Vanessa Sanchez Purchases 4,200 Shares of E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Stock

Key Points

• Major shareholder Vanessa Sanchez bought 4,200 shares of E.W. Scripps on March 10 at an average price of $4.59, increasing her direct stake to 11,052 shares — a 61.3% rise, according to an SEC filing.
• E.W. Scripps shares fell about 5.2% to $4.17 on heavy volume; the company recently missed EPS (reported $(0.06) vs. $0.46 expected) and carries a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (~3.13), highlighting fundamental headwinds.
• Analyst views are mixed — Benchmark raised its target to $10 while the consensus target is roughly $6.95 and the average rating is "Reduce" — even as multiple large insider purchases by family/major holders suggest insider confidence.

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) major shareholder Vanessa Sanchez acquired 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.59 per share, with a total value of $19,278.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 11,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,728.68. This trade represents a 61.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Stock Down 5.2%

E.W. Scripps stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $4.17. 921,662 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 627,969. The company's 50-day moving average is $3.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.40. The firm has a market cap of $370.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.23 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.52). The company had revenue of $560.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.82 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 4.69%. On average, analysts predict that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. D Orazio & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. M&T Bank Corp bought a new position in E.W. Scripps in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in E.W. Scripps in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. bought a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.81% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about E.W. Scripps

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

About E.W. Scripps

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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