Slides
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Results for the six months ended 31 August 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Strong outlook underpinning expectations for record results in 2026/27
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Highlights Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 2 Revenue £151.6m, Adjusted Profit £16.8m, margin 11.1% and dividend up 5% Strong balance sheet; debt repayment of $10m in H1 2026/27, net cash £22.8m Strong consumer titles for H2 2026/27 including two new Sarah J. Maas novels Board has confidence in delivering record profit in line with expectations Confident in delivering record profits in 2026/27 Leadership succession plan announced; Nigel Newton Executive Chairman for five-year term with new Chief Executive to be appointed in two years’ time Academic & Professional showing good growth (ex-AI) in all formats and territories
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Dividend Growth Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 3 Dividend increased 5% Unbroken track record of dividend growth since flotation in 1994 Notes: * Dividends adjusted for stock split in June 2003 ** Dividend for 14 months ended 28 February 2011 included 0.28 pence per share for the two months ended 28 February 2011 *** Dividend for the year ended 29 February 2020 was made up of 1.28 pence per share of cash and 6.89 pence per share bonus issue value **** Special dividend in 2021 ***** Interim dividend increased to reflect the balance of the Bloomsbury portfolio between H1 and H2 H2 27 Final dividend 2027 as per consensus 0.41 0.47 0.52 0.60 0.66 0.70 0.75 0.78 0.81 0.89 0.94 0.98 1.02 1.06 1.10 1.15 1.21 1.28 1.28 1.34 1.41 3.70 3.89 4.08 4.28 0.66 0.85 0.88 0.90 0.93 0.95 1.25 1.58 1.38 1.67 2.48 3.00 3.00 3.30 3.47 3.65 4.19 4.31 4.56 4.84 5.08 5.34 5.60 6.36 6.75 6.89 7.58 9.78 9.40 10.34 10.99 11.54 12.12 31 Dec 94* 31 Dec 95* 31 Dec 96* 31 Dec 97* 31 Dec 98* 31 Dec 99* 31 Dec 00* 31 Dec 01* 31 Dec 02* 31 Dec 03* 31 Dec 04 31 Dec 05 31 Dec 06 31 Dec 07 31 Dec 08 31 Dec 09 28 Feb 11** 29 Feb 12 28 Feb 13 28 Feb 14 28 Feb 15 29 Feb 16 28 Feb 17 28 Feb 18 28 Feb 19 29 Feb 20*** 28 Feb 21 28 Feb 21**** 28 Feb 22 28 Feb 23 29 Feb 24***** 28 Feb 25 28 Feb 26 28 Feb 27 Pence per share
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Bloomsbury Investment Case Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 4 Dividend • Bloomsbury has delivered unbroken dividend growth since flotation in 1994 • 13% CAGR in total dividend over five years Flywheel effect of successful long term strategy • Diversified portfolio of Consumer and Academic publishing across formats and territories • Investment in content driving demand, generating cash to fund investment and dividend M&A: Scale through selective and strategic acquisitions • 34 acquisitions completed; assessing opportunities in line with long term growth strategy • Integration of Rowman & Littlefield, our largest acquisition, successfully completed Consumer • Diversification across genres with proven ability to build bestselling authors • Strong backlist with bestselling franchises and robust publication pipeline Academic • Diversification internationally and digitally, expansion of subject verticals • AI presents new revenue opportunities Portfolio strategy drives growth and resilience
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Financial Highlights £m H1 2026/27 H1 2025/26 2026/27 vs 2025/26 Revenue 151.6 159.5 (5%) Adjusted Profit* 16.8 24.0 (30%) Profit margin* 11.1% 15.0% -390bps Adjusted diluted EPS 16.67p 22.98p (27%) Net cash 22.8 2.4 850% Dividend per share 4.28p 4.08p 5% Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 5 Strong net cash position Notes: * Profit before tax excluding highlighted items (as shown on Appendix slide ‘Highlighted items’)
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Divisional Analysis Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 6 Consumer Academic & Professional £m H1 2026/27 H1 2025/26 H1 2026/27 H1 2025/26 Print sales 77.3 80.5 20.7 15.6 Digital sales 20.5 20.9 26.3 28.7 Other 5.0 12.0 1.8 1.8 Total revenue 102.8 113.4 48.8 46.1 Adjusted Profit* 9.8 13.4 6.8 11.0 Notes: * Profit before tax excluding highlighted items
