Pearson executives expect sales to grow between five and seven percent in 2007 for its professional education business. Revenue at IDC, a financial data provider in which Pearson is a majority stockholder, is forecast to grow 10 percent this year, compared with an earlier expectation of growth between six and eight percent, the company said in a Wall Street Journal article.

Pearson's FT Publishing unit, which includes the Financial times, saw profit rise 28 percent as revenue grew eight percent this year. The Journal article stated that analysts at UBS described the results as “significantly ahead of expectations,” and shares rose eight pence, or 1 percent, to 778 pence in London trading.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Marjorie Scardino said Monday that Pearson never intended to financially back the tentative plan to counter News Corp.'s $5 billion offer to buy Dow Jones & Co. Pearson ended discussions in June with General Electric Co. to counter Rupert Murdoch's bid for the publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

"I was never interested in buying it (The Wall Street Journal)," Scardino is quoted by the Associated Press as telling reporters at a press conference in London Monday. "If your biggest competitor goes on sale you will have a look at it."

The Bancroft family, which controls a majority of shareholder votes in Dow Jones, accepted News Corp.'s bid, it was announced Tuesday.