Wolters Kluwer 2026 Half-Year Report
Rhea-AI Summary
Wolters Kluwer (OTC:WTKWY) reported half-year 2026 revenues of €3,033 million, down 1% in reporting currency but up 4% in constant currencies and 5% organically. Recurring revenues (85% of total) grew 7% organically, while recurring cloud software (24% of total) grew 14% organically; non-recurring revenues declined 3% organically.
Adjusted operating profit rose to €893 million, up 10% in constant currencies, lifting the adjusted margin by 100 basis points to 29.4%. Diluted adjusted EPS was €2.83, up 14% in constant currencies, and adjusted free cash flow reached €533 million, also up 14% in constant currencies. Net debt stood at €4,024 million, with net‑debt‑to‑EBITDA of 2.0x.
According to Wolters Kluwer, 2026 full-year guidance is unchanged, targeting an adjusted operating margin of about 28%, adjusted free cash flow of €1.3–€1.35 billion, ROIC of 18%–19%, and high single‑digit diluted adjusted EPS growth. The company plans to increase product development spending to 12%–13% of revenues, weighted to the second half, mainly to advance AI solutions. An interim dividend of €1.01 per share was declared, and €244 million of a planned 2026 share buyback of up to €500 million has been executed to date.
Positive
- Organic revenue growth +5%; recurring revenues +7% organically, HY 2026
- Recurring cloud software revenues +14% organically, now 24% of total
- Adjusted operating profit €893m, up 10% in constant currencies
- Adjusted operating margin up 100 bps to 29.4%
- Diluted adjusted EPS €2.83, up 14% in constant currencies
- Adjusted free cash flow €533m, up 14% in constant currencies
- Net‑debt‑to‑EBITDA at 2.0x, within targeted leverage range
- Interim dividend set at €1.01 per share (40% of prior-year dividend)
- Up to €500m 2026 buyback; €244m (3.6m shares) completed to date
- Restructuring costs expected to fall to about €20m in 2026 (vs €37m 2025)
- 2026 group-level guidance reiterated, including margin and EPS growth targets
Negative
- Reported revenues down 1% year-on-year due to U.S. dollar depreciation
- Non-recurring revenues declined 3% organically, HY 2026
- Restructuring expenses rose to €9m (HY 2025: €5m)
- Net debt at €4,024m; gross debt includes new €500m Eurobond
- Adjusted net financing costs expected to rise to about €105m in 2026 (2025: €86m)
- Cash conversion guided to 95%–100% for 2026 (2025: 103%)
- Corporate Performance & ESG 2026 organic growth now expected only in line with prior year due to macro/geopolitical uncertainty
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Wolters Kluwer 2026 Half-Year Report
Alphen aan den Rijn, August 5, 2026 – Wolters Kluwer, a global leader in professional information solutions, software and services, today releases its half-year 2026 results.
Highlights
- Group-level guidance for 2026 reiterated.
- Revenues
€3,033 million , up4% in constant currencies and up5% organically.
- Excluding print (
4% of total), organic growth was6% . - Recurring revenues (
85% of total) grew7% organically; non-recurring declined3% organically. - Recurring cloud software (
24% of total) grew14% organically.
- Adjusted operating profit
€893 million , up10% in constant currencies.
- Adjusted operating profit
- Adjusted operating profit margin increased 100 basis points.
- Product development spend will be weighted toward the second half.
- Diluted adjusted EPS
€2.83 , up14% in constant currencies. - Adjusted free cash flow
€533 million , up14% in constant currencies. - Net-debt-to-EBITDA of 2.0x.
- Interim dividend
€1.01 per share, set at40% of prior year total dividend. - Share buyback:
€244 million of 2026 program of up to€500 million repurchased to date.
- Diluted adjusted EPS
Interim Report of the Executive Board
Stacey Caywood, CEO and Chair of the Executive Board, commented: “We have had a good start to the year, with
| Key Figures – Six months ended June 30 | |||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG |
| Business performance – benchmark figures | |||||
| Revenues | 3,033 | 3,052 | - | + | + |
| Adjusted operating profit | 893 | 865 | + | + | + |
| Adjusted operating profit margin | |||||
| Adjusted net profit | 637 | 631 | + | + | |
| Diluted adjusted EPS (€) | 2.83 | 2.70 | + | + | |
| Adjusted free cash flow | 533 | 505 | + | + | |
| Net debt | 4,024 | 4,274 | - | ||
| ROIC | |||||
| IFRS reported results | |||||
| Revenues | 3,033 | 3,052 | - | ||
| Operating profit | 820 | 765 | + | ||
| Profit for the period | 580 | 553 | + | ||
| Diluted EPS (€) | 2.57 | 2.36 | + | ||
| Net cash from operating activities | 694 | 670 | + | ||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | |||||
Full-Year 2026 Outlook
Our group-level guidance for full-year 2026 is provided in the table below and is unchanged. We continue to expect another year of good organic growth, a margin increase, and high single-digit growth in diluted adjusted EPS in constant currencies. As stated previously, we expect the full-year adjusted operating profit margin to increase while we simultaneously increase annual product development spending to
| Full-Year 2026 Outlook | ||
| Performance indicators | 2026 Guidance | 2025 Actual |
| Adjusted operating profit margin* | Approximately | |
| Adjusted free cash flow** | ||
| ROIC* | ||
| Diluted adjusted EPS growth** | High single-digit growth | |
| *Guidance for adjusted operating profit margin and ROIC is in reporting currency and assumes an average EUR/USD rate in 2026 of €/ | ||
In 2025, Wolters Kluwer generated over
Restructuring costs are included in adjusted operating profit. We now expect restructuring costs to be approximately
Our guidance assumes no additional significant change to the scope of operations. We may make further acquisitions or disposals which can be dilutive to margins, earnings, and ROIC in the near term.
2026 outlook by division
Our divisional outlook is currently as follows:
Health: We expect full-year 2026 organic growth to be in line with prior year (FY 2025:
Tax & Accounting: We expect full-year 2026 organic growth to be in line with prior year (FY 2025:
Financial & Corporate Compliance: We expect full-year 2026 organic growth to be ahead of prior year
(FY 2025:
Legal & Regulatory: We expect full-year 2026 organic growth to be ahead of prior year (FY 2025:
Corporate Performance & ESG: We now expect full-year 2026 organic growth to be in line with prior year (FY 2025:
Executing against our strategic priorities
Our objective is to create sustainable long-term value and to drive profitable revenue growth by providing trusted, AI-powered expert solutions and services that deliver increased productivity and improved outcomes for professionals. Our strategy is centered on driving organic growth through continuous investment in product innovation designed to create value for customers, increase our role in customer workflows, and extend into adjacencies.
In early 2026, we announced plans to increase our annual investment in product development to
- Accelerate roll-out of AI-powered innovation: In Health, UpToDate Expert AI has now been adopted by over
90% of our U.S. Enterprise Edition customers, just nine months after commercial release. In Tax & Accounting, approaching 250 firms have already subscribed to our new CCH Axcess agentic AI modules, with substantial efficiencies to their workflows. In Legal & Regulatory, the Libra AI Workspace has been introduced into 10 countries and extends our leadership in European legal research platforms into the high-growth AI workspace adjacency. - Foster and scale partnerships: In early June, we announced an expanded partnership with OpenAI to scale AI-native solutions across our business leveraging OpenAI’s latest APIs and enterprise-grade platform capabilities. We are continuing to execute on partnerships with ambient clinical documentation providers, allowing us to position our trusted clinical content and AI capabilities directly into the clinician’s workflow. In March, the integration of UpToDate clinical content with the Abridge AI scribe became generally available, and the integration with Dragon Copilot is on track to launch later this year.
