Informa (LSE:INF), the international B2B Live Events, B2B Digital Services and Academic Markets group, reported underlying revenue growth of 6.8% for the first half of 2026, excluding non-recurring data contracts, against the comparable period last year.
Reported revenue rose to £2,063.8m from £2,035.9m in H1 2025, though adjusted operating profit fell to £548.3m from £578.9m and adjusted diluted earnings per share dropped to 26.6p from 29.8p, reflecting biennial event phasing and rescheduled events in conflict-affected markets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia region.
Statutory operating profit swung to £323.3m from a £137m loss in H1 2025, with statutory diluted earnings per share of 10.4p versus a loss of 5.9p a year earlier.
B2B Live Events grew underlying revenue 8.0%, led by Informa Markets at over 10%, while Academic Markets rose 5.4% excluding non-recurring data contracts; Informa TechTarget's B2B Digital Services division saw revenues dip 1.3% amid subdued US enterprise technology spending.
"Informa delivered another period of strong performance and underlying growth," said Group Chief Executive Stephen A. Carter, citing the company's brands and data investment as underpinning momentum.
The group has $4.5bn of full-year revenue secured or visible through subscriptions and forward bookings, around 80% of 2026 targeted revenues and pacing ahead of last year.
Informa reaffirmed full-year guidance of 6%±underlying revenue growth and double-digit underlying growth in adjusted diluted earnings per share, raised its interim dividend 6.9% to 7.48p, and completed a €500m six-year Eurobond extending average debt maturity to 4.4 years.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
Informa delivered H1 2026 underlying revenue growth of 6.8%, reaffirmed its full-year guidance of 6%± underlying growth, and raised its 2026 buyback commitment from £250m to £350m—a 40% increase signalling confidence in cash generation. The buyback lift is material relative to the company's scale: at £350m, it represents a meaningful capital return commitment, anchored by 80% revenue visibility through subscriptions and forward bookings pacing ahead of prior year.
The reaffirmed guidance and buyback increase reinforce Informa's resilience despite headwinds in B2B Digital Services (down 1.3%) and event phasing impacts. The 80% revenue visibility and forward momentum support the earnings growth target, though adjusted operating profit and EPS both declined H1-on-H1, reflecting temporary event timing rather than underlying demand weakness.
Insights assembled by AI. Editor-reviewed and grounded in tickstock’s coverage and proprietary knowledge graph.
Content is for informational purposes only, not financial advice.
