Informa plc stock (GB00BMJ6DW54): earnings momentum and events pipeline in focus

Informa plc has updated investors on trading and announced a capital return and dividend alongside its 2024 full-year results, while highlighting a strong events and academic markets pipeline. US investors are watching the UK-listed information group’s global growth strategy.

Informa plc recently reported its full-year 2024 results and outlined plans for further capital returns and dividend growth, underscoring the group’s confidence in its events and academic information businesses, according to a results statement published on 03/13/2025 on the company’s website (Informa results release as of 03/13/2025). The UK-based group, which runs business-to-business events and owns Taylor & Francis, also updated investors on trading in early 2025, including performance in North America, as set out in a trading update dated 05/02/2025 (Informa trading update as of 05/02/2025).

As of: 18.05.2026

By the editorial team – specialized in equity coverage.

At a glance

• Name: Informa
• Sector/industry: Business information, events and academic publishing
• Headquarters/country: London, United Kingdom
• Core markets: Global exhibitions and conferences, academic research, specialist data and insights
• Key revenue drivers: In-person B2B events, subscriptions and content licensing
• Home exchange/listing venue: London Stock Exchange (ticker: INF)
• Trading currency: GBP

Informa plc: core business model

Informa plc is a diversified business information and events group, with operations in exhibitions, conferences, specialist data and academic publishing. The company positions itself as a connector of professionals and institutions, generating revenue from physical and digital events, subscription-based information products and academic content. Its portfolio spans sectors such as healthcare, technology, finance and industrials, giving it exposure to a broad base of corporate and institutional customers.

The group reports through major business units, notably Informa Markets, which operates large-scale exhibitions; Informa Connect, focusing on conferences and learning; Taylor & Francis, its academic publishing arm; and Informa Tech, which provides events and data services to the technology sector. This mix of face-to-face and digital offerings has become central to the company’s strategy, particularly since the pandemic, as customers increasingly look for year-round engagement, data-driven marketing and measurable return on investment.

Informa’s business model relies on building leading brands in niche communities, then scaling those brands across geographies and platforms. Large flagship events, such as industry trade shows and sector-specific conferences, typically generate revenue through exhibitor fees, sponsorships and delegate registrations. Academic publishing activities are driven by journal and book subscriptions, open access fees and institutional licensing agreements. The company aims to increase the proportion of recurring and subscription-based revenue to support more predictable cash flows.

Main revenue and product drivers for Informa plc

Informa’s largest revenue contributor is Informa Markets, which hosts exhibitions and trade shows across sectors including healthcare, construction, fashion, maritime and food. Many events are anchored in major hubs such as the United States, the Middle East and Asia, providing the company with a diversified geographic footprint. Revenue in this segment is closely linked to exhibition space sales, sponsorship packages and ancillary services for exhibitors and attendees.

The Taylor & Francis division contributes through academic journals and books in science, technology, medicine, social sciences and humanities. Academic and research institutions, libraries and corporate R&D departments pay for access to peer-reviewed content, while authors and funders sometimes support open access models. The division’s performance is influenced by library budgets, research funding trends and the ongoing shift toward digital and open access publishing. Informa has highlighted the importance of improving digital platforms and workflow tools to maintain relevance in the global academic market.

Informa Connect and Informa Tech round out the portfolio by providing conferences, learning programs, digital communities and specialized data products. The Connect segment often combines in-person events with online courses and content, creating opportunities for cross-selling and year-round engagement. Informa Tech operates technology-focused exhibitions and offers intelligence and research services to enterprises and vendors. Together, these segments provide recurring revenue through subscriptions and managed services, supporting margins and reducing reliance on any single event.

Recent results and capital return plans

For the year ended 12/31/2024, Informa reported growth in revenue and adjusted operating profit, reflecting continued recovery and expansion in its events portfolio, as well as steady performance at Taylor & Francis, according to the full-year results release dated 03/13/2025 (Informa results release as of 03/13/2025). The company noted strong demand for flagship exhibitions and reported that underlying growth in academic publishing remained positive over the period, as institutions continued to prioritize access to research content.

