ii view: Middle East live-events provider Informa reassures
Supplying data for AI purposes and with shares for the FTSE 100 company little changed year-to-date. We assess prospects.
18th June 2026 16:04
by Keith Bowman from interactive investor
Five-month trading update to 31 May
- Underlying revenue growth of 6.4% year-over-year
- Ongoing £250 million share buyback programme
Guidance:
- Expects full-year revenues of over $4 billion (£3 billion)
- Continues to expect double-digit underlying growth in full-year 2026 earnings per share (EPS)
- Expects strong growth in 2027 EPS
Chief executive Stephen Carter said: “The depth and breadth of Informa’s portfolio, both geographically and by market category, continues to deliver growth, international expansion and product and brand innovation.
“We have momentum in both our businesses, B2B Live Events and Academic Services, and are reconfirming full-year earnings guidance.”
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ii round-up:
Live events and business data provider Informa (LSE:INF) today reaffirmed full-year sales and profit hopes despite having to navigate business disruption for its operations in the Middle East.
Adjusted sales for the first five months to late May rose 6.4% year-over-year, improving from a gain of 6.25% in 2025. Management continues to forecast full-year revenues of over $4 billion (£3 billion), potentially pushing double-digit growth in annual earnings per share (EPS).
Shares for the FTSE 100 company rose 3% in UK trading having come into this latest news down around 5% so far in 2026. That’s similar to shares of fellow data and live events provider RELX (LSE:REL). The FTSE 100 index is up by just over 4% year-to-date.
Informa looks to help businesses connect and make better informed decisions. Sales for the group’s Live Events division rose 7.6% during the period, pushed by demand across the Americas, China and Europe.
Elsewhere, many live events due to take place in the war-hit Middle East region were either rescheduled or postponed until 2027.
Revenues for Informa’s other data-led Academic Markets division were pushed by growth of 5.5% for the Taylor & Francis publishing unit.
Informa predicted strong revenue growth for 2027, fuelling further strong growth in EPS. Broker Morgan Stanley reiterated its ‘overweight’ stance on Informa shares post the update.
First-half results are scheduled for 30 July.
ii view
Founded in 1998, Informa today employs around 14,000 people. The B2B Live Events division generated most sales over the group’s latest financial year at almost three-quarters. Academic Markets and generating sales via subscriptions, open research and advanced learning and publishing, accounted for a further 16%. Finally, the group’s TechTarget business, bringing together buyers and sellers of tech businesses and listed on the Nasdaq exchange, generated the balance of 9%.
Geographically, North America generated most sales in 2025 at 44%. That was followed by Europe at 16%, China at 12%, the UK at 5% and the rest of the world, including the Middle East, at 23%.
For investors, an early 2026 partnership deal with the Dubai World Trade Centre raised the group’s exposure to the geopolitically volatile Middle East region. Informa’s ratio of net debt to adjusted profits (EBITDA) sat at the upper end of management’s 1.5-to-2.5 times range as of 2025 full-year results. Adjusted sales for the TechTarget business fell 1.7% during the full year 2025 with its shares on the Nasdaq index down by almost a half over the last year, while a forecast future dividend of around 2.8% sits below the 5%-plus estimates at media rivals WPP (LSE:WPP) and ITV (LSE:ITV).
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On the upside, an ability to reschedule live events in the Middle East has enabled management to reiterate full-year sales and earnings growth predictions. A portfolio of more than 800 specialist, category-leading B2B brands continues to fuel growth for the Live Events division. Tech and AI-related companies paying Informa fees for access to its business data have included Microsoft, while shareholder returns continue to include a share buyback programme.
On balance, and while risks remain, a growing platform to bring businesses together and a consensus analyst estimate of fair value sat at over 1020p per share will likely leave investors long-term hopeful.
Positives:
- Diversity of businesses
- Over £1.8 billion of share buybacks since 2022
Negatives:
- Uncertain economic outlook
- Exposure to currency moves
The average rating of stock market analysts:
Buy
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