John Wiley & Sons-A

John Wiley & Sons Inc is assigned a 4-star quantitative star rating, illustrating our stance that this share class offers a somewhat attractive opportunity for investors. The stock currently trades at a 7% discount to our quantitative fair value estimate of $52.34 per share; however, some caution is warranted due to this estimate's medium uncertainty rating. We require the price/fair value ratio to move a certain amount before the star rating can change. This stability-enhancing buffer is in effect for this stock.

The company's valuation metrics increase our estimated fair value. A company's valuation metrics provide insights into the market's expectations for its future growth and profitability. For example, the firm's enterprise value to market value ratio of 1.5 ranks in the top 30% compared with global peers. While highly leveraged firms can be risky, they can also be highly rewarding. This company's high enterprise value relative to its market value suggests that wise investments will yield outsize returns for investors. We believe this is a sign that shares could be cheap.

The company's profitability is an additional encouraging factor. Highly profitable companies are often more resilient in recessions and are likely to generate stronger future cash flows for shareholders. The firm's enterprise value to free cash flow ratio of 10.9, a core component of profitability, lies in the bottom 20% globally. This can be a sign of operational efficiency and potential for the company to fund growth, pay dividends, or reduce debt without needing additional capital. This characteristic further promotes our favorable price/fair value ratio.

In addition to the aforementioned drivers, our model considers momentum as part of its comprehensive analysis. This share class has outperformed the broader universe over the past year. While we believe the stock is undervalued, this outperformance had a negative impact on our valuation estimate.

The company's narrow economic moat rating suggests it should be able to maintain robust profitability for a decade or longer before competition erodes its advantage. In addition, the company's moderate financial health score is decent and doesn't seriously concern us with regard to financial distress.