12 months. Earnings are expected to improve, with John Wiley & Sons forecast to report a statutory profit of US$2.27 per share. In the lead-up to this report, the analyst had been modelling revenues of US$1.67b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.33 in 2025. The analyst seem to have become a little more negative on the business after the latest results, given the small dip in their earnings per share numbers for next year.

Althoughthe analyst has revised their earnings forecasts for next year, they've also lifted the consensus price target 9.4% to US$58.00, suggesting the revised estimates are not indicative of a weaker long-term future for the business.

One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 10% annualised decline to the end of 2025. That is a notable change from historical growth of 0.4% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 3.9% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - John Wiley & Sons is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest concern is that the analyst reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for John Wiley & Sons. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. We note an upgrade to the price target, suggesting that the analyst believes the intrinsic value of the business is likely to improve over time.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have analyst estimates for John Wiley & Sons going out as far as 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for John Wiley & Sons that you should be aware of.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.