Lee Enterprises (LEE) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

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. Lee publishes more than 50 daily and weekly newspapers, including flagship titles such as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and operates a network of local news websites and mobile applications. Beyond newsroom operations, Lee offers commercial printing, distribution services and a suite of digital marketing solutions—ranging from search engine optimization to targeted display advertising—designed to help regional businesses reach local audiences.

Serving communities in over two dozen states, Lee Enterprises’ footprint spans metropolitan and smaller markets alike, delivering local news, sports, business reporting and community information. The company continues to invest in digital transformation initiatives, aiming to enhance reader engagement and diversify revenue streams. Its commitment to local journalism is reflected in strategic partnerships with community organizations and ongoing efforts to expand multimedia storytelling and data-driven advertising offerings.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $5.44 to $5.82
• 50-Day Range: $3.86 to $6.96
• 52-Week Range: $3.79 to $19.63
• Volume: 78,161 shs
• Average Volume: 27,955 shs
• Market Capitalization: $36.01 million
• P/E Ratio: N/A
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Price Target: N/A
• Consensus Rating: N/A

Lee Enterprises Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Lee Enterprises scored higher than 12% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 139th out of 149 stocks in the consumer staples sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: N/A
• Analyst Rating: N/A

Consensus Rating

There is not enough analysis data for Lee Enterprises.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 0.6 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: Growing

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Lee Enterprises are expected to grow in the coming year, from ($3.58) to ($1.73) per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Lee Enterprises is -0.79, which means that its earnings are negative and its P/E ratio cannot be compared to companies with positive earnings.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Lee Enterprises is -0.79, which means that its earnings are negative and its P/E ratio cannot be compared to companies with positive earnings.

Short Interest

• Score: 5.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.26% of the float of Lee Enterprises has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Lee Enterprises has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.9, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Lee Enterprises has recently decreased by 5.92%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Dividend Strength: N/A

Dividend Yield

Lee Enterprises does not currently pay a dividend.

Dividend Growth

Lee Enterprises does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: N/A
• Environmental Score: N/A

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.26% of the float of Lee Enterprises has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Lee Enterprises has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.9, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Lee Enterprises has recently decreased by 5.92%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 0.9 / 5
• News Sentiment: -0.33

News Sentiment

Lee Enterprises has a news sentiment score of -0.33. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.78 average news sentiment score of Consumer Staples companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 2 news articles for Lee Enterprises this week, compared to 2 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 2 people have searched for LEE on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -33% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Lee Enterprises insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 9.80% of the stock of Lee Enterprises is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

Only 39.20% of the stock of Lee Enterprises is held by institutions.

LEE Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have LEE shares performed this year?

Lee Enterprises' stock was trading at $14.78 at the beginning of the year. Since then, LEE stock has decreased by 61.1% and is now trading at $5.75.

How were Lee Enterprises' earnings last quarter?

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE:LEE) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August, 1st. The company reported ($0.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $1.41. The firm earned $150.58 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.48 million. Lee Enterprises had a negative net margin of 7.21% and a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 325.44%.

When did Lee Enterprises' stock split?

Lee Enterprises's stock reverse split on the morning of Monday, March 15th 2021.The 1-10 reverse split was announced on Monday, March 1st 2021. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the market closes on Friday, March 12th 2021. An investor that had 100 shares of stock prior to the reverse split would have 10 shares after the split.

Who are Lee Enterprises' major shareholders?

Lee Enterprises' top institutional shareholders include Gamco Investors INC. ET AL (7.94%), Gabelli Funds LLC (3.26%), Praetorian PR LLC (2.01%) and Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. (1.37%). Insiders that own company stock include Digital Ltd Quint, Raghav Nath Bahl, Herbert W Moloney III, Shaun Mcalmont and Steven C Fletcher.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Lee Enterprises?

Shares of LEE stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Lee Enterprises own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Lee Enterprises investors own include Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT), Assertio (ASRT), Peabody Energy (BTU), Simon Property Group (SPG), Gilead Sciences (GILD), JinkoSolar (JKS) and Kosmos Energy (KOS).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 8/01/2024
• Today: 9/23/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 9/30/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Consumer Staples
• Industry: Newspapers
• Sub-Industry: Printing And Publishing
• Current Symbol: NYSE:LEE
• CIK: 58361
• Web: www.lee.net
• Phone: (563) 383-2100
• Fax: 563-323-9608
• Employees: 4,360
• Year Founded: 1890

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): ($6.87)
• Trailing P/E Ratio: N/A
• Forward P/E Ratio: N/A
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: -$25.84 million
• Net Margins: -7.21%
• Pretax Margin: -7.60%
• Return on Equity: -325.44%
• Return on Assets: -6.55%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 69.34
• Current Ratio: 0.78
• Quick Ratio: 0.72

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $581.81 million
• Price / Sales: 0.06
• Cash Flow: $0.15 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 38.52
• Book Value: ($3.91) per share
• Price / Book: -1.47

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 6,263,000
• Free Float: 5,584,000
• Market Cap: $36.01 million
• Optionable: Not Optionable
• Beta: 0.81