Experian reports record FY26 performance

Experian plc, the global data and technology company, today issues its financial report for the year ended 31 March 2026.  

Brian Cassin, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

FY26 was a record year for Experian, with performance at the upper end of our expectations and strong strategic momentum. We delivered Benchmark EPS growth of 15%, reflecting operating leverage ahead of guidance, alongside 13% total and 8% organic revenue growth, at the top of our guidance range. We also achieved another year of very strong post-tax return on capital employed, at 17.2%.

Given the strength of our performance, cash generation and balance sheet flexibility, we have today announced a further US$1 billion share repurchase programme, whilst retaining significant capacity to continue investing in growth opportunities.

Looking ahead, we expect another year of strong growth in FY27, supported by continued expansion of our addressable markets, successful strategic progress, further productivity gains, and whilst taking a prudent approach to macroeconomic uncertainties linked to the Middle East. We expect to deliver another year of double-digit Benchmark EPS growth, underpinned by total revenue growth of 8-11%, organic growth of 6-8%, and margin expansion at the higher end of our Medium-Term Framework.

1.     See Appendix 1 (page 14) and note 5 to the financial statements for definitions of non-GAAP measures.

2.     Organic revenue growth is at constant currency.

3.     Revenue and Benchmark EBIT for the year ended 31 March 2025 have been re-presented for the reclassification to exited business activities of certain Business-to-Business (B2B) businesses, detail is provided in notes 6(a) and 7 to the financial statements.

4.     See page 15 for reconciliation of Benchmark EBIT from ongoing activities to Profit before tax.

Highlights

·      Strong performance in FY26. Revenue growth from ongoing activities was 11% at constant exchange rates, and 13% at actual exchange rates. Organic growth was 9% in Q4 and 8% for the full year.

·      Benchmark EBIT from ongoing activities rose 15% at actual exchange rates and 13% at constant currency to US$2,407m.

·      Margin expansion was above our expectations, with Benchmark EBIT margin of 28.6%, up 50 basis points at actual rates and 60 basis points at constant currency, and ahead of our Medium-Term Framework.

·      EPS growth was 15% at actual exchange rates, and 13% at constant exchange rates. Statutory Basic EPS increased by 29%.

·      Benchmark operating cash flow was US$2.2bn, a conversion rate of 93%. Return on invested capital was very strong, with ROCE of 17.2%.

·      Our financial position is supported by consistent cash generation and disciplined capital management, with net debt to Benchmark EBITDA of 1.7x.

·      All regions contributed to organic revenue growth during the year. North America delivered growth of 10%, with performance of 10% in H1 and 9% in H2.

·      Latin America grew 8%, showing good momentum, accelerating from 4% in H1 to 12% in H2.

·      UK and Ireland delivered growth of 2%, with 1% in H1 increasing to 3% in H2. EMEA and Asia Pacific grew 5%, with 6% in H1 and 3% in H2.

·      Consumer Services organic revenue growth was 9%. We now serve over 215 million free members globally.

·      B2B organic revenue growth was 8%, supported by strong performance across alternative data, mortgage, fraud prevention, analytics and our priority growth verticals.

·      As planned, we largely completed our cloud migration in North America and Brazil (excluding Health), creating a strong foundation for future innovation and productivity benefits.

·      Statutory profit before tax of US$1,951m increased by 26% increase year-on-year (FY25: US$1,549m), principally due to revenue growth, favourable non-cash financing fair value remeasurements and lower non-benchmark restructuring costs compared to the prior year.

·      We invested US$792m in acquisitions, expanding our differentiated data and capabilities to advance our strategic priorities.

·      We returned significant capital to shareholders. We executed US$725m in share repurchases during FY26 and increased our full year dividend by 11% to USc 69.25 per ordinary share.

·      We also today announce a new US$1bn share repurchase programme, with the programme valid to 30 June 2027.

There will be a presentation today at 9.30am (UK time) to analysts and investors via webcast. To view the slides and listen in online please go to experianplc.com for the link.

Experian will update on first quarter trading for FY27 on 16 July 2026.