- Intensify go-to-market capabilities: In the first half of 2026, we formed a global revenue operations organization, which will support the businesses with data-driven, scalable sales processes, and AI-powered capabilities to optimize value capture.
These priorities are central to achieving our 2025-2027 strategic goals:
- Scale expert solutions: We aim to grow our expert solutions and our advanced digital information solutions by driving penetration of cloud-based, modular platforms, powered by AI and integrated into customer data and ecosystems. We seek to enhance customer workflows through AI and by harnessing content and data.
- Accelerate growth: We are pursuing high-growth adjacencies with a build, buy, or partner approach. Our innovation focuses on advancing customer productivity and outcomes. We are actively fostering partnerships to be able to extend along the workflow and into higher growth adjacencies.
- Evolve capabilities: We are investing in sales operations to elevate our go-to-market capabilities and sales effectiveness. We are embracing AI and other technologies to drive operational performance. And we foster a great place to work and best-in-class sustainability performance.
Financial policy, capital allocation, net debt, and liquidity
We use our free cash flow to invest in the business organically and through acquisitions, to maintain optimal leverage, and to provide returns to shareholders. We regularly assess our financial position and evaluate the appropriate level of debt in view of our expectations for cash flow, investment plans, interest rates, and capital market conditions.
As we execute on our strategic priorities, we aim to maintain leverage in the range of 1.5x to 2.5x, providing a strong and secure financial foundation for our business. We may temporarily deviate from this range, but our high proportion of recurring revenues and resilient free cash flows would give us the ability to rapidly return to this range.
Dividend policy and interim dividend 2026
Wolters Kluwer remains committed to a progressive dividend policy, under which we aim to increase the dividend per share in euros each year, independent of currency fluctuations. The payout ratio1 can therefore vary from year to year. Proposed annual increases in the dividend per share consider our financial performance, market conditions, and our need for financial flexibility. The policy takes into account the characteristics of our business, our expectations for future cash flows, and our plans for organic investment in innovation and productivity, or for acquisitions. We balance these factors with the objective of maintaining a strong balance sheet.
The interim dividend for 2026 has been set at
Progress on 2026 share buyback
As a matter of policy since 2012, Wolters Kluwer will offset the dilution caused by our annual incentive share issuance with share repurchases (Anti-Dilution Policy). In addition, from time to time when appropriate, we return capital to shareholders through share buyback programs. Shares repurchased by the company are added to and held as treasury shares and are either cancelled or utilized to meet future obligations arising from share-based incentive plans.
On February 25, 2026, we announced our intention to repurchase shares for up to
For the period starting August 6, 2026, up to and including December 28, 2026, we have mandated a third party to execute a maximum of
Assuming global economic conditions do not deteriorate substantially, we believe this level of share buybacks leaves us with ample headroom to support our dividend plans, to sustain organic investment, and to make selective acquisitions. The share repurchase program may be suspended, discontinued, or modified at any time.
Share cancellation 2026
At the 2026 Annual General Meeting on May 21, 2026, shareholders approved a resolution to cancel for capital reduction purposes any or all ordinary shares held in treasury or to be acquired by the company, up to a maximum of
As of August 4, 2026, Wolters Kluwer held 9.8 million shares in treasury (equivalent to approximately
Net debt, leverage, credit facility, and liquidity position
As of June 30, 2026, net debt was
The net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio based on twelve months’ rolling EBITDA to June 30, 2026, was 2.0x (December 31, 2025: 2.0x).
Gross debt of
As of June 30, 2026, our
As of June 30, 2026, net cash available was
Half-Year 2026 Results
Benchmark figures
Group revenues were
Revenues from North America accounted for
Adjusted operating profit was
Restructuring expenses, which are included in adjusted operating profit, were
Adjusted net financing costs increased to
Adjusted profit before tax was
Adjusted net profit was
Diluted adjusted EPS was
IFRS reported figures
Reported operating profit increased
Reported financing results amounted to a net cost of
As a result, net profit for the period increased
Cash flow
Adjusted operating cash flow was
(HY 2025:
Net interest paid, excluding lease interest paid, increased to
Total acquisition spending, net of cash acquired and including transaction costs, was
Dividends paid amounted to
(HY 2025:
Divisional Review
Group organic revenue growth was
| Divisional Summary – Six months ended June 30 | |||||||||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | ||||||
| Revenues | |||||||||||
| Health | 774 | 788 | - | + | + | ||||||
| Tax & Accounting | 847 | 837 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Financial & Corporate Compliance | 569 | 635 | - | - | + | ||||||
| Legal & Regulatory | 523 | 487 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Corporate Performance & ESG | 320 | 305 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Total revenues | 3,033 | 3,052 | - | + | + | ||||||
| Adjusted operating profit | |||||||||||
| Health | 264 | 260 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Tax & Accounting | 308 | 308 | + | + | |||||||
| Financial & Corporate Compliance | 224 | 211 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Legal & Regulatory | 104 | 98 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Corporate Performance & ESG | 31 | 18 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Corporate | (38) | (30) | + | + | + | ||||||
| Total adjusted operating profit | 893 | 865 | + | + | + | ||||||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | |||||||||||
| Health | |||||||||||
| Tax & Accounting | |||||||||||
| Financial & Corporate Compliance | |||||||||||
| Legal & Regulatory | |||||||||||
| Corporate Performance & ESG | |||||||||||
| Total adjusted operating profit margin | |||||||||||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | |||||||||||
Total recurring revenues, which include subscriptions and other renewing revenue streams, accounted for
| Revenues by Type – Six months ended June 30 | |||||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | ||
| Digital and service subscription | 2,387 | 2,346 | + | + | + | ||
| Print subscription | 53 | 61 | - | - | - | ||
| Other recurring | 153 | 149 | + | + | + | ||
| Total recurring revenues | 2,593 | 2,556 | + | + | + | ||
| Transactional – Financial & Corporate Compliance | 169 | 176 | - | + | + | ||
| Transactional – Legal & Regulatory (ELM) | 53 | 51 | + | + | + | ||
| Print books | 38 | 49 | - | - | - | ||
| Other non-recurring | 180 | 220 | - | - | - | ||
| Total non-recurring revenues | 440 | 496 | - | - | - | ||
| Total revenues | 3,033 | 3,052 | - | + | + | ||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | |||||||
Health
- Organic growth
5% , led by Clinical Solutions. - Learning, Research & Practice grew
4% organically. - Margin mainly reflects operational gearing and ongoing mix shift.
