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The Screen · Communication Services · Publishing
Pearson plc
PSO · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $10.9B · 13,665 employees
Pearson plc provides educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally.
Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 0.71, read 2026-10-27
Ethical passes the values gate
Price17.64 USD
Fair value18.30
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-11Read Accumulation16.16+9.2% to today ✓Markdown gives way to Accumulation
2026-09-10Read Markdown16.59+6.3% to today Distribution gives way to Markdown
2026-08-09Read Distribution16.57+6.5% to today Markup gives way to Distribution after an 8% rise in 5 weeks
2026-07-02Read Markup15.41+14.5% to today ✓First review on file: Markup
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Pearson plc holds its Accumulation at $17.64. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 47 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-10-27
Phase
Accumulation
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 47 days
Price at the screen
$17.64
Valuation
27.15 trailing · 18.71 forward price to earnings
Values screen
PASS· score 70.0
Beta
-0.05
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Full pass across all five screens. This security clears the Titan Ethical Standard: its business and its balance sheet both stay inside the lines.
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
22.93%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 22.9% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
0.37%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.4% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
15.24%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 15.2% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
1.17%
Below 5%
Only 1.2% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Clears, in Plain English
Pearson clears all five screens. Its business is in a permissible area, its interest-bearing debt is about 23%, inside the ~33% line, and interest is about 1% of its income, under the ~5% line, so it passes.
Read as at 2026-10-27. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
Follow this verdict
Get an email when PSO's ethical verdict changes
Today PSO passes the screen. If new figures move it to a fail, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
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Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-27 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 0.6% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 2 covering, consensus Hold. The average target sits −8% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-27 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Pearson sits too close to fair value
Think of Pearson as the steady textbook supplier that still prints the exams and online courses schools rely on. With revenue growing just 3 percent, a 9 percent profit margin and the same ROE, the business delivers reliable but unexciting returns. At 15.8 times forward earnings and only a 3 percent gap to our fair value the shares offer no real opportunity, so we pass.
The ethical screen is clean, yet two analysts rate the stock a hold with a median target below the current price. Unknown moat and slow growth leave little room for outperformance.
Education budgets can shift quickly with policy changes and digital rivals are always circling. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The things to watch: its business and earnings are exposed to United Kingdom and to currency swings.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
PSO trades on the NYSE (the company is based in United Kingdom). As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-10-25Accumulation$18.19+1.8%Entry 9
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 1.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 23% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 6%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $14.
2026-10-18Accumulation$17.86+10.5%Entry 8
The analysis reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 10.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 6%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $14.
The framework has shifted from markdown to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 6%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $14.
2026-10-02Markdown$16.16-2.6%Entry 6
Our analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 2.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 6%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $14.
2026-09-10Markdown · changed$16.59+0.1%Entry 5
The framework has shifted from distribution to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved up 0.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 6%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $14.
The framework has shifted from markup to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 7.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 6%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $14.
2026-07-18Markup$15.41+0.0%Entry 3
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 6%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $14.
2026-07-03Markup$15.41+0.0%Entry 2
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markup$15.41Entry 1
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
