So I also have another name and that name is not a lawyer. So I'm about to talk about some legal things but I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. So imagine that you are doing some research.You really want to find something really really good. Maybe you're a student and your professor has said, "Get some peer-reviewed articles." Maybe you're a researcher yourself, but for whatever reason, you really want to have the best information possible. So, you're out there, you're on Google, maybe you're us ...

[Music] imagine you work in a library and one day a van pulls up in front of your building several people get out they come into your library and they show you a list and they say according to our records you no longer have access to these 5,432 books they March into your Stacks pull those books off the shelves load them in the van and drive off what just happened it looks like theft right strangers coming unannounced into your library and making off with a significant chunk of your collection my name is Je ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported revenue of €926 million for H1 2025, reflecting a 6% increase on an underlying basis and a 5% increase on a reported basis [30][32] - Adjusted operating profit (AOP) reached €241 million, with a 10% increase on an underlying basis and a 7% increase on a reported basis [30][34] - Free cash flow improved significantly by 51%, totaling over €200 million [6][35] - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) increased to €0.83 from €0.57 in H1 2024, marking a 46% year-on-year increase [31][39] Business Segment Data and Key Metrics Changes - The research segment generated underlying revenue of €727 million, with a 7% revenue growth and 8% AOP growth [9][30] - The health segment reported underlying revenue of €90 million, representing a 4% growth, with AOP increasing by 19% to €15 million [12][13] - The education segment saw underlying revenue of €108 million, reflecting a 3% growth, with a strong 6.5% growth in Q2 driven by curriculum business performance [14][30] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The global article market grew by about 6%, while the company's article output increased by about 10%, indicating market share gains [9][10] - The full open access market experienced 9% growth, with the company outperforming at 25% growth in this segment [10][30] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company raised its guidance for the 2025 fiscal year, reflecting positive momentum across the business, particularly in research [7][39] - Investments in AI and technology are central to the company's strategy, with a focus on enhancing the research process and improving operational efficiency [6][16] - The company aims to maintain its leadership in open access publishing, having published over 50% of primary research content open access in H1 2025 [15][28] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the resilience of the business, supported by a high share of contracted revenues and a diversified global revenue base [41][60] - The company anticipates continued growth in the research segment, with strong submission volumes and publication growth expected to drive revenue [7][39] - Management noted that the impact of AI is viewed positively, as it is expected to enhance the publication process rather than disrupt it [70][72] Other Important Information - The company has launched several AI tools to improve the research workflow, including the Nature Research Assistant, which is currently in a controlled beta phase [24][25] - The company received a gold rating from EcoVadis for sustainability, placing it in the top 5% of companies assessed [20] Q&A Session Summary Question: Market share gains in full open access - Management attributed market share gains to the quality of their portfolio, increased journal launches, and investments in research integrity and AI [46][50] Question: Margin expansion targets - Management indicated that while they aim for 100 basis points of margin expansion, current performance may limit future expectations [47][53] Question: U.S. market environment for renewals - Management expressed optimism about the U.S. renewal campaign, noting that library budgets are resilient despite fluctuations in government funding [56][60] Question: Relationship with Digital Science - Management clarified that Digital Science is treated as an independent supplier, with no special relationship affecting their operations [62] Question: Potential disruption from AI - Management believes AI will enhance their business rather than disrupt it, as they focus on responsible AI use to improve the publication process [70][72] Question: Revenue guidance changes - Management explained that the revenue guidance upgrade is due to market share gains and improved visibility from completed renewals [67][72] Question: Future demand for open access journals - Management remains confident in their ability to capture market share despite potential competition from other open access publishers [87][89] Question: Share buyback considerations - Management stated that share buybacks would be considered once leverage is within the target range and free float increases [90][91] Question: Balance sheet capacity and acquisitions - Management emphasized a focus on deleveraging and interest expense reduction, with potential acquisitions being evaluated based on strategic fit [98][99]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported underlying revenue growth of 6% and adjusted operating profit (AOP) increasing by 10% in H1 2025 [5][34] - Free cash flow increased by 51%, totaling more than €200 million in 2025 [6] - Adjusted earnings per share rose to €0.83 from €0.57 in H1 2024 [43] Business Segment Data and Key Metrics Changes - The research segment generated underlying revenue of €727 million, with 7% revenue growth and 8% AOP growth [9] - Health segment reported underlying revenue of €90 million, representing 4% growth, with AOP increasing by 19% to €15 million [13] - Education segment reported underlying revenue of €108 million, with a growth of about 3% [14] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The global article market grew by about 6%, while the company's article output increased by about 10% [10] - The full open access market saw 9% growth, with the company outperforming at 25% growth [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company has raised its guidance for the 2025 fiscal year, reflecting positive momentum, particularly in research [7][43] - Investments in AI and technology are aimed at transforming the research ecosystem, with over 90 AI applications in use [17][24] - The company continues to focus on open access as a core pillar of its research strategy, publishing over 50% of primary research content open access [16] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the resilience of the business, supported by a high share of contracted revenues [45] - The company expects underlying group revenue to be between €1.96 billion and €1.98 billion for 2025, assuming stable economic conditions [44] Other Important Information - The company launched 24 new journals in the first half of the year, including Nature Clean Technology and Nature Biodiversity [11] - The company received a gold rating from EcoVadis for sustainability, placing it in the top 5% of companies [22] Q&A Session Summary Question: What attributed to the 25% growth in full open access published articles? - Management attributed the growth to the quality of the portfolio, increased investment in new journals, and enhanced research integrity initiatives [49][52] Question: Will margin expansion targets change due to current performance? - Management indicated that while current performance is strong, they would focus on 2025 before discussing midterm margin expansion targets [50][56] Question: How is the market environment in the U.S. for the 2026 renewal campaign? - Management noted that the U.S. market remains resilient, with a significant portion of revenues contracted, and they expect a smaller number of renewals in 2026 [60][63] Question: How does the company view potential disruption from AI? - Management believes that AI will positively impact the industry by improving the publication process and reducing friction, rather than being a disruptive force [70][75] Question: What factors drove the significant change in revenue guidance? - Management expects H2 growth to be in line with H1, driven by completed renewals and strong submission volumes [71][76] Question: What is the expected adjusted effective tax rate for the full year? - Management anticipates the tax rate to decrease to around 12% for the full year due to recent changes in German corporate tax legislation [81] Question: At what level of leverage would the company consider share buybacks? - Management stated that share buybacks would be considered once the free float increases and after achieving their deleveraging targets [88][92]

Company Overview - Springer Nature reported revenues of €1.85 billion in 2024[7] - Research segment contributes 77% to Springer Nature's revenues[11, 12] - Digital revenues account for 88% of Springer Nature's total revenues[12] - Contracted revenues represent 62% of Springer Nature's research revenues[12] Market Position and Growth - The research publishing market is estimated at €10.2 billion in 2023[17] - North America accounts for 42% of the research publishing market in 2023[17] - The number of research articles has grown from 1.6 million in 2013 to 2.6 million in 2023, representing a 5% CAGR[20] Open Access and Technology - Springer Nature published half of its primary research content open access in 2024[29] - Springer Nature has over 90 AI initiatives to transform the publishing process[31] - Snapp, Springer Nature's submission platform, has received over 2 million submissions since launch[32] Strategy and Goals - The company aims to outperform the Research market by around +1% p.a in the mid-term, assuming a market growth of +30% to +35% p.a[43] - Springer Nature expects to increase its adjusted operating profit margin by approximately 100bps mid-term[43]