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Our monthly Fire Best Buys Now are designed to highlight our team’s three favourite, most timely Buys from our growing list of growth-focused Fire recommendations, to help Fools build out their portfolios.
“Best Buys Now” Pick #1:
Pearson (LSE:PSON)
- A former diversified publishing giant, it has repositioned itself as a pureplay education business.
- The company, whose portfolio is now roughly 82% digital or digitally enabled, is learning to operate more as a software business so that it can innovate faster and offer new learning experiences that are personalised and accessible”.
- In its latest fiscal year, underlying sales grew by 3% to £3.6bn, while adjusted operating profit climbed by 10% to £600m due to operating leverage and cost efficiencies.
- Potentially, its assessment and qualifications business could see a tailwind if people need to reskill to meet future labour needs in the face of technological changes.
- The company has long sought to take advantage of AI, which students should increasingly use to master Pearson’s courseware and which Pearson reckons should improve the efficacy of its education products.
- While artificial intelligence tools might also pose a threat to Pearson’s business, in our view it’s unlikely educators – who trust Pearson to help students achieve the best outcomes – will embrace unproven technologies at the expense of a trusted provider like Pearson.
- We reckon Pearson’s digital credentials are continuing to improve. It recently agreed strategic partnerships with Amazon and Microsoft to use AI tools for learners, educators and employers, helping validate Pearson’s claim to be a major software business.
