SCHL vs ZD vs WLY Stock Comparison

Scholastic, Ziff Davis and John Wiley & Sons Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
SCHL Scholastic Corp
$38.84 +15.7% 1M +34.5% 1Y
Market cap
$741.83M
P/E
13.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.57B
Div. yield
0.03%
Publishing Communication Services
2 wins
ZD Ziff Davis, Inc.
$55.37 -0.6% 1M +62.8% 1Y
Market cap
$2.02B
P/E
3.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.32B
Div. yield
–
Publishing Communication Services
6 wins
WLY John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
$50.58 +6.2% 1M +34.1% 1Y
Market cap
$2.60B
P/E
13.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.67B
Div. yield
0.03%
Publishing Communication Services
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Ziff Davis leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Ziff Davis 6, John Wiley & Sons 4, Scholastic 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSCHLZDWLYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $741.83M $2.02B $2.60B WLY
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 13.1x 3.1x 13.1x ZD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.2x 10.2x 10.2x ZD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -2.5% -0.7% -0.3% WLY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.6% 48.6% 11.9% ZD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 1.2% 2.6% 13.7% WLY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -2.6x 3.1x ZD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.00% 0.03% WLY
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +34.5% +62.8% +34.1% ZD
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.4%/yr -15.5%/yr -1.4%/yr SCHL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.3% 55.7% 37.0% SCHL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 88/100 74/100 ZD

Percentile Scorecard

SCHLZDWLY

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisSCHLZDWLY
Valuation 56 #24 of 53 98 #2 of 53 73 #15 of 53
Growth 33 #30 of 44 86 #7 of 44 98 #2 of 44
Profitability 51 #21 of 42 68 #14 of 42 93 #4 of 42
Financial Health 67 #21 of 61 88 #8 of 61 57 #27 of 61
Shareholder Returns 64 #10 of 26 100 #1 of 26 48 #14 of 26
Overall 54 88 74
  • SCHL ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media
  • ZD ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media
  • WLY ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodSCHLZDWLYSPY
1 month +15.7%-0.6%+6.2% +0.9%
3 months -5.3%+2.0%-9.3% +5.9%
6 months -3.5%+18.4%+24.5% +8.5%
Year to date +31.1%+57.5%+65.1% +13.3%
1 year +34.5%+62.8%+34.1% +12.4%
3 years +4.4%-5.0%+68.1% +88.1%
3 years, per year +1.4%-1.7%+18.9% +23.5%
5 years +7.3%-56.8%-6.6% +68.2%
5 years, per year +1.4%-15.5%-1.4% +11.0%
10 years +2.2%-10.2%-0.1% +263.4%
10 years, per year +0.2%-1.1%0.0% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureSCHLZDWLYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.3%55.7%37.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.3%40.6%35.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.310.630.13 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.981.130.92 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -66.7%-80.1%-50.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.0%-6.4%-9.3% -0.9%
52-week high $47.34$59.13$55.74 $779.14
52-week low $27.00$26.51$28.79 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleSCHLZDWLY
P/E now vs peer median 13.0xmedian 18.7x 3.1xmedian 18.7x 13.0xmedian 18.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.4xmedian 0.6x 1.5xmedian 0.6x 1.5xmedian 0.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.8xmedian 10.6x 4.2xmedian 10.6x 9.9xmedian 10.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median -47.5xmedian 8.9x 6.1xmedian 8.9x 10.7xmedian 8.9x
P/B now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 1.6x 0.9xmedian 1.6x 3.2xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 0.72median 0.49 0.03median 0.49 0.16median 0.49

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsSCHLZDWLY
Revenue $1.57B $1.32B $1.67B
Gross profit $888.70M $1.12B $1.24B
Operating income $15.20M $72.68M $248.83M
Net income $56.60M $643.49M $198.19M
Free cash flow -$14.40M $316.73M $239.89M
R&D – $57.65M –
EPS (diluted) $2.99 $17.69 $3.91
Cash & equivalents $106.80M $1.61B $106.43M
Total debt $184.80M $867.64M $1.29B
Shares (diluted) 18.90M 36.38M 50.75M
Enterprise value $296.23M -$1.18B $2.26B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricSCHLZDWLY
P/E 13.0x 3.1x 13.0x
P/FCF -47.5x 6.1x 10.7x
P/Operating cash flow 17.9x 4.3x 8.8x
P/S 0.4x 1.5x 1.5x
P/B 1.0x 0.9x 3.2x
P/Tangible book 1.2x 1.0x -45.6x
EV/EBITDA 7.8x 4.2x 9.9x
EV/EBIT 50.1x 16.5x 15.1x
EV/Revenue 0.5x 0.9x 2.3x
EV/FCF -52.9x 3.8x 15.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.0x 2.7x 12.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.72 0.03 0.16

