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Cengage Learning Holdings II

CNGO
25
Publishing · Communication Services
Winston Score
25
Winston is worried
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Dec 31, 2025
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Weak
Cash Flow
Weak
Stability
Weak
Valuation
Data not available

Winston Score History

The full picture

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.

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

Insider Activity

100.0%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$258M 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.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
51.2%
Healthy — 51.2% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
16.0%
Healthy — 16.0% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
3.7%
Weak — 3.7% 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 growth
Sales YoY
+1.4%
Nearly flat sales (+1.4% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
N/A
Data not available
How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
N/A
Data not available
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
11.6%
Modest free cash flow (11.6%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
N/A
Data not available
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
1.81x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.8x)

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

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
N/M
no trend
Negative earnings — P/E not meaningful
Cheaper or dearer next year
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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