E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Major Shareholder Vanessa Sanchez Acquires 6,852 Shares

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) major shareholder Vanessa Sanchez acquired 6,852 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.43 per share, for a total transaction of $30,354.36. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 6,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,354.36. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SSP traded down $0.00 during trading on Thursday, hitting $4.17. 360,546 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 577,006. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $3.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.40. E.W. Scripps Company has a 52-week low of $1.90 and a 52-week high of $4.98. The company has a market cap of $370.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.23 and a beta of 0.54.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $560.26 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.82 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 4.69%. As a group, equities analysts predict that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 EPS for the current year.

E.W. Scripps News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting E.W. Scripps this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Concentrated insider buying — Numerous major shareholders and directors increased positions (large buys from Margaret Scripps Klenzing, Corina S. Granado, Eaton M. Scripps, Samantha Brickner, Ellen Granado and others). Big, clustered insider purchases often signal owner confidence and can reduce perceived sell pressure. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional insider purchases widely reported — Multiple smaller insider buys (Elizabeth Scripps, Raymundo Granado Jr., Anthony Granado, Savannah Brickner, etc.) reinforce the buying narrative and may prompt momentum buying or short covering. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New national programming deal — ION (a Scripps network) will air the first-ever nationally televised PWHL game in the U.S. on Mar. 28, which supports potential ad/affiliate revenue upside and national distribution for broadcast assets. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target suggests upside — Brokers’ average price target (~$6.95) is well above current levels, supporting a valuation story that can attract buyers if fundamentals improve. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership and trading — Institutions hold a large share of stock (~68%), and recent filings show both purchases and portfolio reallocations; this can amplify moves but is not an immediate catalyst by itself.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data inconsistent — Reports in the feeds show 0 or NaN short interest; treat short?data as unreliable until exchange?confirmed, so short?squeeze risk is unclear.
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental headwinds — Scripps missed EPS expectations in its Feb. 25 quarter (reported ($0.06) vs. $0.46 expected) and carries high leverage (debt/equity ~3.1), which limits upside unless margins or cash flow visibly improve.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SSP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on E.W. Scripps from $3.00 to $3.90 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark increased their price target on E.W. Scripps from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research lowered E.W. Scripps from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a 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. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $6.95.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 8.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 316,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $936,000 after acquiring an additional 25,070 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps during the first quarter worth $117,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 6.4% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,231,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,618,000 after buying an additional 74,435 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 0.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,516,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,459,000 after buying an additional 10,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps by 47.5% in the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 89,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 28,858 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.81% of the company’s stock.

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.