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Consumer Bestsellers 7 Diversification across genres • Romantasy: Sarah J. Maas’ two new novels in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, A Court of Splintered Harmony and A Court of Forgotten Melody in 2026/27 • J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter benefitting from the new Harry Potter series starting on Christmas Day 2026 on HBO Max with TV tie-in of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone • Non-fiction: Gillian Anderson’s Want was followed by More into the bestseller list in September 2026 • Children’s: Katherine Rundell announced a multi-film agreement with Walt Disney Studios. The third in the Impossible Creatures series, The Neverfear, was published in August 2026 • Cookery: Poppy O’Toole’s successful series of Poppy Cooks continued with Poppy Cooks: Actually Delicious Batch Cookbook, published in September 2026 • Fantasy: Samantha Shannon’s Among the Burning Flowers was on the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller lists, her new book The Moth Reborn is out in February 2027 • Award winning: Renée Watson won the Newbery Medal for the New York Times bestseller All the Blues in the Sky and her new novel Everything New Again was published on 13 October in the US (5 November in the UK) Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results
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Strong publishing list for 2026/27 Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 8
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Academic & Professional Operational developments driving revenue growth • Academic & Professional (A&P) revenue growth of 5.9% to £48.8m • Reassuring recovery with good growth in all formats (ex-AI) and all territories • AI agreement ongoing in 2026/27 as more titles are added and authors opt-in • Bloomsbury’s featured Gemini Notebook How to Study reached 568k readers • Integration of Rowman & Littlefield successfully completed Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 9 Good underlying Adjusted Profit and margin • A&P Adjusted Profit of £6.8m with margin of 13.9% • Strong comparative from operational gearing from AI licensing agreement Expansion in Asia • Bloomsbury Singapore spearheading publishing growth in Asia • Establishing strong relationships with key institutions in Singapore and China • Projected 600m global higher education students by 2040 with over 60% in Asia* *World Bank estimates 380m students globally by 2030. Estimated that by 2040 there could be 600m Higher Education students in the world, with over 60% in Asia (Calderon, UNESCO). Academic & Professional underlying growth in all formats and territories
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Balance Sheet Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 10 £m 31 August 2026 31 August 2025 Goodwill & acquired intangibles 109.7 118.6 Internally generated intangibles 11.5 9.8 Property, plant & equipment 2.6 2.6 Tax balances: deferred & current 15.8 14.9 Working capital (excl. tax)* 56.0 63.4 Other** (5.2) (3.9) 190.4 205.4 Net cash 22.8 2.4 Net assets 213.2 207.8 Balance sheet to support future growth Notes: * Includes finished goods inventory of £36.0m (H1 2025/26: £41.9m) ** Includes net lease liabilities per IFRS 16 and provisions
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Cashflow Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 11 Net cash £22.8m 29.2 22.8 16.8 (0.2) (4.3) (3.8) (9.8) (5.1) Net cash opening balance 28 Feb 2026 Adjusted Profit FX movement Tax Capex Dividends Other Working Capital Net cash closing balance 31 Aug 2026 Cashflow Bridge (£m)
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Portfolio of portfolios: Consumer bestsellers combined with growth in Academic publishing creating a resilient model Strong outlook: Two major events: Financial performance: Summary and outlook Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 12 Strong net cash position and outstanding start to the second half underpinning confidence Harry Potter new TV series on HBO Max starting on Christmas Day and two new Sarah J. Maas novels in October and January on top of exceptional new titles for 2026/27 The Board has confidence in delivering record Adjusted Profit in line with expectations for 2026/27
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Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 13 ‘A £10,000 investment in Bloomsbury when the business floated in 1994 would be worth more than £624,000*, if dividends had been reinvested – outgunning even Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.’ Joanne Hart, Midas share-tipping column, The Mail on Sunday *Updated
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Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 14 Shareholders, analysts, advisors and Bloomsbury management celebrating Bloomsbury Publishing’s 40th Anniversary, Bedford Square, London; September 2026