| Health – Six months ended June 30 | ||||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | |
| Revenues | 774 | 788 | - | + | + | |
| Adjusted operating profit | 264 | 260 | + | + | + | |
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||
| Operating profit | 251 | 242 | + | |||
| Net capital expenditure | 22 | 17 | ||||
| Ultimo FTEs | 3,476 | 3,536 | ||||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | ||||||
Health revenues increased
- Clinical Solutions (
59% of divisional revenues) delivered5% organic revenue growth (HY 2025:6% ), driven by good renewals for the UpToDate enterprise platform in the U.S. and internationally and new partnership revenues. As of July 31, more than90% of our U.S. Enterprise Edition customers3 (representing approximately 2,500 hospitals) have signed up to adopt the Expert AI version, exceeding our mid-year goal of reaching70% . International uptake of Expert AI includes over 230 sites activated across 36 countries. We continue to expand content and AI capabilities, most recently adding drug dosing after rigorous validation by clinical experts and pharmacists. - Learning, Research & Practice (
41% of divisional revenues) achieved4% organic revenue growth (HY 2025:1% ). Excluding print, organic growth would have been8% (HY 2025:5% ). In medical research, organic growth of6% was partly driven by an open access journal publishing partnership with AME in China (which began in October 2025) and a relatively easy comparable (HY 2025:1% ). In learning and practice, digital learning solutions for nursing schools faced a tough comparable while print books continued to decline.
Tax & Accounting
- Organic growth
6% , driven by continued strong growth in cloud software revenues. - Recurring revenues (
93% of division) grew7% organically. - Margin reflects operational gearing offset by increased product investment.
| Tax & Accounting – Six months ended June 30 | ||||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | |
| Revenues | 847 | 837 | + | + | + | |
| Adjusted operating profit | 308 | 308 | + | + | ||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||
| Operating profit | 292 | 294 | - | |||
| Net capital expenditure | 38 | 35 | ||||
| Ultimo FTEs | 6,883 | 6,928 | ||||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | ||||||
Tax & Accounting revenues increased
- Tax & Accounting North America (
58% of divisional revenues) delivered5% organic growth (HY 2025:6% ), despite declines in outsourcing services (CCH Xpitax) and print books. Organic growth was driven by sustained18% organic growth in our North American cloud software revenues as firms continue to migrate from on-premise software to our modular cloud platforms (CCH Axcess in the U.S. and CCH iFirm in Canada) and adopt additional workflow modules. As of mid-year, about 250 firms have subscribed to our new agentic AI modules (Intelligence, Client Collaboration, Scan, Workflow, and Advisor). - Tax & Accounting Europe (
39% of divisional revenues) recorded8% organic growth (HY 2025:7% ), with strong performances across all regions. Revenue growth was driven by double-digit organic growth in our cloud and hybrid-cloud software, including e-invoicing solutions. - Tax & Accounting Asia Pacific & Rest of World (
3% of divisional revenues) revenues were broadly stable.
Financial & Corporate Compliance
- Organic growth
4% , supported by6% growth in recurring revenues. - Trends in transactional and other non-recurring revenues remained subdued.
- Margin increase mainly reflects the divestment of FRR.
| Financial & Corporate Compliance – Six months ended June 30 | |||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG |
| Revenues | 569 | 635 | - | - | + |
| Adjusted operating profit | 224 | 211 | + | + | + |
| Adjusted operating profit margin | |||||
| Operating profit | 220 | 186 | + | ||
| Net capital expenditure | 18 | 34 | |||
| Ultimo FTEs | 3,152 | 4,099 | |||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | |||||
Financial & Corporate Compliance revenues declined
- In Legal Services (
62% of divisional revenues), organic growth was5% (HY 2025:6% ), reflecting good growth in service subscriptions (despite lower BOI revenues following the suspended enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act) and active upselling of business licensing and other services. In the mid-sized corporate segment, RASi delivered strong organic growth, ahead of our expectations. Amid lackluster macro-economic conditions and low M&A volumes, transactional revenues remained subdued. - In Financial Services (
38% of divisional revenues), organic growth was3% (HY 2025:1% ), driven by good growth in recurring revenues from our U.S. lending compliance solutions (eOriginal). Transactional revenues declined2% (HY 2025:0% ), reflecting subdued lending market activity.
Legal & Regulatory
- Organic growth
5% , led by digital revenues up7% . - Software businesses grew
7% organically. - Margin eased slightly, reflecting acquisitions and investments.
| Legal & Regulatory – Six months ended June 30 | ||||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | |
| Revenues | 523 | 487 | + | + | + | |
| Adjusted operating profit | 104 | 98 | + | + | + | |
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||
| Operating profit | 81 | 71 | + | |||
| Net capital expenditure | 29 | 25 | ||||
| Ultimo FTEs | 4,482 | 4,357 | ||||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | ||||||
Legal & Regulatory revenues increased
- Legal & Regulatory Information Solutions (
75% of divisional revenues) grew5% organically (HY 2025:6% ), led by continued strong organic growth in digital revenues. Print revenues declined13% organically against a tough comparable (HY 2025:3% organic growth) related to German elections a year ago. Libra’s AI Workspace solution, acquired in November 2025, has been rapidly integrated with our legal content in Europe, rolled out to ten countries and thousands of users. - Legal & Regulatory Software (
25% of divisional revenues) grew7% organically (HY 2025:5% ). Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) Solutions (Tymetrix 360 and Passport) recorded mid-single digit organic growth driven by10% organic growth in transactional revenues linked to legal spend volumes. Brightflag, which provides enterprise legal management software to mid-sized and large corporations, delivered strong double-digit growth. Legal practice management software solutions posted mid-single digit organic growth.
Corporate Performance & ESG
- Organic revenue growth
7% , driven by cloud software up14% . - Recurring revenues (
78% of division) grew10% organically, while non-recurring declined1% . - Margin reflects improved operational gearing and expense management.
| Corporate Performance & ESG – Six months ended June 30 | ||||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | |
| Revenues | 320 | 305 | + | + | + | |
| Adjusted operating profit | 31 | 18 | + | + | + | |
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||
| Operating profit | 14 | 2 | n/m | |||
| Net capital expenditure | 36 | 36 | ||||
| Ultimo FTEs | 2,624 | 2,405 | ||||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | ||||||
Corporate Performance & ESG revenues increased
(HY 2025:
Adjusted operating profit increased
- In EHS & ESG4 (
30% of divisional revenues), organic growth was2% as growth in software revenues was largely offset by a decline in implementation projects amidst geopolitical uncertainty in Enablon’s key markets. Cloud software revenues grew10% organically (HY 2025:18% ). Non-recurring revenues (services and on-premise software licenses) decreased13% organically (HY 2025:0% ). - In Corporate Performance, Corporate Tax, and Audit & Assurance (
70% of divisional revenues), organic growth was10% (HY 2025:5% ). CCH Tagetik recorded12% organic growth (HY 2025:5% ), as19% organic growth in recurring cloud software was partly offset by declines in on-premise software licenses and implementation services. As of 2026, we only offer license maintenance outside the U.S. and Europe. Both Corporate Tax and Audit & Assurance recorded high single-digit organic growth, supported by new sales in their cloud software solutions. The integration of StandardFusion GRC5 tools with TeamMate is proceeding as planned.
