E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) Receives $5.95 Average Target Price from Brokerages

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.95.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SSP. Zacks Research upgraded shares of E.W. Scripps from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Benchmark cut their price target on E.W. Scripps from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded E.W. Scripps to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research note on Friday, May 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other E.W. Scripps news, major shareholder Molly E. Mccabe sold 142,970 shares of E.W. Scripps stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.48, for a total value of $497,535.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 123,523 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available through this link. Insiders sold 326,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,117,887 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 5.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. M&T Bank Corp purchased a new stake in E.W. Scripps in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in E.W. Scripps during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in E.W. Scripps during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in E.W. Scripps during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in E.W. Scripps by 67.1% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 14,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 5,992 shares during the period. 67.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

E.W. Scripps Price Performance

NASDAQ:SSP opened at $3.32 on Monday. E.W. Scripps has a 12-month low of $2.02 and a 12-month high of $5.39. The firm has a market cap of $303.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.24 and a beta of 0.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $3.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.77.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.34) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.53) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $490.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $511.65 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative net margin of 58.02% and a negative return on equity of 3.84%. Research analysts expect that E.W. Scripps will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

E.W. Scripps News Roundup

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

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.