London, March 13, 2026, 16:25 GMT
- Delayed London market data showed Pearson at 988.6 pence on Friday, up 0.67% on the day. 1
- Pearson published its audited 2025 annual report and its U.S. annual filing, and separately disclosed a buyback of 1,225,869 shares for cancellation. 2
- The last two buyback filings covered 2.42 million shares, against 398,115 new shares issued on Friday for employee plans. 3
Pearson shares firmed on Friday after the British education group published its audited 2025 annual report and disclosed another day of buybacks, with delayed market data showing the stock at 988.6 pence. The company also said it had filed Form 20-F, the annual filing foreign issuers lodge with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 1
The move matters because Pearson is still trying to rebuild confidence after a weak spell in early 2026. Reuters reported on Feb. 27 that the stock had fallen about 30% over the previous 12 months on fears generic AI could replace parts of its offering, while Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, said in January that thin guidance detail and the loss of a New Jersey student-assessment contract left the shares “punished in early trading.” 4
In Friday’s buyback notice, Pearson said it bought 1,225,869 ordinary shares on March 12 at an average 988.97 pence each. The stock will be cancelled and counts toward the first £175 million slice of the group’s £350 million repurchase plan. 5
A day earlier, Pearson disclosed purchases of 1,194,877 shares at an average 984.51 pence. Based on the two company filings, Pearson bought back 2,420,746 shares across the last two sessions. 3
Pearson also issued 398,115 new shares on Friday to satisfy awards under its Save for Shares and Employee Stock Purchase Plans, taking shares in issue to 628,294,945. That was much smaller than the volume set aside for cancellation in the latest buyback notices. 6
Earlier this week, Pearson said it had already returned about £74 million to shareholders under the programme and bought back 7.9 million shares, with roughly £101 million still to spend in the first leg. It expects that leg to finish on or before April 2. 7
Pearson’s Feb. 27 preliminary results showed 2025 sales of £3.577 billion, adjusted operating profit of £614 million and free cash flow of £527 million. It guided to mid-single-digit underlying sales growth in 2026 and adjusted operating profit of £640 million to £685 million. 8
Chief Executive Omar Abbosh told Reuters on Feb. 27 that 80% of 2025 operating profit came from assessments and virtual schools, which he described as “very defensible and robust.” Around 10% came from digital courseware, the area some investors view as more exposed to generic AI tools. 4
That backdrop still matters. Reuters reported on Feb. 4 that Pearson, along with UK-listed data and information companies such as RELX and Experian, fell between 6% and 12% when Anthropic’s new AI tools triggered a broader selloff across data and professional-services stocks. 9
The key uncertainty is whether buybacks can do more than steady the stock while growth worries linger. Pearson’s shares were still down about 30% over 12 months as of late February, and finance chief Sally Johnson said in January that the lost New Jersey contract was worth 20 million to 30 million pounds. 4
Capital returns are not finished. Pearson goes ex-dividend on March 19 — meaning new buyers after that date will not receive the final payout — for a 17.4-pence final dividend due on May 8. 10
