LONDON: Global B2B events and academic information giant Informa PLC (LSE: INF.L) delivered a robust set of half-year results for 2025, showcasing significant growth across key financial metrics and prompting an upgrade to its full-year outlook. The company also committed to a further £150 million in share buybacks, underscoring confidence in its trajectory.
Strong Core Performance Drives Growth:
Informa reported impressive double-digit growth for H1 2025: Revenue surged 20.1% to £2,035.9 million, Adjusted Operating Profit jumped 24.0% to £578.9 million, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) rose 25.2% to 29.8p, and Free Cash Flow increased 25.0% to £356.9 million. Underlying revenue growth, excluding portfolio expansion effects, was a healthy 7.8%, with underlying adjusted operating profit up 9.2%.
Upgraded Guidance on Visibility:
Buoyed by strong performance and high forward visibility – with approximately £3.1 billion (80% of 2025 revenue) already committed or visible – Informa upgraded its full-year Group underlying revenue growth guidance from 5%+ to 6%±. Reported revenue guidance is maintained at £4 billion±, while adjusted earnings growth guidance was increased to 10%+. The Live B2B Events division saw its underlying revenue growth target upgraded to 8%+.
Operational Strength & Strategic Initiatives:
- Live B2B Events: Continued to be the powerhouse, delivering 8.5% underlying revenue growth, driven by demand for specialist events in Healthcare, Construction, Private Capital, and Marketing.
- Taylor & Francis (Academic Markets): Achieved strong 11.9% underlying revenue growth, underpinned by subscription renewals and Open Research expansion (core growth 3-4% excluding non-recurring data licensing).
- Informa TechTarget: Characterized as a “Foundation Year” post-merger. Facing a subdued market (-4.3% H1 underlying revenue), it targets broadly flat full-year revenues as integration and cost synergies progress.
- One Informa Strategy (2025-2028): Initiatives like brand alignment (“Market-Leading Specialist Brands”), expansion in Growth Markets (e.g., Luxury & Lifestyle via Informa Prestige), Growth Geographies (India, KSA, UAE), AI deployment (“Elysia” agent), and enhanced marketing/customer experience are central to future growth.
Enhanced Returns to Shareholders:
Reflecting strong cash generation, the interim dividend was increased by 9.4% to 7.0p. Having completed £200m in share buybacks in H1 at an average price of 757p, the company announced an additional £150m buyback for H2 2025, bringing the year’s total to £350m.
Statutory Impact:
A non-cash impairment charge of £484.2m related to the valuation of Informa TechTarget resulted in a statutory operating loss of £137.0m for H1 (H1 2024: £262.9m profit) and a statutory diluted EPS of (5.9)p (H1 2024: 10.8p). This impairment reflects current US market valuations and trading performance, not underlying cash flows.
CEO Commentary:
“Informa is further increasing the pace of performance,” stated Group Chief Executive Stephen A. Carter. “We are built around world-class Brands, leading International market positions, First Party Data and, most importantly, Colleagues with specialist expertise and a passion to deliver for customers.”
Looking Ahead:
Informa emphasized its consistent delivery of 5%+ underlying revenue growth and improving margins. The upgraded guidance and significant forward revenue visibility (£3.1bn for 2025, plus £0.5bn+ committed for 2026) signal sustained momentum, despite currency headwinds (2025 avg. GBP/USD forecast: 1.33).