Resilient performance: Primed for Growth in AI Age
– A year of transformation – positive traction with solutions strategy
– AI is driving customer engagement with increased AI Hub adoption
– Strategic investment phase completed
– Enter 2026 with strong revenue visibility and a strengthened team focused on execution
GlobalData Plc (AIM: DATA, GlobalData, the Group), data, insight, and technology company, today publishes its results for the year ended 31 December 2025 (FY25).
· Total revenue growth of 13% to £322.1m (2024: £285.5m), underlying revenue growth1 of 1%.
· Adjusted EBITDA1 of £110.2m (2024: £116.8m) impacted by investment in cost base and M&A integration (-6%).
· Profit before tax for the year grew by £14.3m to £69.2m (2024: £54.9m), inclusive of a credit of £20.5m on share-based payments.
· Underlying Contracted Forward Revenue1 growth of 3% (reported growth of 5%), providing good visibility into 2026.
· Final dividend proposed at 1.2p (2024: 1.0p), an increase of 20%.
· Two further acquisitions during 2025, strengthening our Consumer and innovation offerings; revenue synergies remain a significant opportunity.
· Admission to the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (“Main Market”) expected at 8.00am on 5 March 2026.
Mike Danson, Chief Executive Officer of GlobalData Plc, commented:
“2025 has been a year of resilient performance for GlobalData, in a business environment that remains uncertain. We have continued to successfully embed our solutions-led sales model, and while the reorganisation is taking time to fully implement, it is already strengthening customer engagement, improving collaboration across teams, and building a quality pipeline. We are seeing the early benefits of that in forward revenue visibility and deeper, expanding client relationships.
Our vision is to transform the future of work and having invested over several years, we see AI as a key enabler for internal efficiencies and unlocking value for our customers. We have seen rapid adoption of our AI Hub by more than 90% of our customers, highlighting demand for our AI-enabled solutions. Our proprietary data and expert insights are mission-critical to our customers’ decision-making in fast evolving marketplaces, reinforcing the need for real time, trusted intelligence.
We enter 2026 with c.80% of analyst revenue consensus already contracted, providing visibility with a strengthened platform and team focused on execution, innovation and long-term value creation.”
Highlights
Financial results for the year ended 31 December 2025.
| Key performance metrics | 2025 | 2024 | Growth | Underlying growth1 |
| Revenue | £322.1m | £285.5m | +13% | +1% |
| Operating profit | £81.2m | £65.1m | +25% | |
| Operating profit margin | 25% | 23% | +2 pts | |
| Adjusted EBITDA1 | £110.2m | £116.8m | -6% | |
| Adjusted EBITDA margin1 | 34% | 41% | -7 pts | |
| Profit before tax (PBT) | £69.2m | £54.9m | +26% | |
| Earnings per share (EPS) | 4.4p | 3.8p | +16% | |
| Adjusted EPS (restated)1 | 7.3p | 5.1p | +43% | |
| Total dividends | 1.5p | 2.5p | -40% | |
| Contracted Forward Revenue1 | £179.7m | £171.4m | +5% | +3% |
| Net (bank debt)/ cash1 | (£114.2m) | £10.1m | -1231% |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Resilient growth despite market headwinds
| · | Delivered 13% revenue growth to £322.1m (2024: £285.5m) in a challenging environment, demonstrating the strength of our diversified platform and strategic M&A execution, whilst navigating currency headwinds. |
| · | Underlying revenue growth of 1% (2024: 4%) underpinned by consistent volume renewal rates, reflecting the resilience and stickiness of our customer base. |
Strategic investment phase with clear line of sight to margin recovery
| · | Adjusted EBITDA of £110.2m (2024: £116.8m) and margin of 34% (2024: 41%) reflect the impact of investments in Growth Transformation Plan initiatives, including sales expansion and senior leadership strengthening, alongside the short-term dilutive impact of six acquisitions during their initial integration phase. |
| · | Operating profit grew 25% to £81.2m, reflecting the reduction in Adjusted EBITDA offset by a non-cash share-based payment credit of £20.5m. |
| · | Profit before tax grew by £14.3m to £69.2m (2024: £54.9m), a 26% increase on prior year, albeit this includes a share-based payment credit of £20.5m. |
Robust cash generation and capital discipline
| · | Operating cash flow of £83.3m (2024: £97.6m) remained robust despite cash costs of acquisitions, integration, restructuring and transformation, underscoring the cash-generative nature of the business model. |
High revenue visibility underpins confidence
| · | Contracted Forward Revenue grew 5% to £179.7m (2024: £171.4m), with 3% underlying growth, and alongside our predictable renewal base provides approximately 80% visibility over company compiled analyst revenue consensus for 2026, a testament to the predictability and resilience of our recurring revenue model. |
Progressive shareholder returns
