Wolters Kluwer First-Quarter 2025 Trading Update

Core Insights - Wolters Kluwer reported a solid start to 2025 with sustained growth in recurring revenues and margin improvement, reaffirming full-year guidance [4][8][17] Financial Performance - First-quarter revenues increased by 8% in reporting currencies, with organic growth of 5% compared to 6% in 1Q 2024 [5] - Recurring revenues, which constitute 83% of total revenues, grew by 7% organically, consistent with the previous year [5] - Non-recurring revenues declined by 2% organically, with notable growth in Financial & Corporate Compliance and Legal & Regulatory transactional revenues [5][9][10] - Adjusted operating profit increased by 11% at constant currencies, while adjusted free cash flow rose by 5% [8] Segment Performance - Health revenues grew by 3% in constant currencies and 4% organically, with Clinical Solutions achieving 5% organic growth [6] - Tax & Accounting revenues increased by 8% in constant currencies and 5% organically, with cloud software subscriptions growing by 19% [7] - Corporate Performance & ESG revenues saw a 10% increase in constant currencies and organically, driven by strong growth in EHS & ESG solutions [11] Cash Flow and Debt - Cash conversion improved modestly, with adjusted free cash flow increasing by 5% in constant currencies [12] - Net debt stood at €3,347 million as of March 31, 2025, with a net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 1.7x [13] Shareholder Returns - The company completed €286 million of its planned €1 billion share buyback program as of May 5, 2025 [8][14] - A proposed total dividend of €2.33 for financial year 2024 represents a 12% increase compared to the previous year [15] Guidance and Outlook - Full-year 2025 guidance remains unchanged, with expectations for organic growth in line with prior year [17][21][22] - Adjusted operating profit margin is anticipated to improve, particularly in Health and Corporate Performance & ESG [17]