E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.34) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.53) by $0.19, Zacks reports. E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 3.00% and a negative net margin of 58.02%.The company had revenue of $490.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $511.65 million.

E.W. Scripps Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SSP traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $3.32. 1,914,393 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 646,341. The company has a market cap of $303.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.24 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $3.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.57. E.W. Scripps has a 52 week low of $2.02 and a 52 week high of $5.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

Insider Transactions at E.W. Scripps

In other E.W. Scripps news, major shareholder Molly E. Mccabe sold 142,970 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.48, for a total transaction of $497,535.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 123,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,860.04. The trade was a 53.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last three months, insiders have sold 326,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,117,887. Corporate insiders own 5.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SSP. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in E.W. Scripps by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 246,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 3,472 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in E.W. Scripps by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 427,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 42,542 shares in the last quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps during the 4th quarter valued at $75,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 808,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,000 after purchasing an additional 97,542 shares during the period. Finally, GAM Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the 4th quarter worth $319,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.81% of the company’s stock.

E.W. Scripps News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scripps said it is targeting $100 million in annualized cost savings by year-end, a plan that could improve profitability and cash flow as the company restructures its local television operations. Scripps targets $100 million in annual run-rate savings
• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast approximately $225 million to $250 million in political advertising revenue, providing an important potential boost during the 2026 election cycle. Political advertising and savings outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted results were viewed as better than feared in some estimates: Scripps reported a loss of $0.34 per share, compared with a consensus estimate of a $0.53 loss in one widely followed estimate. Management also highlighted artificial intelligence and a 24-hour streaming-news model as opportunities to reduce operating costs and expand content distribution. Scripps reports second-quarter financial results
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is implementing a transformation plan centered on AI-enabled local news production and streaming. The strategy could improve efficiency, but its effect on audience growth and long-term revenue remains unproven. Scripps layoffs and AI strategy
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue was $490.4 million, below the approximately $511.7 million consensus estimate, while the company remained unprofitable. Some estimates also showed the per-share loss was worse than expected, underscoring continued earnings pressure. Scripps reports second-quarter loss
• Negative Sentiment: Scripps has cut roughly 12% of its workforce, primarily at local television stations. The layoffs may support the savings target but also highlight significant pressure on the traditional television business and execution risk from the restructuring. Scripps workforce reductions

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SSP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of E.W. Scripps to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research raised E.W. Scripps from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price objective on E.W. Scripps from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.95.

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.