Benchmark Lowers E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Price Target to $8.00

Key Points

• Benchmark cut its price target on E.W. Scripps from $10 to $8, while keeping a buy rating. The new target still implies significant upside from the prior close.
• SSP shares fell 12% to $3.99 on Monday amid the analyst note, though trading volume was above average. The stock remains well below its 52-week high of $5.39.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of -$0.20 versus the -$0.52 estimate, with revenue essentially in line with forecasts. Analysts currently have a consensus hold rating and an average price target of $5.95.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by investment analysts at Benchmark from $10.00 to $8.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Benchmark's target price would suggest a potential upside of 100.75% from the company's previous close.

SSP has been the topic of several other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of E.W. Scripps from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of E.W. Scripps from $3.00 to $3.90 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $5.95.

E.W. Scripps Stock Down 12.0%

E.W. Scripps stock traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $3.99. The stock had a trading volume of 753,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 623,265. E.W. Scripps has a 52 week low of $2.02 and a 52 week high of $5.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The company has a market cap of $354.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.17 and a beta of 0.72. The business's 50 day moving average price is $4.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.81.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.52) by $0.32. E.W. Scripps had a negative net margin of 4.63% and a negative return on equity of 0.50%. The firm had revenue of $516.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $516.86 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that E.W. Scripps will post 0.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at E.W. Scripps

In other news, major shareholder Anthony S. Granado bought 6,852 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.43 per share, for a total transaction of $30,354.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $183,898.16. This represents a 19.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Manuel E. Granado bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.46 per share, for a total transaction of $44,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $89,200. The trade was a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 1,332,085 shares of company stock valued at $5,733,766 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Penn Capital Management Company LLC boosted its position in E.W. Scripps by 151.7% in the third quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 3,599,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,864,000 after buying an additional 2,169,640 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in E.W. Scripps by 142.3% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,318,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,705,000 after buying an additional 1,361,721 shares during the last quarter. Teton Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in E.W. Scripps in the third quarter valued at approximately $728,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in E.W. Scripps by 155.9% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 363,761 shares of the company's stock valued at $895,000 after buying an additional 221,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC boosted its position in E.W. Scripps by 135.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 263,293 shares of the company's stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 151,310 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.81% of the company's stock.

About E.W. Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Company is a diversified U.S. media organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Established in 1878 by Edward Willis Scripps, the company began as a newspaper publisher before expanding into broadcast television, cable networks and digital journalism. Today, Scripps combines a legacy of local news reporting with a growing portfolio of national cable channels and digital platforms.

Scripps operates more than 60 television stations across over 40 markets, delivering local news, weather, sports and entertainment programming to communities in both large and mid-sized U.S.

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