- The trend backdrop is active with a 13-week active streak.
- Price is above the Trend Line, keeping the weekly tape constructive.
- Price is above Fair Value, showing premium demand versus the model.
- Activity pressure is positive on the latest completed week.
PSON
LSE
Week ended 07 Aug 2026
Weekly Investor Report
Pearson plc · Communication Services · Publishing
Latest close
1,224 GBP
-2.6%
latest week
Weekly setup
Mixed setup
The weekly trend is active. Price is 13.9% above the Trend Line and sits at 75.6% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned -2.6%, after a -3.5% four-week move. The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth ranks weakly; valuation is expensive relative to peers. The latest news-sentiment score is 54/100.
Setup score
68
out of 100
Latest Close
1,224 GBP
7 Aug 2026
1W Return
-2.6%
latest completed week
4W Return
-3.5%
short-term follow-through
12W Return
11.3%
quarterly tape
Trend Breadth
25.0%
13 of 52 weeks active
Volume Ratio
1.9x
vs 13-week average
- No major top-level risk cluster is currently dominant.
- Trend Line remains the key weekly regime level.
- Activity pressure is the gauge to monitor for confirmation or fade.
- A volume ratio above 1.5x would show stronger participation in the next move.
Price follow-through
-2.6%
Latest completed week; four-week move -3.5%.
Indicator stack
59/74
Trend and activity pressure are weighted against the latest 12-week confirmation window.
Trend backdrop
Active
The trend backdrop defines the current weekly regime.
Patient Capital
Quiet
Activity-pressure buy-signal status for institutional accumulation timing.
Next-Week Expectancy
Positive 56.58%
Historical one-week expectancy contributes to the evidence score when direction is confirmed.
News sentiment
54/100
30 relevant articles in the latest sentiment read.
01 · Price action
Study the full chart
Where price is—and whether the trend supports it
The weekly trend is active. Price is 13.9% above the Trend Line and sits at 75.6% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned -2.6%, after a -3.5% four-week move.
52-week price path
Price vs Trend Line and Fair Value
Price
Trend Line
Fair Value
02 · Volume and demand
Is real participation confirming the move?
Latest weekly volume is 1.9x the 13-week average. Participation is unusually strong and confirms that the move is attracting attention.
26-week volume confirmation
Bar height shows volume; colour shows the weekly price direction
13 Feb
20 Feb
27 Feb
6 Mar
13 Mar
20 Mar
27 Mar
3 Apr
10 Apr
17 Apr
24 Apr
1 May
8 May
15 May
22 May
29 May
5 Jun
12 Jun
19 Jun
26 Jun
3 Jul
10 Jul
17 Jul
24 Jul
31 Jul
7 Aug
Up week
Down week
Demand beneath price
Activity pressure and institutional-style signals
These indicators assess whether participation is improving beneath the headline price move. They are supporting evidence, not proof of institutional buying.
Activity pressure path
Latest 0.8912-week average 0.68
12-week confirmation
Trend active12/12Active trend-backdrop weeks in the latest 12-week window.
Positive pressure12/12Weeks with constructive activity pressure in the latest 12-week window.
Positive leadership11/12Weeks with positive relative leadership in the latest 12-week window.
Activity pressure0.89Current proprietary activity-pressure read.
Buy signals0Accumulation signal count in the latest 12 weeks.
Reversal markers0No reversal markers
No recent accumulation markers. No reversal markers.
03 · Momentum and leadership
Is performance persistent—and is the stock leading?
Performance is -3.5% over four weeks, 11.3% over 12 weeks, and 13.9% over one year. The current trend has remained active for 13 consecutive weeks.
Performance by holding period
Active trend streak13 weeks
Active weeks in one year13
Trend breadth25.0%
Activity pressure vs relative leadership
Activity pressureRelative leadership
Pressure1.31Latest activity-pressure read.
Pressure change5.5%Four-week change in activity pressure.
Leadership6.12Latest relative-leadership reading.
RS change-55.8%Four-week change in relative leadership.
04 · Fundamentals and valuation
Open full factor analysis
What investors are paying for—and the quality behind it
The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth ranks weakly; valuation is expensive relative to peers.