| · | Proposed final dividend of 1.2p (2024: 1.0p), representing 20% growth and reflecting confidence in the business trajectory. |
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Strengthened commercial infrastructure and market position
| · | Significant operational transformation and a challenging macro-economic environment have slowed our underlying growth for the year. |
| · | Restructured go-to-market organisation with expanded sales capacity and new strategic account management framework, whilst successfully integrating six acquisitions into the business and platform. |
| · | We exit the year with 3% underlying growth in Contracted Forward Revenue (reported growth 5%), which includes significant contract wins from 2025. |
Enhanced platform capabilities through measured AI integration
| · | The foundation of our business model is a strong defensive moat around high quality and proprietary data and insights. Augmentation of AI gives us opportunity across internal efficiency, customer productivity and experience, as well as opening potential new revenue channels. |
| · | We have launched several innovative AI-enabled solutions that are already creating value for clients, including digital workers, AVA (AI Research Assistant) and platform wide AI integration. |
| · | Rapid adoption of our AI Hub, with usage increasing twofold during H1 to over 100,000 users. AI Hub is now embedded across the customer base with 90% of customers contracted to an AI Hub enabled product, resulting in a 3x increase in the number of active AI Hub users. |
| · | AI and colleague collaboration has increased the number of users on our platform, enabled through our new licensing structure, and driven greater customer adoption and usage in terms of views, time on the site and downloads. |
Disciplined capital allocation
| · | Returned over £100m in share buyback programmes, as well as £11m contribution into the Employee Benefit Trust to manage future dilution. |
Move to Main Market progressing
| · | Admission to the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange expected at 8.00am on 5 March 2026. |
NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER APPOINTMENT
| · | Robert Kingston to join the Group as Chief Financial Officer as soon as he has served his six-month notice period with his current employer, Keywords Studios. It is expected that he will join the Group in Q3 2026. |
| · | Graham Lilley has informed the Board of his intention to step down from his role as CFO later this year, in order to pursue other opportunities. The Board have mutually agreed with Graham that he will remain in role until after Rob has started, to provide an orderly handover and support a smooth and successful transition. A further update will be made in due course. |
CURRENT TRADING AND OUTLOOK
We enter 2026 with strong revenue visibility for 2026, providing confidence for the year ahead. The strength of the revenue visibility reflects:
| · | Contracted Forward Revenue, booked as at 31 December 2025. |
| · | Consistent renewal rates across both Healthcare and Non-Healthcare divisions. |
| · | Growing strategic account momentum as our new sales approach drives deeper client relationships. |
| · | The benefit of acquisitions made in 2024 and 2025 now contributing to the base. |
| · | Resilient demand for business-critical data and insights despite macro headwinds. |
We have a clear line of sight to margin expansion as integration activity completes and supported by a well invested cost allowing for strong incremental margins flowing from revenue growth.
Medium-term priorities (2026 and beyond):
| · | Accelerate Underlying Growth: Driving our underlying revenue growth to mid-single digits, whilst building the foundations to get back to mid-high-single digit growth and beyond as we look out to the longer term. |
| · | Margin Recovery and Expansion: Recover Adjusted EBITDA margins towards 40%, leading to high cash conversion and strong returns on invested capital. |
| · | AI Innovation: Expand the capabilities and adoption of our AI Hub, whilst launching new AI-powered products and solutions. |
| · | Strategic M&A Execution: Focus is to drive revenue synergies in the Non-Healthcare division from recent acquisitions, but will continue to pursue value-accretive M&A in our Healthcare division. |
| · | Continuing to deliver attractive Total Shareholder Returns: Progressive dividend policy and disciplined approach to capital allocation and share buybacks. |
Note 1: Defined in the explanation of non-IFRS measures on page 26.
ENQUIRIES
| GlobalData PLC | |
| Mike Danson, Chief Executive OfficerGraham Lilley, Chief Financial Officer | 0207 936 6400 |
| J.P. Morgan Cazenove (Nomad, Joint Broker) | |
| Bill HutchingsMose Adigun | 0203 493 8000 |
| Panmure Liberum (Joint Broker) | |
| Rupert DeardenJames Sinclair-Ford | 0203 100 2000 |
| Investec Bank Plc (Joint Broker) | |
| Henry ReastVirginia Bull | 0207 597 5970 |
| FTI Consulting (Financial PR) | |
| Edward BridgesDwight BurdenEmma Hall | 0203 727 1000globaldata@fticonsulting.com |