On August 4, Corporate Performance & ESG acquired Marosa, a tax automation provider based in Europe, for
Corporate
Corporate expenses increased
| Corporate – Six months ended June 30 | ||||||
| € million (unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | |
| Adjusted operating profit | (38) | (30) | + | + | + | |
| Operating profit | (38) | (30) | + | |||
| Net capital expenditure | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ultimo FTEs | 154 | 142 | ||||
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | ||||||
Risk Management
In our 2025 Annual Report, the company described certain risk categories that could have a material adverse effect on its operations and financial position. Those risk categories are deemed to be incorporated and repeated in this report by reference. In the company’s view, the nature and potential impact of these risk categories on the business are not materially different for the second half of 2026.
Statement by the Executive Board
The Executive Board is responsible for the preparation of the 2026 Half-Year Report, which includes the Interim Report of the Executive Board and the condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2026. The condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2026, are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union. The responsibility of the Executive Board includes selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies and making accounting estimates that are reasonable in the circumstances.
The Interim Report of the Executive Board endeavors to present a fair review of the situation of the business at the balance sheet date and of the state of affairs in the half-year under review. Such an overview contains a selection of some of the main developments in the first six months of the financial year and can never be exhaustive. This Interim Report also contains the current expectations of the Executive Board for the second half of the financial year. With respect to these expectations, reference is made to the disclaimer about forward-looking statements on page 34 of this half-year report. As required by provision 5:25d (2)(c) of the Dutch Financial Markets Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht) and on the basis of the foregoing, the Executive Board confirms that to its knowledge:
- The condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2026, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position, and profit or loss of the company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole; and
- The Interim Report of the Executive Board includes a fair overview of the situation at the balance sheet date, the course of affairs during the first six months of the financial year of the company, and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, and the reasonably to be expected course of affairs for the second half of 2026 as well as an indication of important events that have occurred during the six months ended June 30, 2026, and their impact on the condensed consolidated interim financial statements, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties for the second half of 2026, and also includes the major related parties transactions entered into during the six months ended June 30, 2026.
Alphen aan den Rijn, August 4, 2026
Executive Board
S. Caywood, CEO and Chair of the Executive Board
K. B. Entricken, CFO and Member of the Executive Board
The content of this Half-Year Report has not been audited or reviewed by an independent external auditor.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the six months
ended June 30, 2026, and 2025
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of profit or loss
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of comprehensive income
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of cash flows
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of financial position
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of the changes in total equity
Notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of profit or loss
| (in millions of euros, unless otherwise stated) | Note | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | ||
| Revenues | 5 | 3,033 | 3,052 |
| Cost of revenues | (776) | (818) | |
| Gross profit | 2,257 | 2,234 | |
| Sales costs | (469) | (473) | |
| General and administrative costs | (971) | (977) | |
| Total operating expenses | (1,440) | (1,450) | |
| Other gains and (losses) | 3 | (19) | |
| Operating profit | 820 | 765 | |
| Financing results | (59) | (39) | |
| Share of profit of equity-accounted associates, net of tax | (1) | 1 | |
| Profit before tax | 760 | 727 | |
| Income tax expense | (180) | (174) | |
| Profit for the period | 580 | 553 | |
| Attributable to: | |||
| 580 | 553 | |
| 0 | 0 | |
| Profit for the period | 580 | 553 | |
| Earnings per share (EPS) (€) | |||
| Basic EPS | 2.58 | 2.37 | |
| Diluted EPS | 2.57 | 2.36 | |
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of comprehensive income
(in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | ||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||
| Comprehensive income: | |||
| Profit for the period | 580 | 553 | |
| Other comprehensive income: | |||
| Items that are or may be reclassified subsequently to the statement of profit or loss: | |||
| Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations | 140 | (394) | |
| Net gains/(losses) on hedges of net investments | (18) | 30 | |
| Net gains/(losses) on cash flow hedges | (6) | (2) | |
| Items that will not be reclassified to the statement of profit or loss: | |||
| Remeasurements on defined benefit plans | 0 | 8 | |
| Other comprehensive income/(loss) for the period, before tax | 116 | (358) | |
| Income tax on other comprehensive income | 0 | 2 | |
| Other comprehensive income/(loss) for the period, net of tax | 116 | (356) | |
| Total comprehensive income for the period | 696 | 197 | |
| Attributable to: | |||
| 696 | 197 | |
| 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 696 | 197 | |
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of cash flows
| (in millions of euros) | Note | Six months ended June 30 | ||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||
| Cash flows from operating activities | ||||||
| Profit for the period | 580 | 553 | ||||
| Adjustments for: | ||||||
| Income tax expense | 180 | 174 | ||||
| Share of profit of equity-accounted associates, net of tax | 1 | (1) | ||||
| Financing results | 59 | 39 | ||||
| Amortization, impairment, and depreciation | 223 | 244 | ||||
| Book (profit)/loss on disposal of operations and non-current assets | (8) | 0 | ||||
| Fair value changes in contingent considerations | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Changes in employee benefit provisions | 0 | 3 | ||||
| Additions to and releases from provisions | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Appropriation of provisions | (8) | (3) | ||||
| Share-based payments | 15 | 15 | ||||
| Autonomous movements in working capital | (54) | (110) | ||||
| Other adjustments | (7) | 2 | ||||
| Total adjustments | 403 | 365 | ||||
| Interest paid and received (including the interest portion of lease payments) | (69) | (56) | ||||
| Paid income tax | (220) | (192) | ||||
| Net cash from operating activities | 694 | 670 | ||||
| Cash flows from investing activities | ||||||
| Net capital expenditure | (143) | (147) | ||||
| Acquisition spending, net of cash acquired | 7 | (33) | (822) | |||
| Receipts from divestments, net of cash disposed | 7 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (174) | (969) | ||||
| Cash flows from financing activities | ||||||
| Repayment of loans | (155) | (352) | ||||
| Proceeds from new loans | 750 | 1,540 | ||||
| Repayment of principal portion of lease liabilities | (28) | (30) | ||||
| Collateral | (7) | 2 | ||||
| Repurchased shares | (215) | (509) | ||||
| Dividends paid | 9 | (303) | (297) | |||
| Net cash used in financing activities | 42 | 354 | ||||
| Net cash flow before effect of exchange differences | 562 | 55 | ||||
| Exchange differences on cash and cash equivalents and bank overdrafts | 33 | (65) | ||||
| Net change in cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts | 595 | (10) | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at January 1 | 891 | 945 | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at June 30 | 1,486 | 935 | ||||
| Add: Bank overdrafts used for cash management purposes at June 30 | 8 | 7 | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at June 30 in the statement of financial position | 1,494 | 942 | ||||
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of financial position