Factor week 09 Aug 2026
Financial statements through 31 Dec 2025
Field coverage 91%
Model confidence 72%
Relative factor standing
Higher display scores are better. Each score is converted from the underlying universe rank, where rank 1 is best.
Overall factor strength52/100Blend of value, momentum, and quality. Underlying universe rank 49; rank 1 is best.
Value15/100Relative valuation strength. Underlying universe rank 86; rank 1 is best.
Quality90/100Profitability and accounting quality. Underlying universe rank 11; rank 1 is best.
Momentum85/100Medium-term price momentum. Underlying universe rank 16; rank 1 is best.
Growth5/100Revenue and earnings growth. Underlying universe rank 96; rank 1 is best.
Quality and valuation are separate questions
A strong company can still carry a demanding valuation. This report shows profitability, growth, balance-sheet strength, and the price paid for those characteristics separately.
Value-quality framework57/100Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.
Valuation
How much investors are paying for earnings, sales, and cash flow.
- P/E
- 22.0x Price divided by trailing earnings.
- Price / sales
- 2.1x Market value relative to trailing revenue.
- EV / EBITDA
- 7.7x Enterprise value relative to operating cash earnings.
- Free-cash-flow yield
- 6.1% Free cash flow as a share of enterprise value.
Business quality
Margins and the return generated on invested capital.
- Gross margin
- 52.0% Gross profit retained from each unit of revenue.
- Operating margin
- 16.7% Operating profit retained from revenue.
- Free-cash-flow margin
- 14.6% Free cash flow generated from revenue.
- Return on invested capital
- 9.3% Operating return generated on invested capital.
Growth and financial strength
Recent business growth and accounting strength.
- Revenue growth
- 0.7% Latest one-year revenue growth.
- EPS growth
- -19.1% Latest one-year earnings-per-share growth.
- Free-cash-flow growth
- 3.8% Latest one-year free-cash-flow growth.
- Piotroski F-score
- 7/9 Nine-point accounting-strength checklist.
Shareholder return and balance sheet
Cash returned to owners and financial leverage.
- Dividend yield
- 2.1% Cash dividends relative to market value.
- Buyback yield
- 4.8% Net share repurchases relative to market value.
- Shareholder yield
- 6.8% Dividend yield plus net buyback yield.
- Net debt / EBITDA
- 1.0x Balance-sheet debt relative to operating cash earnings.
05 · Ownership, options, and sentiment
What other market participants are doing
Options, insider transactions, market sentiment, and activity-pressure signals can confirm or challenge the price story. None should be used alone.
Insider activity-
No recent insider transactions are stored for this company.
News sentiment54/100
Weighted news tone is neutral across 30 relevant articles.
6 positive · 23 neutral · 1 negativePatient CapitalQuiet
Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.
No recent buy signal
06 · Catalysts and risk
What can move the shares—and how volatile the path has been
Event timing, options-implied movement, drawdown, and weekly return distribution frame the risk around the current setup.
Next earnings-No event is currently stored.
Options expected move-Nearest-chain priced movement where available.
52-week drawdown-8.5%Distance below the 52-week high.
13-week volatility2.5%Standard deviation of weekly returns.
Weekly gains and losses
Latest 26 completed weeksEach bar is one week. Gains rise above the zero line; losses fall below it. Taller bars mean a larger weekly move.
13 Feb
13 Mar
10 Apr
8 May
5 Jun
3 Jul
7 Aug
Weeks higher15 of 2611 weeks finished lower.
Best week+8.3%Week of 17 Apr.
Worst week-3.0%Week of 20 Mar.
Latest week-2.6%Week of 7 Aug.
Shape of recent returns
Strong gains5
Modest gains10
Flat weeks0
Modest losses11
Sharp losses0
Recent vol2.5%13-week weekly-return volatility.
Base vol3.5%52-week weekly-return volatility.
Up/down split26/26Count of positive and negative weeks in the 52-week window.
Average skew3.0% / -2.4%Average positive week versus average negative week.
07 · Sector and peer context
Is this stock leading—or simply moving with its group?
Sector and industry breadth distinguish company-specific strength from a broad group move.
