E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Major Shareholder Vanessa Sanchez Buys 4,200 Shares of Stock

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) major shareholder Vanessa Sanchez bought 4,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.59 per share, with a total value of $19,278.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 11,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,728.68. This represents a 61.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Stock Performance

SSP stock traded down $0.00 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $4.17. 360,546 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 577,006. The firm has a market cap of $370.22 million, a P/E ratio of -2.23 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $3.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.40. E.W. Scripps Company has a 1-year low of $1.90 and a 1-year high of $4.98.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.52). E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 4.69%.The firm had revenue of $560.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.82 million. On average, analysts expect that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. raised 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 purchasing an additional 3,472 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 182,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $536,000 after buying an additional 4,342 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 31,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 4,819 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. raised its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 25.8% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 24,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 5,101 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in E.W. Scripps by 67.1% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 14,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 5,992 shares during the last quarter. 67.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SSP shares. Zacks Research downgraded E.W. Scripps from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of 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. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of 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, Weiss Ratings restated 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 assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, E.W. Scripps presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $6.95.

Key Stories Impacting E.W. Scripps

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.

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.