| (in millions of euros) | Note | June 30, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | June 30, 2025 | ||||
| Goodwill | 4,933 | 4,787 | 4,882 | |||||
| Intangible assets other than goodwill | 1,818 | 1,825 | 1,884 | |||||
| Property, plant, and equipment | 69 | 68 | 70 | |||||
| Right-of-use assets | 184 | 196 | 186 | |||||
| Investments in equity-accounted associates | 14 | 14 | 12 | |||||
| Financial assets and other receivables | 18 | 11 | 12 | |||||
| Contract assets | 17 | 19 | 14 | |||||
| Deferred tax assets | 30 | 31 | 58 | |||||
| Total non-current assets | 7,083 | 6,951 | 7,118 | |||||
| Inventories | 63 | 62 | 70 | |||||
| Contract assets | 162 | 147 | 168 | |||||
| Trade and other receivables | 1,329 | 1,389 | 1,323 | |||||
| Current income tax assets | 122 | 103 | 111 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 1,494 | 932 | 942 | |||||
| Total current assets | 3,170 | 2,633 | 2,614 | |||||
| Total assets | 10,253 | 9,584 | 9,732 | |||||
| Issued share capital | 28 | 28 | 29 | |||||
| Share premium reserve | 87 | 87 | 87 | |||||
| Other reserves | 825 | 683 | 771 | |||||
| Equity attributable to the owners of the company | 940 | 798 | 887 | |||||
| Non-controlling interests | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total equity | 940 | 798 | 887 | |||||
| Long-term debt, excl. lease liabilities | 8 | 4,036 | 4,033 | 4,478 | ||||
| Lease liabilities | 8 | 157 | 160 | 156 | ||||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 333 | 328 | 359 | |||||
| Employee benefits | 65 | 62 | 59 | |||||
| Provisions | 4 | 5 | 5 | |||||
| Non-current deferred income | 112 | 140 | 117 | |||||
| Total non-current liabilities | 4,707 | 4,728 | 5,174 | |||||
| Deferred income | 2,057 | 1,911 | 1,922 | |||||
| Other contract liabilities | 71 | 88 | 72 | |||||
| Trade and other payables | 1,009 | 1,118 | 922 | |||||
| Current income tax liabilities | 110 | 130 | 130 | |||||
| Short-term provisions | 28 | 33 | 25 | |||||
| Borrowings and bank overdrafts | 8 | 283 | 221 | 547 | ||||
| Short-term bonds | 8 | 1,000 | 500 | ‒ | ||||
| Short-term lease liabilities | 8 | 48 | 57 | 53 | ||||
| Total current liabilities | 4,606 | 4,058 | 3,671 | |||||
| Total liabilities | 9,313 | 8,786 | 8,845 | |||||
| Total equity and liabilities | 10,253 | 9,584 | 9,732 | |||||
Unaudited condensed consolidated interim statement of changes in total equity
| (in millions of euros) | 2026 | |||
| Equity attributable to the owners of the company | Non-controlling interests | Total equity | ||
| Balance at January 1, 2026 | 798 | 0 | 798 | |
| Total comprehensive income for the period | 696 | 0 | 696 | |
| Share-based payments | 15 | ‒ | 15 | |
| Final cash dividend 2025 | (356) | ‒ | (356) | |
| Repurchased shares | (213) | ‒ | (213) | |
| Balance at June 30, 2026 | 940 | 0 | 940 |
| (in millions of euros) | 2025 | |||
| Equity attributable to the owners of the company | Non-controlling interests | Total equity | ||
| Balance at January 1, 2025 | 1,545 | 0 | 1,545 | |
| Total comprehensive income for the period | 197 | 0 | 197 | |
| Share-based payments | 15 | ‒ | 15 | |
| Final cash dividend 2024 | (349) | ‒ | (349) | |
| Repurchased shares | (521) | ‒ | (521) | |
| Balance at June 30, 2025 | 887 | 0 | 887 |
Notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements
Note 1 Reporting entity
Wolters Kluwer N.V. (the company) with its subsidiaries (together referred to as ‘the group’, and individually as ‘group entities’) is a global provider of information, software solutions, and services for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, financial and corporate compliance, legal and regulatory, and corporate performance and ESG sectors. Our expert solutions combine deep domain knowledge with technology to deliver both content and workflow automation to drive improved outcomes and productivity for our customers.
These unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements (interim financial statements) for the six months ended June 30, 2026, comprise the group and the group’s interests in associates.
Note 2 Basis of preparation
Statement of compliance
These interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standards (IAS) 34 Interim Financial Reporting, as adopted by the European Union. As such, the financial statements do not include all the information required for a complete set of IFRS financial statements, and should be read in conjunction with the 2025 consolidated financial statements included in the 2025 Annual Report. However, selected explanatory notes are included to explain events and transactions that are significant to get an understanding of the changes in the group’s financial position and performance since the last annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025.
These interim financial statements have not been audited or reviewed by the external auditor. The interim financial statements were authorized for issuance by the Executive Board and Supervisory Board on August 4, 2026.
Accounting policies
The accounting policies applied in these interim financial statements are the same as those applied in the 2025 Financial statements, apart from the effect of the following new accounting standards and amendments which became effective as of January 1, 2026:
- Classification and measurement of financial instruments (amendments to IFRS 9 and IFRS 7);
- Contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity (amendments to IFRS 9 and IFRS 7); and
- Annual improvements to IFRS Accounting Standards (volume 11).
These amendments did not have any impact on the amounts recognized in the current or prior periods and are not expected to significantly affect future periods.
Effect of forthcoming accounting standards
A number of new standards and amendments are not yet effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and have not been early adopted in these interim financial statements. With the exception of IFRS 18 – Presentation and Disclosures in Financial Statements (effective for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2027), the group expects no significant changes as a result of these new standards and amendments.
Functional and presentation currency
The interim financial statements are presented in euros, which is the company’s functional and presentation currency. Unless otherwise indicated, the financial information in these interim financial statements is in euros and has been rounded to the nearest million.
| Exchange rates to the euro | 2026 | 2025 |
| U.S. dollar (at June 30) | 1.13 | 1.16 |
| U.S. dollar (average six months) | 1.17 | 1.09 |
| U.S. dollar (at December 31) | 1.18 |
Judgments and estimates
The preparation of the interim financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make judgments, estimates, and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income, and expense.
In preparing these interim financial statements, the significant judgments made by management in applying the group’s accounting policies and the key sources of estimation and uncertainty were the same as those applied to the 2025 Financial statements (reference is made to Note 3 – Accounting estimates and judgments of the 2025 Financial statements).
The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not clear from other sources. Actual results may differ from those estimates and may result in material adjustments in the next financial period(s).
Reference is also made to Note 29 - Financial risk management of the 2025 Financial statements, which outlines Wolters Kluwer’s exposure to a variety of risks, including market risk, currency risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and credit risk. These risks have not substantially changed since the issuance of our 2025 Annual Report.
Note 3 Seasonality
The overall impact of seasonality on group revenues and costs is limited. Revenue recognition does not always follow the pattern of cash flows as the revenues for certain customer contracts are deferred.
Note 4 Benchmark figures
Wherever used in these interim financial statements, the term ‘adjusted’ refers to figures adjusted for non-benchmark items and, where applicable, amortization and impairment of goodwill and acquired identifiable intangible assets.
Adjusted figures are non-IFRS compliant financial figures, but are internally regarded as key performance indicators to measure the underlying performance of the business. These figures are presented as additional information and do not replace the information in the consolidated interim statement of profit or loss and in the consolidated interim statement of cash flows. The term ‘adjusted’ is not a defined term under IFRS.