Alongside the results, Informa announced a recommended final dividend for 2024 and highlighted that the total dividend for the year would reflect its policy of progressive payouts, subject to cash generation and investment needs. The group also set out plans for further share buybacks, extending its capital return program, after earlier completing previous tranches funded by strong free cash flow, as described in the same 03/13/2025 announcement (Informa results release as of 03/13/2025). Management emphasized that the combination of organic investment, selective M&A and shareholder distributions remained central to its capital allocation framework.

In a subsequent trading update covering early 2025, released on 05/02/2025, Informa stated that trading was in line with or ahead of expectations across its divisions, supported by robust demand for live events and resilient academic markets (Informa trading update as of 05/02/2025). The company noted particularly strong performance in North American exhibitions and continued growth in higher-value digital services that complement its events franchises. This update also reiterated guidance for 2025, indicating management’s confidence in mid-term revenue and profit growth targets.

Strategic focus and portfolio development

Informa has been reshaping its portfolio over recent years, emphasizing scale positions in structurally growing markets and divesting non-core assets when attractive valuations are available. The acquisition of complementary events and data businesses and the disposal of smaller or sub-scale brands have aimed to create a more focused group with clearer segment leadership. Management has outlined a strategy centered on “market specialists,” “digital services” and “operational excellence,” seeking to deepen engagement with professional communities and enhance the data capabilities that support exhibitors and sponsors.

A key element of this strategy is the development of digital platforms that operate alongside physical events, enabling year-round lead generation, content distribution and data insights. For example, technology and healthcare customers increasingly look for tools that quantify the return on their marketing investments and support account-based marketing. Informa has responded by developing services that track engagement before, during and after events, offering analytics packages alongside exhibition space. This approach is designed to move beyond a purely transactional model toward longer-term customer relationships.

In academic publishing, Taylor & Francis has focused on expanding open access offerings and enhancing workflow tools for researchers, librarians and societies. The division has invested in platforms that streamline submission, peer review and publication processes, as well as discovery tools that help researchers find relevant articles more efficiently. Informa has indicated that it sees opportunities in emerging markets and in new forms of research output, while navigating ongoing discussions about open access funding and pricing structures with institutions and consortia.

Why Informa plc matters for US investors

Although Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and reports in pounds sterling, North America is a key region for the group’s exhibitions, digital services and academic sales. Many of its flagship events are held in US cities, and a substantial portion of Taylor & Francis’ institutional customers are based in the United States. This gives the company direct exposure to US corporate marketing budgets, research funding levels and broader economic conditions.

For US-based investors, Informa represents a way to gain exposure to the global business-to-business events industry and academic publishing sector through a non-US listing. The company’s performance is influenced by trends in US trade shows, conference attendance, technology spending and healthcare marketing, as well as by the purchasing power of US universities and research institutions. Currency movements between the US dollar and the British pound can also affect reported results and returns for dollar-based investors.

In addition, the group’s strategic decisions around capital returns, such as dividends and share buybacks, are relevant for income-focused investors who may be comparing Informa’s yield and growth prospects with those of US-listed peers in business information and media. The company’s emphasis on recurring revenue from subscriptions and data services could appeal to investors seeking more stable cash flows within the broader media and events space, while the cyclical nature of exhibitions remains an important factor in assessing variability.

Conclusion

Informa plc has underscored its confidence in the events and academic markets with its 2024 full-year results, a progressive dividend and continued share buybacks, while recent trading updates point to ongoing demand for exhibitions and digital services. The company’s strategic focus on scaling leading brands, expanding data-driven offerings and balancing capital investment with shareholder distributions shapes its risk and return profile. For US investors, the group offers exposure to global B2B events and academic publishing through a UK listing, with performance influenced by US economic conditions, research budgets and marketing cycles as well as currency movements. As with any stock, developments in end markets, execution of strategy and macroeconomic shifts remain key variables to monitor over time.

Disclaimer: This article does not constitute investment advice. Stocks are volatile financial instruments.