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Adjusted income statement Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 15 H1 2026/27 vs H1 2025/26 £m H1 2026/27 H1 2025/26 Change % Change CER% Revenue 151.6 159.5 (5%) (4%) Gross profit 90.1 94.6 (5%) (4%) Gross profit margin % 59.4% 59.3% Marketing and distribution costs (19.7) (21.7) (9%) (9%) Marketing and distribution costs as % revenue 13.0% 13.6% Administrative expenses (53.3) (48.2) 11% 12% Adjusted operating profit 17.1 24.7 (31%) (31%) Adjusted operating profit margin % 11.3% 15.5% Net finance cost (0.3) (0.7) Adjusted Profit 16.8 24.0 (30%) (30%) Notes: * The adjusted income statement excludes highlighted items of £7.5m: £4.3m for the amortisation of acquired intangible assets, £3.2m for integration and restructuring costs (as shown on Appendix slide ‘Highlighted items’)
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Adjusted segmental analysis H1 2026/27 vs H1 2025/26 Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 16 H1 2026/27 H1 2025/26 £m Consumer A&P Group Consumer A&P Group Print sales 77.3 20.7 98.0 80.5 15.6 96.1 Digital sales 20.5 26.3 46.8 20.9 28.7 49.6 Other 5.0 1.8 6.8 12.0 1.8 13.8 Total revenue 102.8 48.8 151.6 113.4 46.1 159.5 % of total 68% 32% 100% 71% 29% 100% UK 50.9 19.2 70.1 50.1 17.0 67.1 US 43.5 27.5 71.0 55.4 27.9 83.3 Australia 5.8 0.8 6.6 5.2 0.7 5.9 India 2.6 1.3 3.9 2.7 0.5 3.2 Total revenue 102.8 48.8 151.6 113.4 46.1 159.5 Gross margin 56.2 33.9 90.1 59.8 34.8 94.6 Gross margin % 55% 69% 59% 53% 75% 59% Adjusted operating profit* 10.1 7.0 17.1 13.6 11.1 24.7 Adjusted operating profit % 10% 14% 11% 12% 24% 15% Adjusted Profit** 9.8 6.8 16.8 13.4 11.0 24.0 Notes: * Adjusted operating profit is operating profit before highlighted items ** 2026/27 Adjusted Profit additionally includes £0.2m of central net finance income and 2025/26 Adjusted Profit additionally includes £0.4m of central net finance costs which is not allocated by division
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Adjusted segmental analysis H1 2026/27 at constant exchange rates vs H1 2025/26 Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 17 H1 2026/27 at constant exchange rates H1 2025/26 £m Consumer A&P Group Consumer A&P Group Print sales 77.6 20.8 98.4 80.5 15.6 96.1 Digital sales 20.6 26.6 47.2 20.9 28.7 49.6 Other 5.0 1.8 6.8 12.0 1.8 13.8 Total revenue 103.2 49.2 152.4 113.4 46.1 159.5 % of total 68% 32% 100% 71% 29% 100% UK 50.9 19.2 70.1 50.1 17.0 67.1 US 44.1 27.9 72.0 55.4 27.9 83.3 Australia 5.3 0.7 6.0 5.2 0.7 5.9 India 2.9 1.4 4.3 2.7 0.5 3.2 Total revenue 103.2 49.2 152.4 113.4 46.1 159.5 Gross margin 56.5 34.2 90.7 59.8 34.8 94.6 Gross margin % 55% 70% 60% 53% 75% 59% Adjusted operating profit 10.1 7.1 17.2 13.6 11.1 24.7 Operating profit % 10% 14% 11% 12% 24% 15% Adjusted Profit* 9.8 6.9 16.9 13.4 11.0 24.0 Notes: * 2026/27 Adjusted Profit additionally includes £0.2m of central net finance income and 2025/26 Adjusted Profit additionally includes £0.4m of central net finance costs which is not allocated by division ** Constant exchange rate results for overseas subsidiaries are calculated using the monthly exchange rate for the same period last year
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Revenue by source and destination Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 18 £m United Kingdom United States Australia India Total United Kingdom 34.2 – – – 34.2 North America 12.7 65.4 – – 78.1 Continental Europe 12.5 4.7 – – 17.2 Australasia 2.5 – 6.6 – 9.1 Middle East and Asia 7.0 0.3 – 3.9 11.2 Rest of the World 1.2 0.6 – – 1.8 Total 70.1 71.0 6.6 3.9 151.6 Source Destination 46% 47% 4% 3% Revenue by source United Kingdom United States Australia India 23% 52% 11% 6% 7% 1% Revenue by destination United Kingdom North America Continental Europe Australasia Middle East and Asia Rest of the World
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Highlighted items Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 19 H1 2025/26 H1 2026/27 Total TotalAmortisation of acquired intangibleassets £4.3m Integration and restructuring costs £3.2m Legal and other professional costs relating to ongoing and completed acquisitions, integration and restructuring costs Amortisation of acquired intangibleassets £4.5m £1.2m £7.5m £5.7m
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Leveraging our acquisitions Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 20 Acquisition Year Contributing to the following Bloomsbury Digital Resources Rowman & Littlefield 2024 Bloomsbury Collections, Drama Online, History, Business and Psychology ABC-CLIO 2021 ABC-CLIO school and academic databases Red Globe Press 2021 Bloomsbury Collections, Cite them Right, Social Work Toolkit and Skills for Study Online Art Films 2021 Bloomsbury Video Library and Drama Online Zed 2020 Bloomsbury Collections Oberon 2019 Drama Online IB Tauris 2018 Bloomsbury Collections Family Law 2016 Bloomsbury Professional Online Hart 2013 Bloomsbury Collections and Bloomsbury Professional Online AVA 2012 Bloomsbury Applied Visual Arts, Fairchild Books Library Fairchild 2012 Fairchild Books Library Continuum 2011 Bloomsbury Collections, Bloomsbury Encyclopaedia of Philosophers, Bloomsbury Childhood and Education Studies, Bloomsbury Popular Music, Screen Studies and Bloomsbury CPD for Teachers Bristol Classical Press 2010 Bloomsbury Collections Bloomsbury Professional 2009 Bloomsbury Professional Online and Bloomsbury Collections Arden 2008 Drama Online Methuen 2006 Drama Online
