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    Sami Kassab

    Research Analyst at Exane BNP Paribas

    Sami Kassab is an Equity Research Analyst covering industrials and specialty business services at BNP Paribas (London Branch), having previously held a long-standing analyst role at Exane Ltd. Since 1999, he has built experience covering companies such as Pearson PLC, John Wiley & Sons, and Thomson Reuters, with recent performance data indicating an average return of -15.74% and a ranking near the bottom quartile of Wall Street analysts. Kassab began his career at Exane Ltd. in 1999, transitioned to the BNP Paribas SA London branch in December 2023, and has remained active in equity research for over two decades. While no public records indicate FINRA registration or securities licenses, he is recognized as a senior analyst with significant sector knowledge and engagement in earnings calls with leading listed firms.

    Sami Kassab's questions to PEARSON (PSO) leadership

    Sami Kassab's questions to PEARSON (PSO) leadership • H1 2025

    Question

    Sami Kassab, via written questions, asked about sustaining growth in Clinical Assessment and UK Qualifications, the H2 outlook for U.S. Student Assessment, the scale of the VUE Test Prep business, and the share of Inclusive Access in U.S. Higher Ed.

    Answer

    Art Valentine, President of Assessment & Qualifications, confirmed strong trends in Clinical and UK Quals, and stated U.S. Student Assessment is expected to return to growth in H2. He also noted the VUE Test Prep business is scaling and will contribute to H2 results. Tom ap Simon, President of Higher Education, confirmed Inclusive Access (IA) was mid-30% of the business last year and grew 21% in H1, highlighting its strategic importance in winning adoptions.

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    Sami Kassab's questions to JOHN WILEY & SONS (WLY) leadership

    Sami Kassab's questions to JOHN WILEY & SONS (WLY) leadership • Q3 2025

    Question

    Sami Kassab asked about Wiley's revenue exposure to U.S. institutions, particularly medical libraries, the specific impact of internal AI deployment on cost efficiency, and whether the Research business can accelerate its organic growth to match the 4-5% rate of its peers.

    Answer

    CEO Matthew Kissner stated that any potential impact from U.S. government funding actions is a 'low single-digit' issue due to significant geographic diversification and multiyear contracts. EVP Jay Flynn added that only a single-digit percentage of article output is tied to direct U.S. federal funding. Flynn also detailed that internal AI is being used for workflow automation and research integrity, contributing to overall margin improvement, though a specific basis point impact was not provided. Kissner addressed the growth question by explaining that Research revenue is back-loaded and growth rates are expected to be 'much more at industry levels' by the end of the fiscal year.

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    Sami Kassab's questions to SES (SGBAF) leadership

    Sami Kassab's questions to SES (SGBAF) leadership • Q3 2024

    Question

    Sami Kassab of Exane BNP Paribas asked about the timing of IRIS² capacity revenues, whether the EU Commission would guarantee a minimum IRR, and the key technical and commercial differences between SES's mPOWER and Starlink.

    Answer

    CEO Adel Al-Saleh explained that IRIS² capacity revenue will begin post-launch around 2030, though development-milestone revenues will occur sooner. He noted that while not providing a specific IRR guarantee, the EU will be an anchor customer with guaranteed capacity uptake, and such concession contracts typically include IRR protection mechanisms. He differentiated SES's sophisticated, programmable mPOWER constellation, which offers committed information rates and managed services, from Starlink's standard, best-effort model, positioning SES to serve a market requiring more complex, high-value solutions.

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    Sami Kassab's questions to THOMSON REUTERS CORP /CAN/ (TRI) leadership

    Sami Kassab's questions to THOMSON REUTERS CORP /CAN/ (TRI) leadership • Q2 2024

    Question

    Sami Kassab of BNP Paribas inquired about feedback from early adopters of CoCounsel regarding its reliability, referencing a recent Stanford University study, and asked if firms are expanding their initial pilot programs.

    Answer

    CEO Steve Hasker stated that customer feedback on CoCounsel has been very positive since its acquisition. He directly addressed the Stanford study, clarifying that it did not cover CoCounsel and that Thomson Reuters disagrees with its findings on Westlaw Precision, citing internal and customer testing that shows a 90% accuracy rate. Hasker confirmed that the process of firms broadening their pilot programs to more professionals is now starting.

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    Sami Kassab's questions to WOLTERS KLUWER N V /FI (WTKWY) leadership

    Sami Kassab's questions to WOLTERS KLUWER N V /FI (WTKWY) leadership • Q2 2017

    Question

    Sami Kassab from Exane asked for details on the restructuring within the Tax & Accounting division, the reasons for the software sales decline in the Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) unit, and whether new legal analytics tools could help restore growth in the Legal & Regulatory division.

    Answer

    CFO Kevin Entricken explained that restructuring in Tax & Accounting is focused on improving editorial processes, applying lessons from the Legal & Regulatory group. CEO Nancy McKinstry addressed the ELM sales decline, attributing it to a customer shift from perpetual licenses to subscriptions and a tough prior-year comparable, while affirming the business will grow for the full year. She also expressed strong optimism for legal analytics, like the new M&A Clause Analytics tool, calling it the 'future of the industry' for driving productivity.

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    Sami Kassab's questions to WOLTERS KLUWER N V /FI (WTKWY) leadership • Q4 2016

    Question

    Sami Kassab from Exane inquired about the sustainability of strong free cash flow and working capital contributions, the 2017 restructuring charge guidance, and the seemingly underwhelming Return on Capital Employed (ROIC) guidance, especially concerning the performance of recent acquisitions.

    Answer

    CFO Kevin Entricken explained that 100% cash conversion isn't sustainable annually, guiding to ~95% moving forward, and confirmed the 2017 restructuring guidance of €15-€25 million is a more normalized level. CEO Nancy McKinstry added that recent software acquisitions are performing as expected for businesses not yet at scale, and they are confident these will meet financial criteria within 3-5 years as they leverage Wolters Kluwer's distribution.

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