Insider Buying: E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Major Shareholder Purchases 63,955 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider purchase: Major shareholder Samantha Brickner bought 63,955 shares of E.W. Scripps at an average price of $4.43 (total ~$283,321), raising her direct stake to 64,021 shares, per an SEC filing.
• Mixed fundamentals: The company missed fiscal Q results (EPS of -$0.06 vs. a $0.46 consensus), has a high debt-to-equity ratio (~3.13) and a negative net margin (~-4.69%), which are potential headwinds for the stock.
• Contrasting signals: Multiple insiders (including a separate 159,515-share buy by Margaret Scripps Klenzing) and a 67.8% institutional ownership stake support confidence, while analysts’ average price target of $6.95 implies upside despite a consensus rating of "Reduce" and mixed analyst opinions.

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) major shareholder Samantha Brickner purchased 63,955 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.43 per share, for a total transaction of $283,320.65. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 64,021 shares in the company, valued at $283,613.03. This trade represents a 96,901.52% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Price Performance

Shares of SSP traded down $0.23 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $4.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 921,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 627,969. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.40. E.W. Scripps Company has a twelve month low of $1.72 and a twelve month high of $4.98.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $560.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.82 million. On average, research analysts predict that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in E.W. Scripps by 47.2% during the 2nd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 351,406 shares of the company's stock worth $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 112,608 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 142.3% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,318,987 shares of the company's stock worth $5,705,000 after buying an additional 1,361,721 shares during the period. Teton Advisors LLC bought a new position in E.W. Scripps during the third quarter worth $728,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in E.W. Scripps by 6.4% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,231,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,618,000 after acquiring an additional 74,435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. grew its holdings in E.W. Scripps by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 89,600 shares of the company's stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 28,858 shares during the period. 67.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key E.W. Scripps News

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered E.W. Scripps from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of E.W. Scripps from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on 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 reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $6.95.

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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