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Investor Relations Contacts Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 21 Tamsin Garrity | Group Investor Relations Director 50 Bedford Square London WC1B 3DP tamsin.garrity@bloomsbury.com Dan de Belder Emily Brooker Hudson Sandler 25 Charterhouse Square London EC1M 6AE bloomsbury@hudsonsandler.com www.bloomsbury.com /bloomsburypublishing /bloomsburypublishing /bloomsburybooks /bloomsburypublishing /@bloomsburybooks
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Keith Underwood joined Bloomsbury from Guardian Media Group (GMG) where he was Chief Financial and Operating Officer. He joined GMG in June 2020 as an Executive Member of the Board. Before GMG, Keith worked at Channel 4 as Chief Financial and Operating Officer. Prior to joining Channel 4, he was employed by Discovery Networks International, Sky and PwC. Keith is a Chartered Accountant. Founder & Executive Chairman Chief Financial & Operating Officer Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 22 Nigel Newton CBE is the founder of Bloomsbury Publishing. He was born and raised in San Francisco. He read English at Selwyn College, Cambridge and after working at Macmillan Publishers, he joined Sidgwick & Jackson. He left Sidgwick in 1986 to start Bloomsbury Publishing. Nigel Newton was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to the publishing industry.
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Other notes All metrics and commentary in this presentation are at reported foreign exchange rates and include adjusting items unless stated otherwise. The amortisation of acquired intangible assets has been highlighted in the financial results. Adjusting items are highlighted in the financial statements and this presentation because in the opinion of the Directors, they provide additional understanding of the ongoing performance of the Group. Certain financial data within this presentation has been rounded. Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 23
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Disclaimer The information in this presentation has not been audited or otherwise independently verified and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or opinions contained herein. None of the Company or any of its affiliates, advisors or representatives shall have any liability whatsoever (in negligence or otherwise) for any loss whatsoever arising from any use of this presentation, or its contents, or otherwise arising in connection with this presentation. This presentation does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase any shares in the Company, nor shall it or any part of it or the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract or commitment or investment decisions relating thereto, nor does it constitute a recommendation regarding the shares of the Company. Certain statements, statistics and projections in this presentation are or may be forward looking. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or assumptions that may or may not occur and actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any particular expectation will be met and reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements contained in this presentation regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. You should not place undue reliance on forward- looking statements, which are based on the knowledge and information available only at the date of this presentation’s preparation. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or keep current the information contained in this presentation, including any forward-looking statements, or to correct any inaccuracies which may become apparent and any opinions expressed in it are subject to change without notice. References in this presentation to other reports or materials, such as a website address, have been provided to direct the reader to other sources of information on Bloomsbury Publishing Plc which may be of interest. Neither the content of Bloomsbury’s website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks from Bloomsbury’s website nor any additional materials contained or accessible thereon, are incorporated in, or form part of, this presentation. Bloomsbury Publishing | 2026/27 Interim Results 24