Informa Reports Strong First-Half Performance Despite Middle East Disruptions
Informa reported a solid first-half performance in fiscal year 2026 with underlying revenue up 6.8% and profit rising by 6.9%, driven primarily by growth in B2B live events and Taylor & Francis. The company reaffirmed its full-year guidance, increased its interim dividend, and expanded its share buyback program. However, disruptions in the Middle East—due to event deferrals or cancellations in Dubai and Saudi Arabia—reduced profitability as costs remained unchanged. Despite these challenges, management remains optimistic about maintaining margin growth for the year and expects live events revenue to grow by more than 7%. Taylor & Francis saw modest growth of over 5%, while Informa TechTarget declined slightly due to AI-related displacement effects and integration issues. The company aims to restore TechTarget's growth trajectory in 2026. Informa is adapting to the Middle East disruptions by focusing on domestic and regional participation, protecting customer relationships, and rescheduling events where possible. It also highlighted new event venue capacity coming online across several key markets as a long-term opportunity.
Topics: dividend increase event disruptions profitability revenue growth share buyback