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSCHLZDWLY
Revenue growth (1Y) -2.5% -0.7% -0.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.0% -1.2% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) -1.2% -2.1% 0.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -0.3% -1.8% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 25.6% -6.2% 11.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -38.5% -27.1% –
Net income growth (1Y) 639.0% 873.6% 103.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -0.6% 89.4% 76.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 818.7% 1,055% 116.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.0% 106.0% 79.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -54.8% 31.1% 40.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -39.4% 14.5% 0.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -134.2% 35.9% 62.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -28.8% 18.3% 6.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSCHLZDWLY
Gross margin 56.5% 84.9% 74.6%
EBITDA margin 6.2% 21.5% 22.6%
Operating margin 1.0% 5.5% 14.9%
Pretax margin 5.6% -1.9% 11.1%
Net margin 3.6% 48.6% 11.9%
FCF margin -0.9% 23.9% 14.4%
Operating cash flow margin 2.4% 33.8% 17.4%
Return on equity 8.0% 33.5% 24.1%
Return on assets 3.3% 17.9% 6.9%
Return on invested capital 1.2% 2.6% 13.7%
Return on capital employed 1.3% 2.7% 11.4%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.4x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.7x 0.7x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 3.6% 1.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSCHLZDWLY
Debt / assets 10.7% 21.7% 41.2%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.4x 1.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -2.6x 3.1x
Debt / FCF -12.8x 2.7x 5.4x
Liabilities / assets 61.9% 44.0% 74.6%
Equity / assets 38.1% 56.0% 25.4%
Interest coverage – – 5.3x
Current ratio 1.3x 2.2x 0.6x
Quick ratio 0.5x 2.1x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.2x 1.7x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.21 2.04 2.12

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSCHLZDWLY
Dividend yield 2.2% – 2.8%
Net buyback yield 38.8% 14.2% 4.0%
Shareholder yield 41.0% 14.2% 6.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 32.9% – 37.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) -129.2% – 30.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) -15.8% – -3.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -11.7% – -1.6%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusSCHLZDWLY
Forward P/E 29.2xFY2026 10.2xFY2026 10.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.33FY2026 $5.44FY2026 $4.95FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -28.9%FY2026 -17.9%FY2026 +18.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +78.2% +4.0% +4.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.66BFY2026 $1.15BFY2026 $1.63BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +5.1%FY2026 -20.6%FY2026 -2.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +4.8% +0.6% +13.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSCHLZDWLY
Held by institutions 73.2% 100.0% 99.1%
Institutions holding 226 267 264
Change in shares held, QoQ -8.2% -2.6% -0.6%
Institutions buying 109 116 142
Institutions selling 89 106 77
Buyers to sellers 1.22 1.09 1.84

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

SCHLZDWLY
SCHL 1.00 0.16 0.25
ZD 0.16 1.00 0.23
WLY 0.25 0.23 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, SCHL, ZD and WLY?

John Wiley & Sons (WLY) is the largest by market capitalisation: Scholastic (SCHL) $741.83M, Ziff Davis (ZD) $2.02B, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) $2.60B.

Which stock is cheaper, SCHL, ZD and WLY?

Ziff Davis (ZD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Scholastic (SCHL) 13.1x, Ziff Davis (ZD) 3.1x, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) 13.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ziff Davis (ZD) is cheapest (Scholastic (SCHL) 29.2x, Ziff Davis (ZD) 10.2x, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) 10.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

John Wiley & Sons (WLY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Scholastic (SCHL) -2.5%, Ziff Davis (ZD) -0.7%, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) -0.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ziff Davis (ZD) has the highest net margin (Scholastic (SCHL) 3.6%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 48.6%, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) 11.9%). On return on invested capital, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) leads (Scholastic (SCHL) 1.2%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 2.6%, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) 13.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ziff Davis (ZD) returned the most: Scholastic (SCHL) +34.5%, Ziff Davis (ZD) +62.8%, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) +34.1%. Over five years, Scholastic (SCHL) compounded fastest (Scholastic (SCHL) +1.4%/yr, Ziff Davis (ZD) -15.5%/yr, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) -1.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

John Wiley & Sons (WLY) has the highest dividend yield: Scholastic (SCHL) 0.03%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 0.00%, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) 0.03%. Ziff Davis (ZD) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Scholastic (SCHL) has been the steadiest (Scholastic (SCHL) 35.3%, Ziff Davis (ZD) 55.7%, John Wiley & Sons (WLY) 37.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, SCHL, ZD and WLY?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Ziff Davis (ZD) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.