Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Friday.

Lee Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of LEE remained flat at $12.25 during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 7,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,027. Lee Enterprises has a one year low of $7.56 and a one year high of $15.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.47. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $12.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.41.

Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $155.68 million for the quarter. Lee Enterprises had a negative net margin of 1.88% and a negative return on equity of 59.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Digital Ltd Quint bought 17,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $15.61 per share, with a total value of $265,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 763,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,910,430. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have purchased 85,599 shares of company stock valued at $1,177,335 in the last 90 days. 11.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEE. Corsair Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Lee Enterprises during the 4th quarter valued at $128,000. Teton Advisors Inc. raised its position in Lee Enterprises by 27.7% in the 3rd quarter. Teton Advisors Inc. now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 6,500 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Lee Enterprises by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 57,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in Lee Enterprises by 17.8% in the third quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 73,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 11,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lee Enterprises by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. now owns 122,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 9,215 shares during the last quarter. 39.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lee Enterprises Company Profile

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated provides local news and information, and advertising services in the United States. The company offers digital subscription platforms; daily, weekly, and monthly newspapers and niche publications; and web hosting and content management services. It also provides advertising and marketing services, such as audience extension, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, web and mobile production, social media services, and reputation monitoring and management.