Publishing Stocks in the US

The largest Publishing stocks in the US by market value are The New York Times Company ($10.7B), Pearson plc ($10.7B) and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ($2.7B), at prices of 4 Nov 2026.

• The New York Times Company: $66.50 | market value $10.7B | P/E 28.8
• Pearson plc: $17.74 | market value $10.7B | P/E 22.5
• John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: $52.30 | market value $2.7B | P/E 9.5
• USA TODAY Co., Inc.: $6.07 | market value $884M
• Scholastic Corporation: $38.39 | market value $707M | P/E 13.2
• Lee Enterprises, Incorporated: $6.59 | market value $147M

Share price | market value | P/E, biggest first. Prices and market values as of 4 Nov 2026; ratios as in the score list below.

Ranked by the 4-Factor Sector Score (growth & earnings 35, capital efficiency 25, valuation 20, relative strength 20). Prices as of 4 Nov 2026.

5 Publishing companies in the Publishing industry group (every listed company) have a page on Sector Alpha, by market value as of 4 November 2026, and all 5 are listed below, largest first. The largest is The New York Times Company ($10.7 billion) and the smallest with a market value is Scholastic Corporation.

Download all 5 Publishing companies (CSV)

The line below covers up to 5.2 years and opens on the 5Y view; the buttons cut it shorter. Over the last two years (104 weeks) this industry is 2% ahead of S&P 500. Earnings across its companies grew 56% on average over the last four reported quarters.

2 of the 5 companies with a long enough price record ahead of S&P 500 by 5% or more over three months.

Not ahead of S&P 500 on the three-month view this week; 2 of the 5 companies in the industry index above their 200-day average (no change from four weeks earlier); 2 of those 5 ahead of S&P 500 by 5% or more over three months (2 more than four weeks earlier); earnings rising at 3 of the 5 that report earnings.

Not ahead of S&P 500 yet, but 2 more stocks joined in four weeks, 0 → 2 of 5. Earnings mixed, 3 of 5 members have higher trailing twelve-month earnings than a year ago.

Both lines start at 200 in the same week, so the gap between them tells the story: the industry line is an equal-weighted index of 5 of its 6 companies (the 1 with too short a price record are ranked in the scorecard but cannot sit in this line). The bars underneath are trailing 12-month earnings per share, one bar per reported quarter, each member set to 100 at the start and the industry taking the middle value, so a price line pulling away from flat bars means the market is paying more for the same earnings. A bar turns grey when that figure is lower than the quarter before. The rules are fixed and the same everywhere on this site: ahead by 5% or more over three months, or behind by 20% or more over a year while earnings grew 20% or more. Hover or tap any point to read both values and the gap.

Publishing has done better than the S&P 500 by 24.2% over the last 52 weeks. Over 13 weeks the gap is a shortfall of 4%. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is the strongest against the sector itself at +19.1%.

Publishing has done better than the S&P 500 by 24.2% over 52 weeks, but is 4% behind over the last 13 weeks. 2 of 6 companies we track are beating the S&P 500 on relative strength (how a share price has done against the index over recent months), and 2 of 6 are ahead of the industry itself.

A score that ranks each company against the others in its industry. The four parts shown always add up to the total: Growth & earnings (35), Capital efficiency (25), Valuation (20), and Relative strength (20). Missing or old evidence affects only its own part, never as a hidden adjustment.

The New York Times Company has the strongest current balance of earnings trajectory, business quality, valuation and price confirmation, with 81.1% evidence confidence.

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated has the strongest one-year price move in Publishing at +66.8%. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. leads on relative strength against the S&P 500, at +18.6%. 2 of 6 companies we track are ahead of the index on that measure. Every line covers 314 weekly closes through 4 November 2026.

Price and relative strength

Price · same starting point: Every company, the sector's own index and S&P 500 all start level on the left edge of the window, so only the distance between the lines counts: the highest line has risen the most since then, and the chart at the top of this page is drawn the same way. It opens on one year; the buttons beside it stretch that to three or five.

RS vs S&P 500: How far ahead of or behind S&P 500 each company has been running, measured against its own recent average of that comparison, so the flat line at zero IS S&P 500: above it the company is beating the market, below it the market is beating the company. It opens on one year.

RS vs sector: The same measure taken against Publishing itself instead of the whole market, so the flat line at zero is the sector: above it the company is beating its own peers, which is the sharper test of the two. It opens on one year.

Biggest one-year moves

Strongest against S&P 500

Strongest against the sector itself

The New York Times Company has the highest Revenue among the 6 Publishing companies compared here, at $2,950 million. USA TODAY Co., Inc. is next at $2,230 million. The same company also has the highest Revenue growth, at 10.8%. 5 of 6 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Jun 2026.

What the numbers say: The New York Times Company is the largest at $2,950 million, 32.3% ahead of USA TODAY Co., Inc. The New York Times Company's growth is 10.8% from a $2,950 million base, with 19 reported quarters out of the last 20. Fast growth from a smaller base is not yet the same as proven size.

What this means: The New York Times Company is both the largest and the fastest-growing company here; the growth has to turn into margin and returns before it counts as more than a fast start.

This conclusion weakens if: The New York Times Company's revenue growth slows for two consecutive comparable reports while its operating margin also compresses.

