Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Lee Enterprises briefly crossed above its 200-day moving average at $8.10, hitting an intraday high of $8.13 before later trading lower at $7.60. The stock was down 5.7% on the day.
• The company’s balance sheet appears highly leveraged, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.34 and weak liquidity metrics, including a quick ratio of 0.72 and current ratio of 0.78.
• Recent insider activity was mixed: Director David Henry Hoffmann bought 18,200 shares, while Director Herbert W. Moloney III sold 24,000 shares. Institutional investors also increased positions in the stock during the latest quarters.

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE:LEE - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $8.10 and traded as high as $8.13. Lee Enterprises shares last traded at $7.60, with a volume of 38,539 shares.

Lee Enterprises Trading Down 5.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.34, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.95 million, a P/E ratio of -1.04 and a beta of 0.34. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $9.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lee Enterprises

In other Lee Enterprises news, Director David Henry Hoffmann acquired 18,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.08 per share, for a total transaction of $201,656.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,492,117 shares in the company, valued at $127,332,656.36. This represents a 0.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Herbert W. Moloney III sold 24,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.82, for a total value of $235,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,037 shares in the company, valued at $226,223.34. This trade represents a 51.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders bought 94,225 shares of company stock worth $898,978. Corporate insiders own 54.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Lee Enterprises by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 601,454 shares of the company's stock worth $2,881,000 after purchasing an additional 115,779 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its position in Lee Enterprises by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 226,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,086,000 after buying an additional 19,700 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lee Enterprises during the first quarter worth $430,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Lee Enterprises by 15,715.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 29,101 shares of the company's stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 28,917 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lee Enterprises during the fourth quarter worth $99,000. Institutional investors own 39.20% of the company's stock.

About Lee Enterprises

Lee Enterprises, Inc is a publicly traded media company based in Davenport, Iowa, with a heritage dating back to 1890 when Alfred W. Lee acquired the Davenport Times-Democrat. Over the decades, the company has grown through acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest regional news publishers in the United States. Lee Enterprises' shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LEE.

The company's principal activities center on the production and distribution of local journalism across print and digital channels.

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