Savannah Brickner Buys 27,682 Shares of E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Stock

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) major shareholder Savannah Brickner bought 27,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.59 per share, with a total value of $127,060.38. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 66,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $303,977.34. This trade represents a 71.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Savannah Brickner also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 9th, Savannah Brickner bought 38,544 shares of E.W. Scripps stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $4.43 per share, with a total value of $170,749.92.

E.W. Scripps Price Performance

Shares of SSP opened at $4.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $361.42 million, a PE ratio of -2.18 and a beta of 0.54. E.W. Scripps Company has a 52-week low of $1.90 and a 52-week high of $4.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.06) EPS 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 analyst estimates of $550.82 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 4.69%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Key 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 (including Samantha Brickner, Ellen B. Granado, Austin Heidt, Mary Peirce and Raymundo H. Jr. Granado) reported purchases in early March, signaling owner confidence and reducing perceived near‑term sell pressure. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage/attention from third parties — Media reports highlight a flurry of insider accumulation (which can attract momentum buyers and short‑covering). Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New programming distribution could boost revenue — Scripps’ ION will nationally televise the PWHL game (Mar. 28), which may lift ad and affiliate revenue if viewership/monetization follow. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets imply upside — Broker average target (~$6.95) sits materially above current levels, giving a valuation cushion if operational metrics improve. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership (~68%) — Institutional positions can amplify moves (both up and down) but are not an immediate directional catalyst by themselves.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting unclear — Published short data in available feeds is inconsistent/zero; short‑squeeze risk is indeterminate until exchange‑confirmed figures are released.
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term fundamentals remain weak — Scripps missed Q4 EPS (reported ($0.06) vs. $0.46 expected) and carries a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (~3.1), which constrains upside unless margins and cash flow improve materially.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SSP. D Orazio & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 67.1% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 14,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 5,992 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in E.W. Scripps in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in E.W. Scripps during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. 67.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.