Revenue is compared on a common reported-currency basis. Growth is year-on-year, so seasonality does not masquerade as progress.

Revenue · company comparison

Revenue · largest

Revenue growth · fastest growers

All-company data · latest reported quarter

In every all-company table on this page, each figure is the company’s latest single reported quarter. The rankings above them use trailing-twelve-month or current-market values, so a company can legitimately show a different number in each.

Revenue shows both size and speed. A large company can absorb shocks and pay for wide distribution; faster growth can mean market-share gains, new capacity or stronger demand. The best sign is usually growth that lasts without hurting margins and returns.

The New York Times Company has the highest OPM among the 6 Publishing companies compared here, at 17.1%. Pearson plc is next at 13.3%. Lee Enterprises, Incorporated has the highest Margin change at +3.8 percentage points, so level and change sit with different companies. 6 of 6 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Jun 2026.

What the numbers say: The New York Times Company leads opm at 17.1%; Lee Enterprises, Incorporated leads margin change at +3.8 percentage points.

What this means: The New York Times Company sets the level to compare against; the company improving fastest needs another report to confirm the change.

This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current margin change signal.

Operating margin compares operating profit with revenue. Improvement is measured in percentage points, not percentage growth.

Operating margin · company comparison

OPM · highest

Margin change · fastest expanders

All-company data · latest reported quarter

The New York Times Company has the highest Net profit among the 6 Publishing companies compared here, at $393 million. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is next at $198 million. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has the highest Profit growth at the 100% top of the scoring scale, so level and change sit with different companies.

What the numbers say: The New York Times Company earns the most, $393 million of profit over the last 12 months, 98.5% above John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. shows at least 100% on the scoring scale (104.1% in full) growth from a profit base of $198 million. A fast rate from a small base matters less than a large profit that keeps coming.

What this means: The New York Times Company sets the level to compare against; the company improving fastest needs another report to confirm the change.

This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current profit growth signal.

Net profit is the residual after operating costs, interest and tax. Growth off a loss or near-zero base is excluded from the fastest-grower rank.

Net profit · company comparison

Net profit · largest

Profit growth · fastest growers

All-company data · latest reported quarter

The New York Times Company has the highest ROCE among the 6 Publishing companies compared here, at 20.8%. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is next at 11.6%. Lee Enterprises, Incorporated has the highest ROCE change at +5.1 percentage points, so level and change sit with different companies. 6 of 6 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Jun 2026.

What the numbers say: The New York Times Company leads ROCE at 20.8%, 9.2 percentage points above John Wiley & Sons, Inc. A high return reported once may be one good year; a high return reported year after year shows a lasting business.

What this means: The New York Times Company sets the level to compare against; the company improving fastest needs another report to confirm the change.

This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current roce change signal.

ROCE asks how much operating return the business earns on the capital employed. Direction matters, but a single exceptional year should not be mistaken for durability.

Return on capital · company comparison

ROCE · highest

ROCE change · fastest improvers

All-company data · latest reported quarter

The New York Times Company has the lowest PEG among the 6 Publishing companies compared here, at 1.21×. Scholastic Corporation is next at 1.47×. USA TODAY Co., Inc. has the lowest P/E at −30.9×, so level and change sit with different companies. 2 of 6 companies report a comparable reading, the latest through Jun 2026.

What the numbers say: The New York Times Company has the lowest comparable PEG at 1.21×, 17.7% below Scholastic Corporation. That would need today's multiple, the company's own history and steady growth to agree.

What this means: A low valuation is a reason to look closer at the business, not a conclusion on its own.

This conclusion weakens if: The next two comparable reports reverse the current p/e signal.

PEG is shown only when earnings are positive and three-year EPS growth is between 5% and 60%. It is worked out the same way every time, as the P/E on the last 12 months of reported earnings divided by that growth rate, never on expected earnings. On Indian companies it is shown only where the two data feeds agreed. Where any of that fails the ratio is left out rather than printed: a P/E divided by a loss, or by growth measured off a tiny base, is a number that looks precise and means nothing.

Valuation · company comparison

PEG · lowest PEG

P/E · lowest P/E

All-company data · latest reported quarter

This Publishing comparison names 5 specific ways its own evidence can mislead, all listed below. All 6 companies here report on comparable dates, so no rank carries a stale marker. 1 of the 5 ranked sections has fewer than three usable current readings. A high growth rate can still come from a very small starting figure.

Keep these limits visible

• A high growth rate can come from a very small starting figure. The page keeps level and change separate for that reason.
• A high ROCE can be temporary, or look high because the capital base is small. It is best read beside margin, cash flow and how much is spent back on the business.
• The 4-Factor Sector Score ranks published data only. Management quality, upcoming events and risks are not part of it.
• An “all companies” line chart preserves completeness, but rank changes should be checked against reporting dates before drawing a conclusion.
• Thin comparisons: Valuation have fewer than three usable current readings.

This comparison is built from the reported filings of 6 Publishing companies, normalized to a common $ scale and a shared quarter axis of up to 20 quarters each. Fundamentals run through Sep 2026 and market data through 4 November 2026.

These 21 answers restate the Publishing comparison above in question form. Every one is computed from the same 6 companies and the same reported filings as the rankings and charts, current through Sep 2026. Price and relative-strength answers run through 4 November 2026. Nothing here is estimated, and none of it is a recommendation.