Samantha Brickner Buys 63,955 Shares of E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Stock

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) major shareholder Samantha Brickner bought 63,955 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.43 per share, for a total transaction of $283,320.65. Following the purchase, the insider owned 64,021 shares in the company, valued at $283,613.03. This trade represents a 96,901.52% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Stock Down 2.4%

SSP stock opened at $4.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.41. The company has a market capitalization of $361.42 million, a price-to-earnings 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 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.52). E.W. Scripps had a negative net margin of 4.69% and a negative return on equity of 0.27%. The company had revenue of $560.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.82 million. On average, analysts forecast that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SSP shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on E.W. Scripps from $3.00 to $3.90 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Friday, March 6th. 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. Zacks Research lowered E.W. Scripps from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, E.W. Scripps currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $6.95.

E.W. Scripps News Summary

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

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SSP. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 246,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $985,000 after buying an additional 3,472 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 427,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 42,542 shares in the last quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps in the 4th quarter worth $75,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 13.7% in the 4th 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 stake in shares of E.W. Scripps during the fourth quarter worth $319,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.81% of the company’s stock.

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.