Reconciliation of benchmark figures
Revenue Bridge
| (in millions of euros) | € | % |
| Revenues HY 2025 | 3,052 | |
| Organic change | 152 | 5 |
| Acquisitions | 37 | 1 |
| Divestments | (60) | (2) |
| Currency impact | (148) | (5) |
| Revenues HY 2026 | 3,033 | (1) |
U.S.
Reconciliation between operating profit and adjusted operating profit
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Operating profit | 820 | 765 |
| Amortization and impairment of acquired identifiable intangible assets | 76 | 81 |
| Non-benchmark items in operating profit | (3) | 19 |
| Adjusted operating profit (A) | 893 | 865 |
Reconciliation between financing results and adjusted net financing costs
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Financing results | (59) | (39) |
| Non-benchmark items in financing results | 3 | 1 |
| Adjusted net financing costs | (56) | (38) |
Reconciliation between profit for the period and adjusted net profit
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Profit for the period attributable to the owners of the company (B) | 580 | 553 |
| Amortization and impairment of acquired identifiable intangible assets and goodwill | 76 | 81 |
| Tax on amortization and impairment of acquired identifiable intangible assets and goodwill | (18) | (20) |
| Non-benchmark items, net of tax | (1) | 17 |
| Adjusted net profit (C) | 637 | 631 |
Summary of non-benchmark items
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Included in other gains and (losses): | ||
| Divestment-related results | 7 | (1) |
| Acquisition-related costs | (3) | (17) |
| Additions to acquisition integration provisions | 0 | (1) |
| Fair value changes contingent considerations | (1) | 0 |
| Total non-benchmark income/(costs) in operating profit | 3 | (19) |
| Included in financing results: | ||
| Employee benefits financing component | (2) | (1) |
| Unwinding of discount of deferred and contingent considerations | (1) | ‒ |
| Total non-benchmark income/(costs) in financing results | (3) | (1) |
| Total non-benchmark items before tax | 0 | (20) |
| Tax on non-benchmark items | 1 | 3 |
| Non-benchmark items, net of tax | 1 | (17) |
Reconciliation between net cash from operating activities and adjusted free cash flow
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Net cash from operating activities | 694 | 670 |
| Net capital expenditure | (143) | (147) |
| Repayment of principal portion of lease liabilities | (28) | (30) |
| Paid acquisition-related costs | 9 | 11 |
| Paid divestment expenses | 1 | 1 |
| Adjusted free cash flow (D) | 533 | 505 |
Return on invested capital (ROIC) calculation
| (in millions of euros, unless otherwise stated) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 12 months rolling | 2026 | 2025 |
| Adjusted operating profit | 1,715 | 1,700 |
| Allocated tax | (404) | (394) |
| Net operating profit after allocated tax (NOPAT) | 1,311 | 1,306 |
| Average invested capital | 7,182 | 7,070 |
| ROIC-ratio (%) | 18.2 | 18.5 |
Per share information
| (in euros, unless otherwise stated) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Total number of ordinary shares outstanding at June 301) | 223.2 | 231.4 |
| Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding (E)1) | 224.6 | 233.2 |
| Diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares (F)1) | 225.3 | 234.0 |
| Adjusted EPS (C/E) | 2.84 | 2.71 |
| Diluted adjusted EPS (C/F) | 2.83 | 2.70 |
| Diluted adjusted EPS in constant currencies | 2.96 | 2.59 |
| Basic EPS (B/E) | 2.58 | 2.37 |
| Diluted EPS (B/F) | 2.57 | 2.36 |
| Adjusted free cash flow per share (D/E) | 2.37 | 2.17 |
| Diluted adjusted free cash flow per share (D/F) | 2.37 | 2.16 |
1) In millions of shares
Benchmark tax rate
| (in millions of euros, unless otherwise stated) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Income tax expense | 180 | 174 |
| Tax benefit on amortization and impairment of acquired identifiable intangible assets | 18 | 20 |
| Tax benefit/(expense) on non-benchmark items | 1 | 3 |
| Tax on adjusted profit before tax (G) | 199 | 197 |
| Adjusted net profit (C) | 637 | 631 |
| Adjustment for non-controlling interests | 0 | 0 |
| Adjusted profit before tax (H) | 836 | 828 |
| Benchmark tax rate (G/H) (%) | 23.8 | 23.8 |
Cash conversion ratio
| (in millions of euros, unless otherwise stated) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Operating profit | 820 | 765 |
| Amortization, impairment, and depreciation | 223 | 244 |
| EBITDA | 1,043 | 1,009 |
| Non-benchmark items in operating profit | (3) | 19 |
| Adjusted EBITDA | 1,040 | 1,028 |
| Autonomous movements in working capital | (54) | (110) |
| Net capital expenditure | (143) | (147) |
| Repayment of principal portion of lease liabilities | (28) | (30) |
| Interest portion of lease liabilities | (3) | (3) |
| Adjusted operating cash flow (I) | 812 | 738 |
| Adjusted operating profit (A) | 893 | 865 |
| Cash conversion ratio (I/A) (%) | 91 | 85 |
Note 5 Segment reporting
Divisional revenues and operating profit
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Revenues | ||
| Health | 774 | 788 |
| Tax & Accounting | 847 | 837 |
| Financial & Corporate Compliance | 569 | 635 |
| Legal & Regulatory | 523 | 487 |
| Corporate Performance & ESG | 320 | 305 |
| Total revenues | 3,033 | 3,052 |
| Operating profit/(loss) | ||
| Health | 251 | 242 |
| Tax & Accounting | 292 | 294 |
| Financial & Corporate Compliance | 220 | 186 |
| Legal & Regulatory | 81 | 71 |
| Corporate Performance & ESG | 14 | 2 |
| Corporate | (38) | (30) |
| Total operating profit | 820 | 765 |
The group disaggregates revenues by media format and by revenue type as part of the management information discussed by the Executive Board. Reference is made to Appendix 2 and 3 of this report.
Note 6 Earnings per share
Earnings per share (EPS)
| (in millions of euros, unless otherwise stated) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Profit for the period attributable to the owners of the company (B) | 580 | 553 |
| Weighted average number of shares | ||
| in millions of shares | ||
| Outstanding ordinary shares at January 1 | 232.5 | 238.5 |
| Effect of repurchased shares | (7.9) | (5.3) |
| Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the period (E) | 224.6 | 233.2 |
| Basic EPS (€) (B/E) | 2.58 | 2.37 |
| Diluted weighted average number of shares | ||
| in millions of shares | ||
| Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the period (E) | 224.6 | 233.2 |
| Effect of Long-Term Incentive Plan | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares for the period (F) | 225.3 | 234.0 |
| Diluted EPS (€) (B/F) | 2.57 | 2.36 |
Note 7 Acquisitions and divestments
Acquisitions
Total acquisition spending in the first half of 2026, net of cash acquired, was
On January 9, 2026, Wolters Kluwer Corporate Performance & ESG (CP&ESG) signed and completed the acquisition of
In addition, other smaller acquisitions were completed during the year, with a total consideration of
In the first half of 2026, acquisition-related costs were
Acquisition-related balances and cash-flows
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Consideration payable in cash | 33 | 822 |
| Deferred and contingent acquisition payments | 0 | 13 |
| Total consideration | 33 | 835 |
| Non-current assets | 13 | 312 |
| Current assets | 0 | 79 |
| Non-current liabilities | 0 | (3) |
| Current liabilities | (4) | (33) |
| Deferred tax liabilities | (5) | (59) |
| Fair value of net identifiable assets/(liabilities) | 4 | 296 |
| Goodwill on acquisitions | 29 | 539 |
| Cash effect of the acquisitions: | ||
| Consideration payable in cash | 33 | 822 |
| Cash acquired | (1) | (2) |
| Deferred and contingent considerations paid | 1 | 2 |
| Acquisition spending, net of cash acquired | 33 | 822 |
The fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities will be revised if new information, obtained within one year from the acquisition date, about facts and circumstances that existed at the acquisition date, causes adjustments to the above amounts, or for any additional provisions that existed at the acquisition date.
