S&P affirms Informa rating: Informa stock falls 1.44 percent

Published on 10/20/2026 at 13:48 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

S&P sees debt to EBITDA toward 3.5x in 2026. Informa stock costs EUR 10.25 on October 20, 2026, 1.44 percent below its Xetra close.

Rating and expansion plans

S&P Global Ratings affirmed Informa's BBB rating on October 14, 2026.
Informa announced the GBP 2.24 billion Clarion acquisition on October 6, 2026.
Informa stock trades at EUR 10.25 at 1:41 p.m. CEST at Lang & Schwarz on October 20, 2026, 1.44 percent below the Xetra close of October 19, 2026.
Informa's next ten-month trading update is scheduled for November 17, 2026.

Isometrische Wertschöpfungskette von Inhalt bis Fachmesse, Informa plc GB00BMJ6DW54 — Informa plc (ISIN GB00BMJ6DW54) veranschaulicht isometrisch die Wertschöpfungskette von Inhalt bis Fachmesse und Konferenz, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Informa (ISIN GB00BMJ6DW54) trades at EUR 10.25 at Lang & Schwarz on October 20, 2026 at 1:41 p.m. CEST, down EUR 0.15 or 1.44 percent versus the Xetra close of October 19, 2026 at EUR 10.40. S&P Global Ratings affirmed Informa's BBB rating on October 14, 2026, after the company's Clarion acquisition and planned Taylor & Francis separation.

Clarion changes the growth profile

Informa announced the acquisition of Clarion for an enterprise value of GBP 2.24 billion on October 6, 2026. The company said the deal would add more than 100 B2B event brands and support a more focused live-events group, while the academic publishing business moves into a formal separation review.

The official company update projects full-year 2026 underlying revenue growth of 6 percent and double-digit underlying adjusted diluted earnings-per-share growth. It also says the enlarged B2B Live Events operation should generate more than GBP 4.20 billion of revenue and grow at 7 percent or more from 2027. Informa said Clarion is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory clearances.

What does the deal mean for leverage?

The credit picture is the key counterweight to the expansion plan. S&P Global Ratings expects adjusted debt to EBITDA to reach 3.5 times in 2026 before falling to 2.6 times in 2027. The agency also expects Informa's adjusted EBITDA margin to remain 28 percent in 2026 and rise above 30 percent from 2027.

Three dates define the next steps

On October 6, 2026, Informa announced the Clarion transaction and the Taylor & Francis separation process, according to Informa. On October 9, 2026, Deutsche Bank raised its price target from GBp 1,140 to GBp 1,290 while retaining a Buy rating, as Yahoo Finance reported.

On October 14, 2026, S&P Global Ratings affirmed the BBB rating. The next scheduled company event is the ten-month trading update on November 17, 2026, followed by the 2026 full-year results on March 11, 2027.

Stock trades below the Xetra close

Informa's current price places the stock 1.44 percent below the Xetra close of October 19, 2026. The contrast is notable: the strategy points to 2027 growth, while the market is still weighing acquisition financing and the temporary leverage increase.

The further course of trading is shown by the continuously updated real-time quote of Informa stock.