LONDON, March 12, 2026, 16:41 GMT
Pearson finished Thursday’s session at roughly 984 pence, ticking up 0.7%. The British education group logged another day of buybacks—this time, 1.19 million shares were repurchased on March 11 for cancellation, according to its ongoing £350 million buyback plan.
Pearson’s leaning on cash returns as it works to shore up a share price unsettled by persistent questions about how much artificial intelligence could disrupt its digital courseware and learning tools businesses. Share buybacks—where the company pulls its own stock out of circulation—trim the share count, which can drive up earnings per share.
Pearson picked up 1,194,877 shares at an average price of 984.51 pence, according to Thursday’s filing. The previous day’s disclosure showed a buy of 1,208,093 shares at 987.99 pence apiece on March 10. All told, filings suggest about 23.7 million pounds were spent across the two sessions, both falling within the initial 175 million-pound tranche of the programme.
Pearson kicked off a fresh capital return after posting its 2025 results, noting last year’s £350 million buyback trimmed the share count by 5%. On the top line, underlying sales climbed 4%, excluding currency effects and select one-offs. Adjusted operating profit—which leaves out certain exceptional items—rose 6% to £614 million. The company is aiming for mid-single-digit sales growth in 2026, with adjusted operating profit expected between £640 million and £685 million.
Omar Abbosh, the chief executive, called the results “significant progress” for Pearson as it pushes deeper into AI and steps up momentum in its enterprise arm. Speaking that day, Abbosh emphasized Pearson’s “very high level of trust,” insisting the company’s AI tools are driving better student outcomes, not eroding them. Pearson plc
The market hasn’t bought it yet. Pearson shares slid roughly 30% over the 12 months leading up to late February. The stock got caught in a wider downturn for European information and analytics names, with RELX and Wolters Kluwer also taking hits, after Anthropic rolled out a set of new AI tools that ramped up worries over automation.
The buyback won’t erase operational challenges. Back in January, Pearson disclosed it had lost a New Jersey student assessment contract valued at 20 million to 30 million pounds. AJ Bell’s Dan Coatsworth pointed out then that both the contract loss and the vague guidance were “enough to see the shares ‘punished.’” Reuters
Thursday’s bump still leaves the stock roughly 23% short of its 52-week peak at 1,275 pence. According to Hargreaves Lansdown, Pearson shares fluctuated between 973 and 997 pence through the session, settling near 984 pence by the close.
Buybacks are propping up the stock for the moment. But that only goes so far—what really matters next is whether Pearson can deliver on new contract wins and show tangible results from its AI investments. Investors are watching for evidence that margins can hold and that growth will actually stick, rather than just benefiting from fewer shares.
