Pearson (PSO) Cash Flow: Operating & Free Cash Flow

Pearson (PSO) Cash Flow Statement

In fiscal 2025 (fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025), Pearson generated GBP 674.88M of operating cash flow and spent GBP 28.36M on capital expenditures. That left free cash flow of GBP 646.51M, up 28.5% from GBP 503.00M a year earlier, or 18.1% of revenue. It returned GBP 571.20M to shareholders through GBP 156.49M in dividends and GBP 414.71M in share buybacks.

Pearson Cash Flow Statement Analysis

Values in billions GBP

Income Statement Balance Sheet Cash Flow Ratios

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Cash flow statement showing operating, investing, and financing activities for Pearson plc (PSO) - Annual data in billions GBP
Breakdown	FY 2025	FY 2024	FY 2023	FY 2022	FY 2021	FY 2020	FY 2019	FY 2018	FY 2017
Period ending	Dec 2025	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2019	Dec 2018	Dec 2017
Operating Activities
Net Income	0.46	0.51	0.38	0.32	0.16	0.33	0.27	0.59	0.41
Depreciation & Amortization	0.56	0.53	0.54	0.62	0.41	0.21	0.39	0.25	0.31
Deferred Income Tax	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	-0.28	-0.28	-0.18	0.03	-0.61
Stock Based Compensation	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.04	0.03
Change in Working Capital	-0.08	-0.02	-0.10	-0.04	0.00	-0.03	-0.12	0.01	0.16
Change in Accounts Receivable	-0.10	0.03	-0.02	0.03	-0.07	0.00	0.06	-0.02	0.13
Change in Inventory	0.00	0.02	0.01	-0.03	0.02	0.04	-0.02	-0.01	0.02
Change in Accounts Payable	0.03	-0.10	-0.02	-0.08	0.04	-0.03	-0.16	0.04	0.01
Change in Other Working Capital	-0.02	0.03	-0.06	0.00	0.01	-0.04	0.00	0.02	0.14
Other Operating Activities	-0.30	0.03	-0.34	0.00	0.01	-0.36	-0.01	-0.43	0.00
Net Cash from Operating Activities	0.67	0.63	0.53	0.36	0.33	0.39	0.37	0.46	0.30
Investing Activities
Capital Expenditures	-0.03	-0.12	-0.13	-0.15	-0.18	-0.05	-0.19	-0.20	-0.23
Acquisitions	-0.15	-0.05	-0.21	-0.23	0.02	-0.01	-0.19	0.10	0.42
Purchases of Investments	0.00	-0.01	-0.01	-0.01	0.00	0.53	-0.01	-0.01	-0.02
Sales/Maturities of Investments	0.00	-0.09	0.01	0.02	0.05	-0.08	0.01	0.02	0.02
Other Investing Activities	0.02	0.04	-0.06	0.04	0.03	0.07	0.06	0.31	0.47
Net Cash from Investing Activities	-0.27	-0.13	-0.30	0.01	-0.08	0.59	-0.33	0.21	0.65
Financing Activities
Debt Repayment	0.04	-0.92	-0.08	-0.17	-0.17	0.02	0.09	-0.44	-1.29
Common Stock Issued	0.01	-0.03	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01
Common Stock Repurchased	-0.41	-0.32	-0.22	-0.39	-0.02	-0.18	-0.05	-0.15	-0.15
Dividends Paid	-0.16	-0.16	-0.15	-0.16	-0.15	-0.15	-0.15	-0.14	-0.32
Other Financing Activities	-0.08	-0.04	0.00	-0.04	-0.09	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Net Cash from Financing Activities	-0.60	-0.24	-0.45	-0.80	-0.41	-0.30	-0.10	-0.73	-1.76
Summary
Effect of Forex Changes on Cash	0.11	-0.02	-0.01	0.04	-0.01	0.00	-0.03	-0.05	0.02
Net Change in Cash	-0.08	0.23	-0.23	-0.39	-0.18	0.68	-0.09	-0.11	-0.79
Cash at Beginning of Period	0.41	0.31	0.54	0.94	1.11	0.43	0.53	0.63	1.42
Cash at End of Period	0.33	0.54	0.31	0.54	0.94	1.11	0.43	0.53	0.63
Free Cash Flow	0.65	0.50	0.40	0.21	0.15	0.34	0.18	0.26	0.07
Supplemental Disclosures
Interest Paid	-	0.07	0.06	0.06	0.07	0.06	-	-	-
Income Taxes Paid	-	0.12	0.10	0.11	0.18	0.00	-	-	-

Source: Company financial statements from annual and quarterly filings. Data as of Jun 30, 2026. Data sources and methodology

Frequently Asked Questions About Pearson Cash Flow

What is Pearson's free cash flow?

Pearson generated free cash flow of GBP 646.51M in fiscal 2025 (fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025), operating cash flow of GBP 674.88M minus GBP 28.36M of capital expenditures. That was up 28.5% from GBP 503.00M a year earlier. Free cash flow equaled 18.1% of revenue.

How much does Pearson spend on capital expenditures?

Pearson spent GBP 28.36M on capital expenditures in fiscal 2025, compared with GBP 124.00M a year earlier. That equals 4.2% of operating cash flow.

Does Pearson pay dividends or buy back shares?

Yes. In fiscal 2025 Pearson returned GBP 156.49M in dividends and GBP 414.71M in share buybacks to shareholders, according to its cash flow statement.

What is free cash flow?

Free cash flow is operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. It is the cash a company has left for dividends, buybacks, debt repayment or acquisitions after funding its operations and investment. Full definition