E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) Receives Average Rating of "Reduce" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is an average rating of "Reduce" from five firms (2 sell, 2 hold, 1 buy) with a one‑year target price of $6.95.
• The company reported a Q4 EPS of ($0.06), missing the $0.46 estimate and posting a negative net margin (-4.69%); the stock trades around $4.75 with a market cap of ~$423 million and a 52‑week range of $1.90–$5.39.
• Significant insider buying occurred on March 6 (notably Eaton M. Scripps and Margaret Scripps Klenzing), and insiders bought about 1.33 million shares (~$5.73M) over the last 90 days, bringing insider ownership to about 5.24%.

Shares of E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $6.95.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of E.W. Scripps from $3.00 to $3.90 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of E.W. Scripps from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of E.W. Scripps from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th.

E.W. Scripps Trading Down 2.3%

E.W. Scripps stock opened at $4.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The company has a market capitalization of $422.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.54 and a beta of 0.57. E.W. Scripps has a one year low of $1.90 and a one year high of $5.39. The company's fifty day moving average price is $4.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.67.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.52). The business had revenue of $560.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.82 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 4.69%. On average, analysts forecast that E.W. Scripps will post 0.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at E.W. Scripps

In other E.W. Scripps news, major shareholder Eaton M. Scripps bought 41,017 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.64 per share, with a total value of $190,318.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,388,185 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,441,178.40. This represents a 3.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Margaret Scripps Klenzing bought 159,515 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.64 per share, for a total transaction of $740,149.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 741,978 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,442,777.92. The trade was a 27.39% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 1,332,085 shares of company stock valued at $5,733,766. Corporate insiders own 5.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SSP. D Orazio & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 67.1% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 14,923 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 5,992 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. 67.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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