New York Times (NYSE:NYT) CAO R Anthony Benten Sells 1,913 Shares

The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT) CAO R Anthony Benten sold 1,913 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.57, for a total transaction of $140,739.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,772 shares in the company, valued at $2,778,886.04. The trade was a 4.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

New York Times Stock Performance

NYSE:NYT traded up $1.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $76.97. The stock had a trading volume of 590,543 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,293,467. The New York Times Company has a one year low of $44.83 and a one year high of $77.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $71.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.11.

New York Times (NYSE:NYT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $802.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $791.55 million. New York Times had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 12.18%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that The New York Times Company will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

New York Times Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from New York Times’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. New York Times’s payout ratio is presently 34.45%.

New York Times News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting New York Times this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus/analyst upgrade — Argus upgraded NYT to a “strong‑buy,” a catalyst that can attract momentum buyers and lift sentiment among retail and institutional investors. Argus Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Reports of a Berkshire/Hyperscaler interest — recent coverage highlights a new Berkshire stake (and broader commentary linking NYT to investor interest tied to Buffett’s moves), which investors interpret as a credibility boost and potential long‑term buyer. Berkshire Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals — NYT’s Feb. 4 quarter showed a small EPS beat and double‑digit revenue growth (subscriptions and digital ad recovery), supporting the bull case that the business can grow revenue while expanding digital reach.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market context — NYT’s move comes amid “mixed signals” in equity markets; broader market volatility could mute follow‑through buying even if company‑specific news is positive. Market Mixed Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/AI debate — commentary that an A.I. productivity boom might ease Fed policy could indirectly help ad and subscription growth, but this is a macro tailwind rather than a direct company catalyst. AI & Fed Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing content output — steady publishing (sports, world, culture) sustains traffic and subscription engagement, but individual articles are not an immediate stock catalyst unless they drive a material traffic spike.
• Negative Sentiment: Cost pressure concerns — a Seeking Alpha piece highlights inflationary cost trends for legacy media companies, flagging margin risk as NYT invests in journalism and product. That narrative can cap multiple expansion if costs continue to rise. Costs Article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CAO R. Anthony Benten sold 1,913 shares (~4.8% reduction in his holding), which some investors view as a modest negative signal even though the remaining ownership is large. SEC filing: Insider Sale Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on NYT. Guggenheim set a $63.00 price objective on New York Times and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on New York Times from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of New York Times from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Argus upgraded New York Times to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of New York Times in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, New York Times has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.43.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On New York Times

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in New York Times by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 4,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of New York Times by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,734,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of New York Times by 39.8% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 60,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,200,000 after purchasing an additional 17,232 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in New York Times in the 4th quarter worth about $487,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of New York Times by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 80,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,564,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. 95.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

New York Times Company Profile

The New York Times Company is a publicly traded media organization best known for publishing The New York Times newspaper and operating the NYTimes.com digital platform. The company produces daily print and digital journalism covering national and international news, opinion pieces, feature stories, and multimedia content. Alongside its flagship newspaper, the firm offers a range of subscription-based services, including Times Cooking, NYT Games, podcasts and newsletters, designed to engage a broad audience of readers and advertisers.

Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, The New York Times has built a reputation for in-depth reporting and investigative journalism.