New York Times (NYSE:NYT) Rating Lowered to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded New York Times from “buy” to “hold,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with a $82.89 target price.
• New York Times exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.69 in earnings per share versus $0.67 expected and $762.5 million in revenue, up 11.2% year over year.
• Shares opened at $63.53, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, as slower subscriber growth, rising costs and valuation concerns weigh on the outlook; insiders also sold $1.31 million of stock over the last quarter.

New York Times (NYSE:NYT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on NYT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on New York Times from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group set a $80.00 price target on New York Times in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Guggenheim increased their price target on New York Times from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of New York Times in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on New York Times from $66.00 to $63.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.89.

New York Times Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NYT opened at $63.53 on Friday. New York Times has a 52-week low of $54.10 and a 52-week high of $87.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $73.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.13. The stock has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.95.

New York Times (NYSE:NYT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $762.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $752.01 million. New York Times had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 22.64%. New York Times's revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. Analysts predict that New York Times will post 2.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at New York Times

In other New York Times news, EVP William Bardeen sold 4,121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.85, for a total transaction of $320,819.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,133,496. This represents a 22.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David S. Perpich sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.06, for a total value of $693,540.00. Following the sale, the director owned 28,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,193,821.14. The trade was a 24.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 17,121 shares of company stock worth $1,310,920 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On New York Times

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in New York Times by 1,191.7% in the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of New York Times during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of New York Times by 74.2% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 446 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of New York Times during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of New York Times by 313.9% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 567 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 430 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.37% of the company's stock.

More New York Times News

Here are the key news stories impacting New York Times this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations. The New York Times reported earnings of $0.69 per share versus the $0.67 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 11.2% year over year to $762.5 million, helped by digital subscriptions, higher average revenue per user and stronger digital advertising. The New York Times Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as Digital Ads Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Digital growth and pricing power support the long-term investment case. The company’s subscription ecosystem, ability to raise prices and continued digital expansion could support recurring revenue and profitability over time. Should Investors Buy Hold or Wait on NYT Amid Growth and Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity points to some bullish positioning. Investors purchased NYT call options in unusually high volume, suggesting that some market participants anticipate a rebound or further upside, although options activity is speculative and does not change the company’s fundamentals. Investors Buy High Volume of New York Times Call Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent weakness has created a valuation debate. NYT shares have decreased 12.8% over the past month and trade below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. That decline could attract value-oriented buyers, but investors remain divided over whether the stock’s valuation adequately reflects its growth prospects. NYT Stock Fell 12.8% in One Month Can Weakness Create Opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Subscriber momentum moderated. While digital performance remained strong, slower subscriber additions raise concerns about how easily NYT can sustain its growth rate and expand its subscription base.
• Negative Sentiment: Costs and valuation remain headwinds. Rising expenses could limit margin expansion, while the stock’s valuation leaves less room for execution setbacks. These concerns are contributing to a “hold or wait” stance among some investors. NYT Earnings Show Digital Growth as Subscriber Momentum Moderates

About New York Times

The New York Times Company is a publicly traded media organization best known for publishing The New York Times newspaper and operating the NYTimes.com digital platform. The company produces daily print and digital journalism covering national and international news, opinion pieces, feature stories, and multimedia content. Alongside its flagship newspaper, the firm offers a range of subscription-based services, including Times Cooking, NYT Games, podcasts and newsletters, designed to engage a broad audience of readers and advertisers.

Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, The New York Times has built a reputation for in-depth reporting and investigative journalism.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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