The goodwill relating to acquisitions represents future economic benefits specific to the group arising from assets that do not qualify for separate recognition as intangible assets. This includes expected new customers who generate revenue streams in the future, revenues generated because of new capabilities of the acquired product platforms, as well as expected synergies that will arise following the acquisitions.
Of the goodwill recognized in 2026, none was deductible for income tax purposes (HY 2025: none).
Divestments
In the first half of 2026, net divestment proceeds amounted to
Divestment-related results
| (in millions of euros) | Six months ended June 30 | |
| 2026 | 2025 | |
| Consideration receivable in cash | 3 | ‒ |
| Deferred consideration receivable | 11 | ‒ |
| Total consideration | 14 | 0 |
| Non-current assets | 1 | ‒ |
| Current assets | 5 | ‒ |
| Current liabilities | (2) | ‒ |
| Fair value of net identifiable assets/(liabilities) | 4 | 0 |
| Reclassification of foreign exchange gain/(loss) on loss of control, recognized in other comprehensive income | (2) | ‒ |
| Book profit/(loss) on divestments of operations | 8 | 0 |
| Divestment expenses | (1) | (1) |
| Divestment-related results, included in other gains and (losses) | 7 | (1) |
| Cash-effect of divestments: | ||
| Consideration receivable in cash | 3 | ‒ |
| Deferred consideration received | 4 | ‒ |
| Cash included in divested operations | (5) | ‒ |
| Receipts from divestments, net of cash disposed | 2 | 0 |
Note 8 Net debt
Reconciliation gross debt to net debt
| (in millions of euros, unless otherwise stated) | June 30, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | June 30, 2025 | |||
| Gross debt | ||||||
| Bonds | 3,818 | 3,822 | 4,319 | |||
| Private placements | 108 | 108 | 118 | |||
| Other long-term loans | 16 | 16 | 17 | |||
| Deferred and contingent acquisition payments | 49 | 49 | 1 | |||
| Derivative financial instruments | 45 | 38 | 23 | |||
| Long-term debt (excl. lease liabilities) | 4,036 | 4,033 | 4,478 | |||
| Lease liabilities | 157 | 160 | 156 | |||
| Total long-term debt | 4,193 | 4,193 | 4,634 | |||
| Borrowings and bank overdrafts | 283 | 221 | 547 | |||
| Short-term bonds | 1,000 | 500 | ‒ | |||
| Short-term lease liabilities | 48 | 57 | 53 | |||
| Deferred and contingent acquisition payments | 2 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Derivative financial instruments | 22 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Total short-term debt | 1,355 | 779 | 613 | |||
| Total gross debt | 5,548 | 4,972 | 5,247 | |||
| Minus: | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | (1,494) | (932) | (942) | |||
| Deferred divestment receivable | (11) | (4) | ‒ | |||
| Collateral | (19) | (12) | ‒ | |||
| Derivative financial instruments: | ||||||
| Current asset | ‒ | 0 | (31) | |||
| Net debt | 4,024 | 4,024 | 4,274 | |||
| Net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio (on a rolling basis)* | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 | |||
* Net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio is based on a twelve-months rolling EBITDA.
On June 22, 2026, the group issued a new
Note 9 Equity, LTIP, and dividends
The group made progress on the share buyback program of up to
For the period starting August 6, 2026, up to and including December 28, 2026, the group has now engaged a third party to execute a maximum of
Shares repurchased are added to and held as treasury shares and will be used for capital reduction purposes and to meet obligations arising from share-based incentive plans. In 2026, the group used 0.1 million shares held in treasury for the vesting of the LTIP grant 2023-25, the third tranches of the Restricted Stock Units (RSU) 2023 plan, the second tranches of the Restricted Stock Units (RSU) 2024 plan, and the first tranches of the RSU 2025 plan.
In the first six months of 2026, treasury shares were used for the vesting of Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) shares; no new shares were issued. The LTIP 2023-25 vested on December 31, 2025. Total Shareholder Return (TSR) ranked fifteenth relative to the peer group of 15 companies, resulting in a payout of
Under the 2026-28 LTIP grant, 618,174 shares were conditionally awarded to the Executive Board and other senior managers in the first six months of 2026. In the first six months of 2026, a total of 53,696 shares were forfeited under the long-term incentive plans.
RSU shares are granted and vest over time (with 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years vesting periods), vesting is conditioned on continued employment. There are no performance conditions that need to be met for the RSU shares to vest. Under the 2026-2028 RSU grant, 78,454 shares were awarded to key employees (in 2025: 29,821). In the first six months of 2026, a total of 3,866 shares were forfeited under the RSU plans (2025: 2,265) and 28,598 shares were released (2025: 21,900).
A final dividend of
For 2026, the interim dividend was set at
At June 30, 2026, the Executive Board jointly held 82,563 shares (December 31, 2025: 535,921 shares, including 460,412 shares held by former CEO Ms. McKinstry), which included 21,137 shares that were held by Ms. Caywood (December 31, 2025: 18,775 shares) and 61,426 shares held by Mr. Entricken (December 31, 2025: 56,734 shares).
At June 30, 2026, Mrs. A.E. Ziegler held 4,358 Wolters Kluwer ADRs (December 31, 2025: 3,073 ADRs), Mr. C.F.H.H. Vogelzang held 779 shares (December 31, 2025: none), Mr. M.J. de Vries held 1,000 shares (December 31, 2025: none), and Mr. D.W. Sides held 1,875 shares (December 31, 2025: 1,875). None of the other members of the Supervisory Board held shares in Wolters Kluwer (December 31, 2025: 7,948 ordinary shares or ADRS were owned by members of the Supervisory Board, including Mr. De Kreij).
Note 11 Related party transactions
There were no major related party transactions entered into during the six months period ended June 30, 2026.