SectorGB Communication Services
4-week rank40 / 60
Group average0.9%
Trend breadth43.3%
Trend43.3%active weekly trend signals
MD63.3%positive activity pressure
RS31.7%positive relative leadership
Four-week leaders
IndustryGB Publishing
4-week rank6 / 7
Group average-0.1%
Trend breadth57.1%
Trend57.1%active weekly trend signals
MD71.4%positive activity pressure
RS42.9%positive relative leadership
Four-week leaders
08 · Evidence and weekly data
The underlying research record
Every top-level statement above should be traceable to a stored market, fundamental, event, or positioning observation.
Weekly tape69/100
Trend, activity pressure, participation, and risk combine to a 69/100 tape read.
Indicator analysis88/100Latest 12-week confirmation: trend 12/12, activity pressure 12/12, relative leadership 11/12.
Activity pressure 0.89; No reversal markers Next-Week ExpectancyPositive 56.58%Next-week expectancy is positive with a 56.58% historical one-week setup read.
Adds short-term historical context without overriding trend, activity, or relative leadership. Factors60/100O'Shaughnessy factor stack blends value, quality, momentum, and confidence.
Buyback Yield rank 13 SVQF57/100Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.
Composite rank 113.5 of 260 Patient CapitalQuietActivity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.
No recent buy signal Sentiment54/100Weighted news tone is neutral across 30 relevant articles.
Pearson Stock And 2 Education Shares Facing UK Policy Pressure Insiders50/100No recent insider transaction evidence is stored.
Earnings50/100No stored earnings event is currently attached to this ticker.
| Week | Close | Return | Trend Line | Fair Value | Pressure | Leadership | Volume | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Aug 2026 | 1,224 GBP | -2.6% | 1,074 GBP | 1,063 GBP | 1.31 | 6.12 | 13.2M | On |
| 31 Jul 2026 | 1,257 GBP | 2.5% | 1,069 GBP | 1,061 GBP | 1.42 | 9.19 | 8.6M | On |
| 24 Jul 2026 | 1,226 GBP | -2.3% | 1,061 GBP | 1,058 GBP | 1.43 | 7.62 | 6.6M | On |
| 17 Jul 2026 | 1,256 GBP | -1.0% | 1,055 GBP | 1,056 GBP | 1.45 | 11.58 | 11.5M | On |
| 10 Jul 2026 | 1,268 GBP | 3.4% | 1,048 GBP | 1,053 GBP | 1.24 | 13.84 | 9.5M | On |
| 3 Jul 2026 | 1,226 GBP | 4.3% | 1,041 GBP | 1,050 GBP | 1.06 | 8.30 | 753.7K | On |
| 26 Jun 2026 | 1,176 GBP | 3.6% | 1,033 GBP | 1,048 GBP | 1.02 | 5.41 | 1.1M | On |
| 19 Jun 2026 | 1,136 GBP | -1.0% | 1,027 GBP | 1,046 GBP | 1.07 | 3.02 | 5.0M | On |
| 12 Jun 2026 | 1,147 GBP | -1.1% | 1,023 GBP | 1,044 GBP | 1.18 | 2.73 | 1.5M | On |
| 5 Jun 2026 | 1,160 GBP | 4.3% | 1,018 GBP | 1,041 GBP | 1.21 | 4.68 | 3.1M | On |
| 29 May 2026 | 1,112 GBP | -1.8% | 1,012 GBP | 1,039 GBP | 1.19 | -0.22 | 13.9M | On |
| 22 May 2026 | 1,132 GBP | 3.0% | 1,011 GBP | 1,037 GBP | 1.14 | 0.55 | 8.9M | On |
| 15 May 2026 | 1,100 GBP | 0.8% | 1,011 GBP | 1,035 GBP | 1.13 | -0.29 | 5.9M | On |
| 8 May 2026 | 1,091 GBP | -2.2% | 1,011 GBP | 1,034 GBP | 1.19 | -1.96 | 8.0M | Off |
How to use this report
This is a completed-week research summary. It explains the available evidence and its conflicts; it does not predict a guaranteed outcome or replace your own risk assessment. Fundamental figures may refer to an earlier financial reporting period, which is shown above.