E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Major Shareholder Austin Heidt Acquires 4,000 Shares of Stock

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) major shareholder Austin Heidt bought 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.48 per share, for a total transaction of $17,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,920. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Stock Down 0.0%

E.W. Scripps stock traded down $0.00 during trading on Thursday, hitting $4.17. 360,546 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 577,006. The company has a market capitalization of $370.22 million, a P/E ratio of -2.23 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50 day moving average is $3.70 and its 200 day moving average is $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 current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.52). The company had revenue of $560.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.82 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative net margin of 4.69% and a negative return on equity of 0.27%. Analysts predict that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of E.W. Scripps

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Penn Capital Management Company LLC raised its position in E.W. Scripps by 151.7% in the third quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 3,599,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,864,000 after acquiring an additional 2,169,640 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 142.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,318,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,705,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361,721 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps by 886.8% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,280,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,151,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151,092 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,722,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,842,000 after purchasing an additional 871,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 82.5% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 815,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,255,000 after purchasing an additional 368,852 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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: 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of E.W. Scripps from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of E.W. Scripps from $3.00 to $3.90 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark boosted their target price on E.W. Scripps from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, E.W. Scripps has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $6.95.

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.