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McGraw Hill, Inc.: Q1 FY2027 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2027, from the documents filed with the SEC on 13 August 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 2.6% to $549.9 million: Total revenue was $549.9 million, up from $535.7 million a year earlier, with Higher Education and K-12 named as the drivers. Source
  • Re-occurring revenue reached 77% of total: Re-occurring revenue was $425.6 million, up from $387.6 million, and 77% of total revenue. Transactional revenue was $124.3 million. Source
  • Net income rose to $57.9 million: GAAP net income was $57.9 million, or $0.30 diluted EPS, against $0.5 million a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.59. Source
  • Higher Education revenue rose 9.6%: Higher Education revenue was $199.8 million, with re-occurring revenue of $182.1 million up 14.1%. Management cited market share, price realization and enrollment. Source
  • Gross margin rose 290 basis points: GAAP gross profit was $439.2 million, a 79.9% margin. Cost of sales fell to $110.7 million from $123.4 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded: Adjusted EBITDA was $207.0 million, up from $191.4 million, at a 37.7% margin against 35.7% a year earlier. Source

“This quarter, we exceeded our expectations while building positive momentum as we prepare for the most important quarter of our fiscal year.”

Philip Moyer, President, Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue SourceFiscal year 2027$2,115 million to $2,175 millionKept
Re-occurring revenue SourceFiscal year 2027$1,587 million to $1,627 millionKept
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFiscal year 2027$750 million to $790 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Fiscal 2027 guidance ranges were re-affirmed, with no change to the revenue, re-occurring revenue or Adjusted EBITDA ranges. Source
  • New: Moody's Ratings upgraded the company's credit ratings in July 2026. Source
  • New: After the quarter, the company added an exclusive integration of the ROAR dyslexia screener, with assessment developed at Stanford. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 2.6% to $549.9 million: Total revenue was $549.9 million, up from $535.7 million a year earlier, with Higher Education and K-12 named as the drivers. Source
  • Re-occurring revenue reached 77% of total: Re-occurring revenue was $425.6 million, up from $387.6 million, and 77% of total revenue. Transactional revenue was $124.3 million. Source
  • Digital revenue grew 8.8%: Digital revenue was $353.5 million, up from $325.0 million. The company links this to the strength of its technology-based solutions embedded in learning. Source
  • Net income rose to $57.9 million: GAAP net income was $57.9 million, or $0.30 diluted EPS, against $0.5 million a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.59. Source

Segments and regions

  • Higher Education revenue rose 9.6%: Higher Education revenue was $199.8 million, with re-occurring revenue of $182.1 million up 14.1%. Management cited market share, price realization and enrollment. Source
  • Higher Education share gains continue: Management cited about five points of share gained over four fiscal years from traditional competitors, according to MPI. Source
  • K-12 revenue edged up 1.3%: K-12 revenue was $274.4 million, with re-occurring revenue of $196.6 million up 7.1%. Management cited multi-year contracts and ELA and Science capture rates. Source
  • Global Professional re-occurring growth: Global Professional re-occurring revenue grew 6.3% on medical solutions wins, including AI-driven Clinical Reasoning across osteopathic, physician assistant and nurse practitioner programs. Source

“Fiscal first quarter 2027 represents a solid start to our fiscal year, with revenue, re-occurring revenue, and Adjusted EBITDA all coming in above our expectations,”

Bob Sallmann, McGraw Hill’s Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Products and customers

  • AI learning tools reached 7.5 million users: Management said it served more than 7.5 million active users across eight live AI learning tools. Source
  • AI Reader interactions accelerated: AI Reader generated 63 million learning interactions across about 2.6 million students since inception through July 2026, up from about 47 million and 2.2 million in fiscal 2026. Source
  • Evergreen model expanded in Higher Education: Management said the Evergreen delivery model is improving customer experience and retention in Higher Education, and anchors the renewal base. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Gross margin rose 290 basis points: GAAP gross profit was $439.2 million, a 79.9% margin. Cost of sales fell to $110.7 million from $123.4 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded: Adjusted EBITDA was $207.0 million, up from $191.4 million, at a 37.7% margin against 35.7% a year earlier. Source
  • Operating and administrative costs rose: Operating and administrative expenses were $255.1 million, up from $241.5 million. Adjusted operating and administrative expenses were $232.2 million, up from $220.9 million. Source

“We believe that we are well positioned to deliver accelerating revenue growth and continued margin expansion in fiscal year 2027 and beyond.”

Bob Sallmann, McGraw Hill’s Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Demand and the order book

  • RPO fell to $1.52 billion: RPO was $1,522.2 million, against $1,671.4 million at March 31, 2026. Current RPO was $732.9 million, against $835.4 million. Source
  • Leading indicators strengthening into peak season: Management said K-12 ELA win rates are above target and Higher Education share gains continue, with leading indicators strengthening as the peak selling season begins. Source

Capital, cash and leverage

  • Gross debt reduction continues: Management reaffirmed its commitment to reducing gross debt toward a 2.0-2.5x net leverage target. Gross debt was $2,629.0 million, against $2,632.4 million at March 31. Source
  • Net leverage ratio at 3.2x: Net debt was $2,435.4 million on LTM Adjusted EBITDA of $759.9 million, giving a 3.2x Net Leverage Ratio, the same as at March 31, 2026. Source
  • Operating cash flow near breakeven: Operating cash flow was $0.6 million, against negative $96.7 million a year earlier. Investing outflows were $58.3 million, and cash ended the quarter at $193.6 million. Source

Strategy and AI

  • AI described as a tailwind: Management described AI as a genuine tailwind and said the agentic strategy continues to progress. Source
  • AI cited as a momentum contributor: Management said AI contributed to revenue growth, margin expansion, price realization and market share gains this quarter. Source
  • AI to augment precision education: Management said agentic AI will augment current solutions and reinforce precision education across its installed curriculum base. Source

Coming up, as management said on 13 August 2026

  • Peak selling season ahead: Management said it is preparing for the peak selling season, which it called the most important quarter of the fiscal year. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Active curriculum licenses Sourcemore than 100 million
Active users of AI learning tools Sourcemore than 7.5 million
Remaining performance obligation Source$1,522.2 million

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management noted that Middle East K-12 shipments were delayed this quarter and are being fulfilled. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said revenue, re-occurring revenue and Adjusted EBITDA came in above its expectations for the quarter. Source
  • Ahead: Florida approved the Math program in August, ahead of the state's adoption beginning in fiscal 2028. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.