Informa plc (INF.L) stock analysis

In our weekly check, Informa plc is graded C (A to F). Of 24 checks on debt, profit, cash flow and trend: 16 pass, warnings: 2, red flags: 6.

About Informa plc

Informa plc is a Communication Services company (Publishing) based in the United Kingdom, listed on LSE as INF.L.

What our checks show for INF.L

Red flags

• Net debt is 5.8x a year of EBITDA (debt/equity 0.65). That limits room in a downturn and raises refinancing risk.
• The net margin fell by 4.6 points over 5 years, to 0.3%: the company keeps less of each sale as profit.
• The net margin is only 0.3%: little room if costs rise.
• The dividend takes 1823% of profit: little cushion if profit falls.
• The stock has fallen as much as 77% from a peak. Would you have held through that?
• Recovering from its deepest fall took about 6.9 years.

Warning signs

• Earnings per share fell 51.5% a year over the last 3 years.
• Return on capital (ROCE) is only 7.2%.

Strengths

• The gross margin is 26.9% and has risen by 17.1 points: pricing power is holding.
• Operating cash flow is 81.35x net profit: the profit arrives as real cash.
• Analysts expect earnings per share to grow about 338% a year over the next years.
• Analysts expect the net margin to improve by 16.9 points from today's 0.3%.
• Revenue grew 21.3% a year over the last 3 years.
• Free cash flow is 21.5% of revenue: cash for dividends, buybacks or growth.

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Questions

What grade does Informa plc (INF.L) have?

In our weekly check, Informa plc is graded C (A to F). Of 24 checks on debt, profit, cash flow and trend: 16 pass, warnings: 2, red flags: 6. The grade is a risk check, not a buy or sell recommendation.

What are the main risks of INF.L stock?

This week's biggest flags for Informa plc: High debt, Margins falling, Thin margins. In total 8 of 24 checks show a warning or a red flag.

What does Informa plc do?

Informa plc is a Communication Services company (Publishing) based in the United Kingdom, listed on LSE as INF.L.

The grade is a risk check, not a price forecast, and not investment advice. In our 10-year test (S&P 500, 2016-2026), stocks we graded A or B fell more than 30% 2-3 times less often than D or F, without a lower average return.

Updated 2026-10-24

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