Note 12 Events after balance sheet date
On August 4, Corporate Performance & ESG acquired
Appendix 1 Divisional supplemental information – Six months ended June 30
| (€ million, unless otherwise stated) | Change: | |||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | Organic | Acquisition/ Divestment | Currency | ||||||
| Health | ||||||||||
| Revenues | 774 | 788 | 37 | 1 | (52) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit | 264 | 260 | 21 | 0 | (17) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||||||
| Tax & Accounting | ||||||||||
| Revenues | 847 | 837 | 46 | 0 | (36) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit | 308 | 308 | 17 | 0 | (17) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||||||
| Financial & Corporate Compliance | ||||||||||
| Revenues | 569 | 635 | 22 | (49) | (39) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit | 224 | 211 | 19 | 9 | (15) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||||||
| Legal & Regulatory | ||||||||||
| Revenues | 523 | 487 | 24 | 23 | (11) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit | 104 | 98 | 12 | (3) | (3) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||||||
| Corporate Performance & ESG | ||||||||||
| Revenues | 320 | 305 | 23 | 2 | (10) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit | 31 | 18 | 15 | 0 | (2) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||||||
| Corporate | ||||||||||
| Adjusted operating profit | (38) | (30) | (9) | ‒ | 1 | |||||
| Total Wolters Kluwer | ||||||||||
| Revenues | 3,033 | 3,052 | 152 | (23) | (148) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit | 893 | 865 | 75 | 6 | (53) | |||||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | ||||||||||
| Note: Acquisition/divestment column includes the contribution from 2026 and 2025 acquisitions before these became organic (12 months from their acquisition date), the impact of 2026 and 2025 divestments, and the effect of asset transfers between divisions, if any. | ||||||||||
Appendix 2 Revenues by media format – Six months ended June 30
| (€ million, unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | |
| Software | 1,438 | 1,413 | + | + | + | |
| Digital information | 1,177 | 1,195 | - | + | + | |
| Total digital | 2,615 | 2,608 | + | + | ||
| Services | 303 | 305 | + | + | ||
| 115 | 139 | - | - | - | ||
| Total revenues | 3,033 | 3,052 | - | + | + | |
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | ||||||
Appendix 3 Divisional revenues by type – Six months ended June 30
| (€ million, unless otherwise stated) | 2026 | 2025 | ∆ | ∆ CC | ∆ OG | |
| Health | ||||||
| Digital and service subscription | 649 | 653 | - | + | + | |
| Print subscription | 15 | 18 | - | - | - | |
| Other recurring | 66 | 65 | + | + | + | |
| Total recurring revenues | 730 | 736 | - | + | + | |
| Print books | 15 | 19 | - | - | - | |
| Other non-recurring | 29 | 33 | - | - | - | |
| Total Health | 774 | 788 | - | + | + | |
| Tax & Accounting | ||||||
| Digital and service subscription | 712 | 682 | + | + | + | |
| Print subscription | 6 | 7 | - | - | - | |
| Other recurring | 74 | 79 | - | + | + | |
| Total recurring revenues | 792 | 768 | + | + | + | |
| Print books | 6 | 12 | - | - | - | |
| Other non-recurring | 49 | 57 | - | - | - | |
| Total Tax & Accounting | 847 | 837 | + | + | + | |
| Financial & Corporate Compliance | ||||||
| Digital and service subscription | 392 | 430 | - | - | + | |
| Total recurring revenues | 392 | 430 | - | - | + | |
| Legal Services (LS) transactional | 114 | 112 | + | + | + | |
| Financial Services (FS) transactional | 55 | 64 | - | - | - | |
| Other non-recurring | 8 | 29 | - | - | - | |
| Total Financial & Corporate Compliance | 569 | 635 | - | - | + | |
| Legal & Regulatory | ||||||
| Digital and service subscription | 386 | 351 | + | + | + | |
| Print subscription | 32 | 36 | - | - | - | |
| Other recurring | 10 | 5 | + | + | + | |
| Total recurring revenues | 428 | 392 | + | + | + | |
| Print books | 17 | 18 | - | - | - | |
| ELM transactional | 53 | 51 | + | + | + | |
| Other non-recurring | 25 | 26 | - | - | - | |
| Total Legal & Regulatory | 523 | 487 | + | + | + | |
| Corporate Performance & ESG | ||||||
| Digital and service subscription | 248 | 230 | + | + | + | |
| Other recurring | 3 | 0 | nm | nm | - | |
| Total recurring revenues | 251 | 230 | + | + | + | |
| Other non-recurring | 69 | 75 | - | - | - | |
| Total Corporate Performance & ESG | 320 | 305 | + | + | + | |
| Total Wolters Kluwer | ||||||
| Digital and service subscription | 2,387 | 2,346 | + | + | + | |
| Print subscription | 53 | 61 | - | - | - | |
| Other recurring | 153 | 149 | + | + | + | |
| Total recurring revenues | 2,593 | 2,556 | + | + | + | |
| Print books | 38 | 49 | - | - | - | |
| Transactional | 222 | 227 | - | + | + | |
| Other non-recurring | 180 | 220 | - | - | - | |
| Total non-recurring revenues | 440 | 496 | - | - | - | |
| Total Wolters Kluwer | 3,033 | 3,052 | - | + | + | |
| ∆: % Change; ∆ CC: % Change in constant currencies (€/ | ||||||
About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in information solutions, software and services for professionals in healthcare; tax and accounting; financial and corporate compliance; legal and regulatory; corporate performance and ESG. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with technology and services.
Wolters Kluwer reported 2025 annual revenues of
Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX, Euro Stoxx 50, and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).
For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram
| Financial Calendar | |
| September 1, 2026 | Ex-dividend date: 2026 interim dividend ordinary shares |
| September 2, 2026 | Record date: 2026 interim dividend |
| September 24, 2026 | Payment date: 2026 interim dividend |
| October 1, 2026 | Payment date: 2026 interim dividend ADRs |
| November 4, 2026 | Nine-Month 2026 Trading Update |
| February 24, 2027 | Full-Year 2026 Results |
| March 10, 2027 | Publication of 2026 Annual Report |
| Media | Investors/Analysts |
| Stefan Kloet | Meg Geldens |
| Global Communications | Investor Relations |
| m +31 (0)612 223 657 | t + 31 (0)172 641 407 |
| press@wolterskluwer.com | ir@wolterskluwer.com |
Forward-looking Statements and Other Important Legal Information
This report contains forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as “expect”, “should”, “could”, “shall” and similar expressions. Wolters Kluwer cautions that such forward-looking statements are qualified by certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from what is contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, general economic conditions; conditions in the markets in which Wolters Kluwer is engaged; conditions created by global pandemics, such as COVID-19; behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors; technological developments; the implementation and execution of new ICT systems or outsourcing; and legal, tax, and regulatory rules affecting Wolters Kluwer’s businesses, as well as risks related to mergers, acquisitions, and divestments. In addition, financial risks such as currency movements, interest rate fluctuations, liquidity, and credit risks could influence future results. The foregoing list of factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Wolters Kluwer disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Elements of this press release contain or may contain inside information about Wolters Kluwer within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014/EU). Trademarks referenced are owned by Wolters Kluwer N.V. and its subsidiaries and may be registered in various countries.
Notice regarding bearer share certificates
Owners of physical bearer share certificates in Wolters Kluwer N.V. (or its predecessors) are currently still entitled to surrender these bearer certificates and to receive a corresponding number of ordinary shares in Wolters Kluwer N.V. The opportunity to exchange the bearer certificates is open until October 31, 2026, at the latest. For more information, please email ir@wolterskluwer.com.
1 Dividend payout ratio: dividend per share divided by adjusted earnings per share.
2 Total cash and cash equivalents of
3 Customers with Enterprise Edition contracts.
4 EHS = environmental, health, and safety. ESG = environmental, social, and governance (Enablon suite).
5 GRC = governance, risk, and compliance.
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