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Cengage Learning Holdings II logo

Cengage Learning Holdings II

CNGO
33
Publishing · Communication Services
Price
$20.75
+1.25 (+6.41%)
Market Cap
$1.29B
Winston Score
33
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.

Cengage Learning is an educational publishing company that makes textbooks, online learning tools, and digital course materials for college students and instructors. Its main products include physical and digital textbooks across subjects like science, business, and the humanities, as well as its Cengage Unlimited subscription platform, which gives students access to a large library of content for a flat fee. It primarily serves higher education institutions and students across the United States.

Cengage earns money through textbook sales, digital product licenses, and subscriptions. The vast majority of its revenue comes from the U.S. college market, and the company competes with publishers like Pearson and McGraw-Hill. Its large library of existing course content and deep relationships with university instructors give it some staying power, but the business faces real pressure as students increasingly seek cheaper alternatives like used books, rental services, and free open-source materials — a trend that could weigh on long-term revenue growth.

Winston Score History

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

-0.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue declining

EPS Growth

-163.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (12%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

100.0%ownership

Flat

Insiders holding steady — not selling despite ability to

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$256M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue declining

Cengage Learning Holdings II's revenue is actually shrinking. In a growth stock, that removes the core investment thesis. The low Winston Score here may be warranted — unless there's a turnaround story.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Share count broadly stable

+0.8% over 4y

The share count has stayed roughly flat over this period — little dilution or buyback activity.

Diluted shares outstanding: 62.1M (2021) → 62.6M (2025)

Score breakdown

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Quality

Gross Margin
59.5%
Premium pricing power — 59.5% gross margin
Operating Margin
17.3%
Healthy — 17.3% operating margin
ROCE
4.3%
Weak — 4.3% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+4.7%
Slow sales growth (4.7% YoY)
EPS YoY
N/A
Data not available
EPS Consistency
2/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
N/A
Data not available
FCF Margin
2.3%
Thin free cash flow (2.3%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
N/A
Data not available
Interest Cover
1.59x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.6x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
N/M
Negative earnings — P/E not meaningful
P/E vs Forward
N/A
not available
Data not available

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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