Samantha Brickner Purchases 46,412 Shares of E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Stock

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) major shareholder Samantha Brickner purchased 46,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $4.59 per share, for a total transaction of $213,031.08. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 110,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $506,887.47. This represents a 72.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of SSP stock opened at $4.07 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $3.70 and a 200-day moving average of $3.41. The stock has a market cap 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 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 issued its 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 business had revenue of $560.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.82 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative net margin of 4.69% and a negative return on equity of 0.27%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of E.W. Scripps

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 182,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $536,000 after acquiring an additional 4,342 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 31,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 4,819 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. grew its position in E.W. Scripps by 25.8% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 24,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 5,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in E.W. Scripps by 67.1% during 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. 67.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on SSP. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Benchmark raised their target price on E.W. Scripps from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered E.W. Scripps from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, E.W. Scripps has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $6.95.

Key Headlines Impacting E.W. Scripps

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.

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.