E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Major Shareholder Ellen Granado Acquires 18,000 Shares

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) major shareholder Ellen Granado bought 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $4.46 per share, for a total transaction of $80,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 28,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $124,880. The trade was a 180.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Stock Performance

Shares of SSP traded up $0.08 on Thursday, reaching $4.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 301,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 575,670. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $3.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $376.96 million, a P/E ratio of -2.24 and a beta of 0.54. E.W. Scripps Company has a 12-month low of $1.90 and a 12-month high of $4.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $560.26 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.82 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative net margin of 4.69% and a negative return on equity of 0.27%. Research analysts forecast that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 3,472 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 427,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 42,542 shares in the last quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps in the 4th quarter valued at about $75,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in E.W. Scripps by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 808,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,228,000 after acquiring an additional 97,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAM Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps during the fourth quarter worth $319,000. 67.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More E.W. Scripps News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large, concentrated insider buying: multiple major shareholders and directors reported substantial purchases this week (e.g., Margaret Scripps Klenzing’s 159,515‑share buy), signaling owner confidence and reducing perceived sell pressure. SEC Filing – Margaret Scripps Klenzing
• Positive Sentiment: Insiders broadly increasing positions: dozens of buys by Scripps family members and major holders (reported across March 9–11), which traders interpret as a bullish signal and can spur short‑covering or momentum buying. TipRanks: Insiders Quietly Pile Into Scripps
• Positive Sentiment: New national sports programming deal: Scripps’ ION will televise the first‑ever nationally televised PWHL game in the U.S. (Mar. 28), supporting ad/affiliate upside and national distribution for Scripps’ broadcast network. PR Newswire: Ally and Scripps Sports Partner with PWHL
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upside: brokers show a consensus target (~$6.95) well above current levels, providing a valuation narrative for buyers and supporting positive sentiment among retail/institutional investors. American Banking News: $6.95 Average Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest figures in recent snapshots appear inconsistent (reports show 0 or NaN), so there’s no reliable evidence of short squeeze risk or short covering driving moves — treat short‑data as unresolved until exchange confirmation.
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals and leverage remain headwinds: Scripps missed EPS estimates in its Feb. 25 quarter and carries a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (~3.1). Those factors limit sustainable upside absent margin improvement or clearer cash‑flow progress.

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.