PSOPearson plc

$16.43

Is it safe?

Can PSO take a bad year?

Pearson plc carries $1.20B of net debt at 2.19× EBITDA: a load its earnings can carry.

$1.20B

Net debt · as at FY2025 · under two and a half years of EBITDA, comfortable

Net debt / EBITDA
2.19×

Net debt / EBITDA · 1.97× a year ago · the load is going up

Interest cover
5.17×

Interest cover · operating profit covers the interest bill several times over

Annualised volatility
25%

Annualised volatility · about as steady as the market itself

Details
Total debtFY2025
$1.54B
Cash and short-term investments
$339M
Net debt
$1.20B
EBITDA, trailing twelve months
$549M
Operating profit, trailing twelve months
$507M
Debt / equity
0.42×
Total debt / EBITDA
2.81×
Annualised volatilitytwo years of daily moves
25%
Worst drawdown on file
−58%
Below its 52-week high
−6.7%

Balance sheet from SEC filings; drawdown and volatility from end-of-day closes; Altman Z from the filed statements.