E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Major Shareholder Vanessa Sanchez Acquires 6,852 Shares

Key Points

• Major shareholder Vanessa Sanchez bought 6,852 shares on March 9 at an average price of $4.43, a $30,354.36 purchase disclosed in an SEC filing.
• Broader insider buying includes a much larger purchase by Margaret Scripps Klenzing (~159,515 shares) and several other insiders buying hundreds of thousands of shares, signaling renewed insider confidence.
• Company fundamentals and market view: SSP slid ~5.2% to $4.17 amid heavy volume after an EPS miss (‑$0.06 vs. $0.46) and a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (~3.13), with mixed analyst ratings and a consensus "Reduce" and $6.95 target.

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) major shareholder Vanessa Sanchez purchased 6,852 shares of E.W. Scripps stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.43 per share, with a total value of $30,354.36. Following the transaction, the insider owned 6,852 shares in the company, valued at $30,354.36. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Trading Down 5.2%

NASDAQ SSP traded down $0.23 on Wednesday, hitting $4.17. 921,662 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 627,969. The company's 50-day moving average price is $3.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13. E.W. Scripps Company has a 52-week low of $1.72 and a 52-week high of $4.98.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.52). E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 4.69%.The business had revenue of $560.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.82 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on SSP shares. Zacks Research downgraded E.W. Scripps from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of E.W. Scripps from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of E.W. Scripps from $3.00 to $3.90 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $6.95.

E.W. Scripps News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting E.W. Scripps this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts’ average price target of $6.95 implies meaningful upside versus the stock’s current trading range, supporting buyer interest. E.W. Scripps Company The) (NASDAQ: SSP Receives $6.95 Average Price Target from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Large, high‑visibility insider purchase: major shareholder Margaret Scripps Klenzing bought 159,515 shares (~27% increase to her stake) at about $4.64 — a sizable vote of confidence that can attract other investors. SEC Filing - Margaret Scripps Klenzing
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple additional insider buys (Corina S. Granado, Eaton M. Scripps, Anthony S. Granado, Elizabeth Scripps and director Raymundo H. Jr. Granado made recent purchases totaling hundreds of thousands of shares across insiders), reinforcing the bullish signal from family/major holders. (See SEC filings for details.) Corina S. Granado SEC Filing Eaton M. Scripps SEC Filing Anthony S. Granado SEC Filing Elizabeth Scripps SEC Filing Raymundo H. Jr. Granado SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest numbers in the provided snapshot are inconsistent (showing 0 shares / NaN changes) and are unreliable as a near‑term signal until validated by an exchange short-interest report.
• Negative Sentiment: Company fundamentals remain mixed: SSP missed on EPS in the Feb. 25 quarter (reported $(0.06) vs. a consensus $0.46) and carries a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (~3.13), which are longer‑term headwinds that could cap upside absent improving margins or guidance. SSP Financials & Earnings

Institutional Investors Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Penn Capital Management Company LLC raised its holdings in E.W. Scripps by 151.7% during 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 in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 142.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,318,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,705,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361,721 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps by 886.8% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,280,898 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151,092 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps by 22.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,722,317 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,842,000 after acquiring an additional 871,159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in E.W. Scripps by 82.5% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 815,751 shares of the company's stock worth $3,255,000 after purchasing an additional 368,852 shares during the last quarter. 67.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

E.W. Scripps Company Profile

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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