- Expects annual revenue to be £335.9 million
- Sarah J. Maas tops bestseller lists in UK and US
- August release of J.K. Rowling’s Pocket Potters series
Shares in Bloomsbury (BMY) gained nearly 4% to 506p in morning trading as the publishing group said it expects to deliver results for the 12 months to 28 February 2026 in line with current consensus market expectations.
Today’s (16 July) share price gain contrasts to the publishing outfit’s year-to-date performance, which has seen shares fall by 25%. The fall driven by mixed full-year results announced in May that were accompanied by a somewhat uncertain outlook.
For the year ending 28 February 2026, the publishing outfit expects revenue to be £335.9 million and to deliver adjusted pre-tax profit of £41.6 million.
The company said: ‘We continue to execute our Bloomsbury 2030 vision focused on our growth, portfolio, and people.
‘The resilience of our business created through the portfolio of portfolios strategy underpins the confidence our board has in the future.’
TOPPED BESTSELLER LISTS
The publishing outfit can attribute some of its in-line outlook to the performance of its consumer division and best-selling ‘romantasy’ author Sarah J. Maas.
The author topped bestseller lists in the UK and US with the paperback launch of House of Flame and Shadow in June.
The company announced that it will be publishing J.K. Rowling’s Pocket Potters series in August, mini-guides to characters from the Harry Potter universe, adding that it has ‘a strong front list in the remainder of the year’.
The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997 and six further best-selling books and eight blockbuster films followed.
The Harry Potter books have been translated into 85 languages and sold more than 600 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling book series in history.
In the non-consumer division, the publishing outfit said the integration of US academic publisher Rowman & Littlefield continues with other 5,300 titles digitised and available on the BDR (Bloomsbury Digital Resources).
The company also said its international expansion is continuing with the opening of its Singapore office ‘to benefit from the forecast growth in the student population in the region’. Bloomsbury will be releasing its first-half results on 23 October.
IN LINE WITH CONSENSUS
Analysts at Berenberg said: ‘Bloomsbury has released a short AGM (annual general meeting) trading update this morning, with the key takeaway that the board expects full year 2026 results to be in line with consensus expectations.
‘The business has also managed to sign its first AI (artificial intelligence) licensing deal for its academic content, and we think there is scope for more deals over time.
‘Finally, author Sarah J. Maas posted on social media noting that the first drafts of the sixth book in her most popular franchise is complete.’
