Informa Plc (LON:INF), the international Live B2B Events, B2B Digital Services and Academic Markets Group, has published half year results for 2025, delivering 20%+ reported revenue growth, increasing operating margins and confirming £150m of additional share buybacks.
Stephen A. Carter, Group Chief Executive, Informa PLC, said:
“Informa is further increasing the pace of performance, delivering 20%+ growth in our four key performance measures: Revenues, Profits, Earnings and Free Cash Flow.”
He added:
“Informa is 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.”
2025 Half Year Results…
· Double-digit reported growth: Informa delivered 20%+ growth in Revenues (+20.1% to £2,035.9m), Adjusted Operating Profit (24.0% to £578.9m), Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share (+25.2% to 29.8p) and Free Cash Flow (+25.0% to £356.9m), reflecting strong underlying growth and the benefit of last year’s portfolio expansion;
· Strong underlying growth1: Underlying revenues +7.8% and underlying adjusted operating profit +9.2% in H1 2025, reflecting further strong growth in Live B2B Events and Academic Markets;
· Revenue visibility and quality: c.£3.1bn, representing c.80% of 2025 revenue, is committed or visible through subscriptions, forward bookings and contracts, up from c.£2.7bn at H1 2024; A further £0.5bn+ of revenue is booked and committed for 2026, up c.15% year-on-year;
· Upgraded 2025 guidance: Group underlying revenue growth guidance increased from 5%+ to 6%±, including 8%+ in Live B2B Events; Reported revenue guidance maintained at £4bn± and adjusted earnings growth increased to 10%+, despite further weakening of US dollar (2025 average GBP/USD 1.33 versus 1.32 at the AGM Trading Update);
· Higher operating margin: Adjusted Operating Margin increased to 28.4% (H1 2024: 27.5%), underpinned by further underlying profit growth and ongoing AI Data Licencing Agreements;
· Statutory performance: H1 2025 statutory revenue of £2,035.9m (H1 2024: £1,695.3m), statutory operating loss of £137.0m (H1 2024: £262.9m profit) and statutory diluted EPS of (5.9)p (H1 2024: 10.8p), reflecting Informa TechTarget non-cash impairment (£484.2m) based on current US public market valuation of Informa TechTarget and its US trading performance;
· Balance sheet strength: €700m bond issue completed, extending pro-forma average debt maturity to 4.5 years and securing long-term financing flexibility.
The Informa Growth Platform…
· Live B2B Events…Continuing strong growth: Demand for category-leading live B2B events which deliver unique experiences, specialist content and access to international supply chains, reflected in another period of market-leading growth (8.5% underlying revenue growth in H1);
· Taylor & Francis…Further strong growth: Subscription renewals, further expansion in Open Research and continuing demand for specialist data and content archives underpins 11.9% underlying revenue growth in the first half, including 3-4% core underlying growth when excluding non-recurring Data Licensing Agreements;
· Informa TechTarget…2025 – The Foundation Year: Combination programme delivering accelerated cost synergies, portfolio simplification and increasing commercial focus in a subdued market (-4.3% underlying revenues in H1); Full year guidance for broadly flat revenues, with a tolerance range of +1% to -5% modelled within Informa’s 2025 guidance;
· 2025-2028 One Informa: Four-year programme designed to maximise Informa’s growth platform, capitalising on structural growth in our core markets:
· Market-Leading Specialist Brands…Aligning 800+ specialist B2B Brands to the Informa brand to further enhance profile and maximise opportunities for Brand Syndication and Partnership growth;
· Growth Markets…Deepening position in key B2B growth markets, including recent expansion in Luxury & Lifestyle through Informa Prestige, which now includes 10+ unique, high value brands (e.g. Palm Beach Boat Show, Boat International Publishing Group, Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, Monaco Yacht Show, Art Miami, Art Monte-Carlo), generating $150m-200m of revenues;
· Growth Geographies…Further syndication of B2B Brands in faster-growth geographies, including India, Vietnam, Indonesia, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and The UAE, including the launch of Money 20/20 Middle East in Riyadh and the proposed Dubai-based combination with Dubai World Trade Centre; Continuing international expansion of Academic, particularly in Open Research and Researcher Services;
· AI Time Dividend…Deployment of Informa’s proprietary specialist AI agent, Elysia, across the Group, providing all Colleagues with a powerful tool to drive efficiency and creativity, enabling reinvestment of time efficiency in growth and innovation;
· Marketing Effectiveness…Further embedding the use of the IIRIS Customer Data Platform across the Group, enhancing marketing effectiveness, customer targeting and audience scale/quality;
· Enhanced Customer Experience…Investment in further improving the Live B2B Events experience, including additional services, streamlined buying and self-service flexibility;
· Operating effectiveness…Simplifying the business, removing duplication and better leveraging technology to underpin the long-term profitability of the Group.
Increasing Shareholder Returns…
· Free cash flow strength…Strong cash conversion continues to provide flexibility for organic investments, portfolio expansion and consistent shareholder returns;
· Consistent dividend growth…2025 interim dividend increased 9.4% year-on-year to 7.0p;
· Increasing shareholder returns…Share buybacks of £200m completed year-to-date, with an additional £150m committed in the second half, taking total share buybacks to £350m in 2025 and over £1.8bn since 2022.
