YouGov (LON: YOU) reported a fall in full-year adjusted operating profit to £54.3m, down 11% from £60.7m, while revenue rose 2% to £396.6m.
The London-listed research data and analytics group, which runs a panel of 31m registered members in 64 markets, published results for the year to the 31st of July before the open today.
The shares were at 282.4p in early trade, up about 4.8% on yesterday’s close of 269.4p, according to the results page’s market data.
Adjusted operating profit strips out one-off and acquisition-related items, and the margin on that basis slipped to about 14% from about 16%. Statutory operating profit fell 32% to £21.2m after £33.1m of separately reported items, including £17.5m of non-cash impairments, or asset write-downs.
Interim finance chief James Davies described the year as two distinct halves. Adjusted operating profit was £24m in the first half, down 20%, then £30.3m in the second, level with the prior year and 26% above the first half.
The split by division explains the drop. Data Products profit rose to £28.9m from £25.8m, but Shopper, the consumer-panel business bought in FY24 and now under a strategic review launched in March, fell to £18.2m from £27.2m.
| Measure | FY26 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | £396.6m | £388.9m |
| Adjusted operating profit | £54.3m | £60.7m |
| Statutory operating profit | £21.2m | £31.4m |
| Adjusted basic EPS | 30.2p | 34.0p |
| Net debt | £142.1m | £144.0m |
Net debt barely moved. Leverage, net debt as a multiple of EBITDA, held at 1.7 times, and the debt facility’s final maturity was extended to April 2028.
The dividend is gone for FY26. In its place the board will buy back up to £15m of shares from today, after paying £10.8m of dividends in FY26 for the prior year. Chair Ian Griffiths gave the reason.
the Board believes that there is a disconnect between the prevailing share price and our view of the Company’s intrinsic value, and as a result the Board has re-evaluated its distribution policy for this year.
Ian Griffiths, Chair
For FY27 the company guided adjusted operating profit to £58m to £61m, 7% to 12% higher and in line with market expectations by its own account. It said 49% of FY27 revenue is already contractually secured, and Shopper investment stays broadly unchanged.
Wayne Levings joins as CEO-elect in November and becomes chief executive and a board member by February 2027 at the latest.
